Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [143]
SLEEPING
Though it’s a tiny town, Chivay has plenty of budget guesthouses to choose from.
Hostal Municipal (53-1093; Plaza de Armas; s/d/tr S15/30/45) Though unexciting, this institutional place is fine for an exhausted traveler.
Hostal Estrella de David (53-1233; Siglo XX 209; s/d/tr S20/20/40) A simple, clean hospedaje (small, family-owned inn) with bathrooms and some rooms with cable TV. It’s a few blocks from the plaza in the direction of the bus terminal.
Hostal Anita (53-1114; Plaza de Armas 607; s/d/tr S20/40/50) With a pretty interior courtyard, this friendly hostel smack on the main plaza has hot showers and affable owners. Breakfast is available upon request.
Wasi Kolping Hostel (53-1076; www.hoteleskolping.net/colcawasi; Siglo XX s/n; s/d/tr with breakfast S30/60/78) An off-the-beaten-path midrange choice, this country inn is set in spacious grounds on the outskirts of town, a minute’s walk from the bus terminal. The somewhat bedraggled, but still charming bungalows are also accessible to travelers with disabilities.
Hostal La Pascana (53-1001; hrlapascana@hotmail.com; Siglo XX 106; s/d/tr with breakfast S54.50/69/86.50) La Pascana is a very good option with carpeted, well-decorated rooms and firm mattresses. It’s several notches above the other more modest guesthouses and lies near the plaza.
Casa Andina (53-1020, 53-1022; www.casa-andina.com; Huayna Cápac s/n; s/d with breakfast S302/354.50) This newly renovated tourist complex recreates a rustic idyll with quaint stone-and-thatch cottages, neatly sculptured bushes and garden views of snowcapped peaks. Every evening the hotel hosts local artisans and a shaman who tells fortunes with coca leaves. Exchange of American dollars is available.
EATING & DRINKING
Innkas (53-1209; Plaza de Armas 705; snacks S2-8; 7am-11pm) Built in the oldest house in Chivay, this spot is the perfect place for either a decent morning cup of coffee or an evening beer and pool game.
Lobo’s (53-1081; José Gálvez 101; mains from S6; 9am-10pm) This place offers a touristy menu and backpacker bar with a cozy interior. It’s right on the Plaza de Armas.
Casa Blanca (9-51-462-944; Plaza de Armas; mains S10-25; 9am-10pm) A warm subterranean restaurant with a fireplace, friendly Casa Blanca has a pick-and-choose menú that includes unusual local specialties. Portions are huge but service can be slow.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
The bus terminal is a 15-minute walk from the plaza. There are nine daily departures to Arequipa (S12, three hours), while buses to Cabanaconde (S5, 2½ hours), stopping at towns along the southern side of the canyon and at Cruz del Cóndor, leave four times daily.
Combis and colectivo taxis run to the surrounding villages from street corners in the market area, just north of the main plaza. Mountain bikes in varying condition can be readily hired from travel agencies on the plaza or at BiciSport (9-58-807-652; Zaramilla 112; 9am-6pm) behind the market for about S5 per day.
Traveling onward to Cuzco from Chivay may be possible, but it’s overly complicated and not recommended. Although some travelers have managed to catch combis to Puente Callalli and flag down a bus there, it’s much safer and probably just as fast to return to Arequipa instead.
Chivay to Cabanaconde
The road following the south bank of the upper Cañón del Colca leads past several villages that still use the Inca terracing that surrounds them. Those on the south side of the canyon are most easily accessible by buses traveling between Chivay and Cabanaconde. Occasional combis and colectivo taxis also leave from the market area in Chivay for most of the villages in the canyon, so ask around.
YANQUE
054 / pop 1900
About 7km from Chivay, the peaceful rural village of Yanque has an attractive 18th-century church on the main plaza. Also on the plaza is