Colca Travel Forum

Which tour operator is the best for a "real" trek (without the tourist traps) and which one should be avoided? Has anybody done it on horse? If yes, with which tour operator? Any "off the beaten track" advice for the Arequipa region?
Thanks in advance...
Amalka

I can't recommend a tour operator because I didn't use one when I went to the Colca Canyon and I don't think you really need one. So long as you have some trekking experience and speak a little spanish you can do a nice trek for 2 or 3 days in the canyon getting there and back on buses. If you are interested then reply to this post or mail me and I'll describe what I did.

I was very happy with a private guide arranged via the Arequipa hostel El Indio Dormido (http://www.thesleepingindian.com/).
They took care of everything for a fair price and thre were only three of us (my friend and I and another guy who joined us).
They put us in the local bus, told us where to get off. We then had accomodation and a three hour walk from Yanque, some time in the hot springs. Then we met our guide (a student making ends meet) in the bus to Canabaconde) and had a wonderful time & trek.
A.

world citizen/alex,
i am interested in this trip without using organized tours. if it is easy for you send some info here (or e mail me) for that.
but before that, please tell me your opinion on that: i'll have about 10 days for peru main interest sites(machu pichu, titicaca, arueqipa, nazca, lima) . do you think i should include Colca Canyon? it is relative of course to each ones interests, let's say we talk in nature enthousiasts terms.
thanks
nikos

Do you remember the guide's name? Either in Arequipa or in the Canyon?
Amalka

If you're interested in my trip in the Colca Canyon drop me an email on world_citizen@vtmail.com and I'll happily tell you about it. 10 days is not very much time in Peru though and the trek I did takes 2 or 3 days. If yuo're into wildlife then you mayb want to spend more time in the jungle and less time in the mountains.
Send me an email and I'll get back to you.

Amalka, I didn't use a guide when I did my Colca Canyon trek, I just did it alone.

Please note the following after my recent experience with an agency in Arequipa.

If you want a "real" trek: Pablo tours. The agent's son Edwin runs the shop, is a businessman, and is a bit arrogant. But, he knows the area and runs the best treks in town.

Beware...
If you go to Arequipa, do not use Eduardo Rivas the owner/gerente general of EDU Travel, formerly known as Hilton Tours at Calle Santa Catalina 217. Furthermore, choose your travel agent carefully for treks or car/tour bus rental. We recently had a problem with Eduardo personally selling us an expensive tour with a chauffeur and guide. But, the guide had not finished her degree and was thoroughly unfamiliar with the area we visited with this tour; she was frank about her age, lack of experience, that this was her first tour to lead by herself, and we learned that Eduardo was not even paying her! It was quite unfortunate for us as it impacted the quality of our trip. Upon returning to Arequipa, we went to speak to Eduardo about the problem and demand a refund. He had set this poor girl up for failure but had the nerve to insist that yes, she had her degree, knew lots about the area, and that WE had some kind of misunderstanding. He blatantly lied to us. This was both ridiculous and frustrating. We spent 4 days with her and she was honest with us. We asked for a refund and he offered all 3 of us a total of less than 5% refund, which we turned down on principle. What an aggravating experience. Absolutely, DO NOT consider using Eduardo Rivas’ services and consider paying ½ your fee up-front and ½ upon return to insure your services are quality.