Cotahuasi Rafting Expedition with the Outdoor Adventure Club

June 6- 16, 2010

The trip starts with a 14 mile hike on an ancient Inca trail deep into the canyon, then the adrenaline rush kicks in during a 6-day Class V rafting trip down a steep river through a gorgeous canyon.

If you are looking for a real adventure and true expedition, this is it! Our international adventure partner ran the first commercial descent of the Cotahuasi in 2001. Few people can say they’ve run this amazing river. Be one of a very select group who runs it this year.

Some of the trip highlights:
* 100 miles of continuous class IV and V white water.
* The Cotahuasi is the deepest canyon in the world - twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and deeper than the Colca Canyon.
* Each night's camp is set up on Inca Terraces. The Cotahuasi canyon has more Inca ruins than we can explore during one trip. On the exploratory trip, we discovered Inca textiles, skulls, perfectly intact pottery, wooden cups, tombs and Inca tunnels. We felt like Indiana Jones!
* Condors roam the air overhead.

Cotahuasi Trip Itinerary:
Day One: Arrive in Lima, Peru and take a connecting flight to Arequipa (flights not included). Explore this beautiful town hewn out of white stone; spend your first night at the Hotel Del Lago.

Day Two: We depart in the afternoon and start our drive to Cotahuasi canyon. We drive through many small Peruvian villages and pass through beautiful countryside. We eat dinner in the town of Aplao, three hours from Arequipa, and camp at a developed campsite in the Colca valley.

Day Three: We take a seven-hour journey by road to Cotahuasi. We go over a 15,500 foot pass before dropping down to the village of Cotahuasi. Along the way we get incredible views of Mountain Coropuna (21,000 ft) - Cotahuasi is a remote high Andean village far removed from everyday crowded Peruvian life. You will sense that you have discovered Shangri La when walking into this tranquil and clean village. Explore the narrow streets and the masonry work obviously descended from the Incan culture.  Enjoy hot springs and dinner. Stay at La Sipia Inn.    

Day Four: The mules get loaded with our personal gear and then we start our ten-hour hike around the Sipia Falls into the canyon. We follow ancient Inca trails 3,000 feet above the river level and then descend to the start of our river journey. This hike is one of the highlights of the trip. The views from the trail are dramatic and the trail is an engineering wonder. Our hike ends at a footbridge called Valinga.

Day Five through Day Ten: The next six days will be spent rafting through the Cotahuasi canyon. This canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and, according to the Peruvian government, it is the deepest canyon in the world. Another interesting point for the Cotahuasi are the Incan ruins scattered throughout the canyon, some of which are yet to be explored. Aside from the archeological treasures, you'll enjoy more than a 100 miles of continuous class IV whitewater, estimated 1500 CFS. The river flows 221 miles, from 12,000 feet up in the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. We will encounter three class V rapids and a few rapids that we may have to line the boats around.

Each night we will camp on Inca terraces and explore the ruins. Please remember that proper etiquette regarding archeological sites is the same here as it is back home. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

Day Ten: The Pacific Ocean breeze becomes prevalent and we know our take-out is getting close. We reach the vans, load up, and drive two hours to the nearest big town and have a nice sit-down meal at a restaurant before driving another two hours back to Arequipa. Hotel del Lago.

Day Eleven: Leave Arequipa, fly to Lima, then back home. Or on to your next adventure!

Please do not book airline tickets for this trip until you have been confirmed on the trip!

Pricing:
OAC Member: $3100 -Your trip must be paid in full 60 days in advance to obtain the OAC member rate.
Non-member: $3200

Let us know if you have any questions about this trip. Please send inquiries to peru@OutdoorAdventureClub.com

Ready to sign up for the Cotahuasi Rafting Expedition? Download our registration form and either scan and email it to us at elbrus@OutdoorAdventureClub.com, or fax it to 415 771 1891 ATTN: Richard