Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Tourism in Colca Canyon affected by heavy rains

WHERE DOES THE MONEY FROM TOURISTIC TICKETS GO TO?
70 soles for nothing!

By The Colca Specialist

Last week several incidents happend in Colca Canyon. The heavy rains Arequipa had in the last week are causing much trouble not only in Arequipa but also in several parts of Peru.

In the Colca Canyon there were many car accidents provoked by the heavy rains and the fog.Even the president of the Regional Goverment Dr. Juan Manuel Guillén Benavides suffered a terrible car accident when he was traveling to Caylloma province,a province of Arequipa where the Colca Canyon is located. The reason of his trip was to check the damage suffered by a water channel that takes the water of Colca River to Majes irrigation area which is located after the Colca Canyon.


The landslide that destroy the channel happened in the surroundings of Achoma, a settlement located in the Colca Valley.The channel and the road were destroyed and many tour vans had to take an alternative road to reach the condor cross area but at the end they couldn´t because of the mud that didn´t allow the tour vans to reach the place.


The Colca Specialist was in the area and the the trip was a five star trip thanks to the van provided by Naturaleza Activa which was a 4x4 jeep which allow us to visit the whole place without any kind of problems. The other tour vans stayed on the way because they couldn ´t arrive to the canyon because they got stuck on the muddy roads.

The Colca Specialist recommends you that in order to have a successful trip to the Colca Canyon it is better to travel in a 4x4 van in order to avoid surprises on the way specially in this rainy season.

It is not recommended to travel in big buses to Colca Canyon because the unpaved roads that take you to the canyon have no pavement and with the heavy rains they are very muddy and slippery so it is better to travel with the adequate transportation.

Safety first and don´t forget that your holidays are important so the decision you take is up to you! Here I am sharing with you some of the pictures I took of my trip to the Colca Canyon last week!

The Colca Specialist



This is a picture of the road between Arequipa and Colca Canyon.The fog doesn´t allow you to have a good visibility of the way!


This picture was taken on Patapampa which is the highest point on the road to Colca Canyon (4,800 meters).The caterpillar machine id trying to rescue the van that has fallen outside the road!This was the first accident on the way!


The muddy roads in Colca Canyon touristic circuit! How it is possible that the authorities are charging tourists with a touristic ticket that costs 70 soles? What do they do with the money obtained from the touristic tickets? Autocolca SUCKS!


Many tour vans got stuck on the way. Colonial Tours and other travel agencies couldn´t arrive to the condor cross with their vans which are not adequated for this trip and this weather!


The Colca Specialist having fun inside the 4x4 wheel-car provided by Naturaleza Activa!

Yahooooooooooo!


A Coca -Cola truck which crashed against a wall in the area of Cabanaconde!


Dr. Juan Manuel Guillén Benavides,the president of the Regional Goverment of Arequipa during a conference before the accident he had in Pampa Cañahuas area on the way towards Colca Canyon!




The van that was taking the president of the Regional Goverment,Dr Juan Manuel Guillén Benavides ended like this on the way to Colca Canyon.The accident was provoked by a truck which has invaded its way!





















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