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Home > Arequipa Tourist Information > Attractions > Toro Muerte and Valley of the Volcanoes
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Toro Muerto and the Valley of the Volcanoes: Corire and the Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto / The Valley of the Volcanoes / Andagua
The journey to the Valley of the Volcanoes is an uncomfortable one, with the road from Aplao onwards in poor condition. Buses from Arequipa travel at night, meaning that the beautiful views remain hidden. However, it is possible to break the journey in Corire to see the impressive Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto.
Corire is a small town about 30km off the Pan-American Highway, reached on a good paved road. The area around Chala is agricultural, and the area is pretty with the many fields and rice paddies. There are also several prawn farms on the Majes River nearby.
The Valley of the Volcanoes looks, as well as sounds, as if it has been created for the setting of a prehistoric film. Located between the Colca Canyon and the Cotahuasi Canyon, the valley is a geological fault filled with flows of lava. These flows came from the eruptions of the many mini-volcanoes in the valley. The largest of these, Pucamauras, is 350m tall, while the smallest are often only 15m above the valley floor. The volcanoes were formed recently, dating from 200,000 years ago, and some are as recent as only 50,000 years old.
The river Andagua runs through the valley for 80km, and disappears below the lava flow for 17km, running underground from Lake Chachas to Lake Mamacocha. It is this river that provides the basis for human life in the valley, and agricultural areas can be seen around the volcanoes. There are also some archaeological remains from pre-Hispanic cultures throughout the valley.
Andagua is a small, traditional village that does not receive many visitors. There is little to see or do in the village itself, but as it is at the head of the Valley of the Volcanoes, it is the best starting point for exploring this area.
There are plenty of places to get water from the river, although bear in mind that this is downriver from many agricultural areas, so will not be very clean. It is possible to camp quite near to the falls.
It is possible to continue beyond Sipia, and there are several towns along the canyon. This is a spectacular journey, although it cannot be done in one day, and camping is required. You will have to return by the same route, as there is no easy exit point, unless you carry on to the Pacific Coast at Ocoña, a journey of around 11 days.
Information used with the kind permission of
www.llamatravel.com -
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Llama Travel Ltd (UK).
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