Full Day Tour Sillar Route and Culebrillas Canyon Arequipa
Description
The Sillar Route is an immense ashlar quarry (a stone of volcanic origin), which forms spectacular gorges, similar to those of Petra in Jordan. You can also see petroglyphs and appreciate the way the stones are extracted.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The excursion will begin with pickup from your hotel in Arequipa at the time you choose. From there, we will take the Uchumayo road until we reach the ashlar stone quarries, where we will take a guided tour to learn about the work of the stonemasons, a craft that has been active since ancient times. The stones from this area have the peculiarity that they can only be worked by hand, otherwise they would break. The work of the stonemasons is to carve the stone until it forms the ashlar that will later be used in the constructions so typical of this area of Peru. Did you know that this material comes from the lava of the volcanoes that surround Arequipa?
Afterwards, we will walk for half an hour to our next destination, the Culebrillas canyon, a ravine formed by nature itself and the passage of water. Here we will take a hiking route between its rock walls between 15 and 20 meters high and you will be able to take some great photos. In addition, we will be able to see the ancient petroglyphs, cave symbols engraved in the rock whose meaning is a mystery. After four hours of tour, we will return to the center of Arequipa. The excursion will end near the Plaza de Armas.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You are picked up from your hotel, which is located in the historic center of Arequipa.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(3)
This trip is a waste of time. Not just this particular Sillar route trip but all similar trips because there is nothing really to see. The whole thing has been constructed for tourists: 1) you drive to the edge of the city for photos of the view surrounded by tacky souvenir stalls 2) you then drive 20 Mins into the industrial district to go to a dusty stone quarry where some isolated sculpture s have been made for tourist photos out of the soft white stone. There is not any context for them and they are a modern creation - surrounded by tacky souvenir stalls. You do not see the sculptors working. Mostly the quarry is used for cutting stone blocks for the town. 3) Next you drive down the road for a 20 minute route march “hike” following coach loads of other tourists into a small canyon, full of tourists and mosquitoes to see some stone pictures of llamas and condors which may have been created by pre Columbian people (no context as to why they would be in a small canyon in the middle of nowhere), or, you know, created / added to last week. Again the area is surrounded by tacky souvenir stalls. Save your money and time and choose a different tour. There is literally no reason for this one.
I went on a business trip and got away for the attractions of Arequipa. What a beautiful city! If you are planning to visit Arequipa, enjoy the city too ✨
I highly recommend this tour the place is amazing and full of history. The view from the city is unbelievably so beautiful and you can take lovely pictures
