The Condor Canyon Tour is one of the most important alternatives the City of Cusco can offer visitors who want to see something different. During the trip we can appreciate the beauty of nature, especially the mountains such as Apu Pucara and the snow-capped mountains of Humantay and Salkantay. Finally, from a viewpoint close to the Apurimac River Canyon, we will witness the majestic Andean condors flying in their natural habitat.
The Condor Canyon is located in the Andean community of Chonta. Chonta lies in the district of Limatambo. in the province of Anta, in the Cusco department. It’s a 3 hour drive by car to the community of Chonta and an hour and a half walking from the community of Chonta to the viewpoint of the Canyon of the Condor. Total distance of the walk is 3 kilometers.
The Condor Canyon is the natural sanctuary of the Andean condor, the sacred bird of the Incas. This place offers visitors a view to the majestic flight of the Andean condor in its natural habitat and to the impressive canyon of the Apurimac river which is more than 1000 meters deep. This is the home of the condors, the place where they sleep and nest.
We’ll pick you up from your hotel at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. Then, we will travel along the Cusco Limatambo route for approximately 2 hours. During this trip, we’ll stop at some archeological sites such as KILARUMIYOC AND TARAWASI. Our guide will explain us a little bit more about the Inca culture and modern life in Peru. We’ll continue our journey along the well paved road to the Huayronca Bridge, from where we will take an unpaved road until we’ll arrive at the Chonta community. On this trip will drive up to 3.400 meters or 11,155 feet above sea level. On the way, we’ll stop at some viewpoints to take photos of the snow-covered Salkantay mountain and of the valley of Limatambo.
Around 12:00 p.m., we’ll get to the village of Chonta where we will enjoy our delicious lunch watching the snow fall from the Salkantay mountain. After that, we will begin our walk of a bit more than an hour along a wide road until we get to the viewpoint of the Condor Canyon at 3.350 meters/10,990 feet. From this point we will have the opportunity to witness the impressive Andean condor in its natural habitat. We will stay at the viewpoint and wait for the condors to arrive. We won’t be waiting for long since the condors usually return to their nests in the afternoon around 3:00 p.m., after their daily activities. Here, you will have a very good chance to see the condors at very close range. They will be flying in front of us for an average of 2 hours or more, and sometimes you can see them fly 20 meters from the viewpoint: you’ll be amazed! Next, we’ll walk back to Chonta to take our car back to Cusco, where we’ll arrive at approximately 8:00 p.m.