Colca Canyon is a vast gorge in Southern Peru, about 105 km northwest of Arequipa. Reaching a depth of around 3,270 meters (10,730 ft), it ranks among the deepest canyons in the world, along with the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon. To put that into perspective, Colca Canyon is almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. 

The canyon, which stretches for 70 km, was formed over millennia as the Colca River slowly cut its way through the landscape. It’s a spectacular sight, flanked on one side by Chila Cordillera and on the other by Mount Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya and Ampato. And in the distance you can see the active stratovolcano Mount Ubinas and the beautiful Mount Coropuna. 

The canyon and the whole Colca Valley area were home to three ethnic groups, the Collaguas, the Cabanas and the Ccaccatapay, whose descendants still live here. Settlements here date back to pre-Inca times, with a scattering of towns from the period of Spanish colonization. The region is also home to diverse flora and fauna, most famously the Andean condors -- the largest flying birds in the world -- who swoop and soar on the thermals rising up along the canyon walls. They share the canyon with kestrels, peregrine falcons, Andean tinamous and more, making Colca a paradise for birdwatchers and trekkers alike.