Sibayo
is a cozy Andean town with stone and mud brick huts and 1,700 truly friendly inhabitants,
located at one extreme of the Colca Canyon, where the river starts forming the impressive
canyon. Here the feeling is that time stopped
centuries ago, with traditional activities like cooking with wood and milking cows are
part of their daily lives.
Full
Day Sibayo
You
will leave the Colca
Canyon
early in the morning and head towards the community of Sibayo, located 1 and a half hours
from The Colca. Sibayo is a cozy Andean town called “stone town”. Its population
reaches 1,700 inhabitants dedicated mainly to activities such as agriculture, cattle
breeding and handicraft work. On your way to Sibayo you will be amazed by the particular
geography formed by the Colca river basin, which include impressive snow capped mountains,
active volcanoes, bizarre rock structures erode by the wind forming castles along with
other views.
As
soon as you arrive to Sibayo, you will be welcome by the locals, who will lend you some of
their typical attires to wear and allow you to get in touch with their traditions. The
local villagers are truly friendly people who enjoy sharing their culture with visitors.
They will be happy to show you their town and its main attractions such as Sibayo´s
Main Square,
which is the departure point to all the other landmarks, and Saint
John
baptiste church, a great colonial church built in 1692 with volcano ashes, which central
square is used by the community on local festivities.
Feel
as part of the community by doing one of the main activities in Sibayo: Fishing at the Colca
River.
One of the local villagers will guide you on a 25 min walk to Catahui, the area designated
by the community for the fishing activity. Take off your shoes and fold up your pants to
get in the river. Locals will teach you how they use to fish from hundred of years ago, by
throwing a net over the trouts while they swim around you as you wait to catch them. After
45 min of fishing, you will get back to the community.
One
of the families from the community will provide you with lunch; this may include a variety
of options from the exquisite novo-Andean cuisine, such as cereals, alpaca meat, quinua
soup, fresh trout, potatoes and other vegetables, amongst additional options. Here you
will have the chance to share their dairy activities as the family tells you about their
customs, local legends and myths that remain alive through generations.
After
sharing a delicious lunch with the community, one of our representatives, together with
one of the villagers will take you on a 25 min walk for a half an hour visit to the
Juanito or Paraq´ra mommy. This mommy belongs to the Collagua culture, which developed in
this area around 1470 to 1200 B.C., with
the decay of the Huari culture. The
Collaguas used to do their burials in very inaccessible places, such as places near the
river and close to the population, accompanied by ceramics and textiles.
On
your way back to Sibayo, you will stop for 15 min at the San Maria viewpoint, located 15
minutes from the village. From here you will be able to see the entire community and the
beautiful countryside. This will be a great point to admire all the nature that surrounds
you and take your best pictures to remember this magical moment!
After
saying goodbye to your local host, you will be transferred towards the Colca
Canyon,
then back to your hotel, where you will be assisted with your luggage and check in
procedures.
Other
activities:
Visit
to the hanging bridge located 25 minutes from the community
Walk
over the only hanging bridge located on the upper area of the Colca
River.
The bridge is located 10 minutes away from Sibayo by foot, and was built during the 50´s,
being remodel a few years ago. It is 35
meters
long and you will feel the excitement of being balanced by the wind as you walk through
it. From here, you will have an astonishing view of the river and the landscape
that’s surrounds it.
Share daily duties with the
community (graze the cattle, milk the cows, help with the farm, etc)
People
from the community will let you be part of their daily activities and feel as one of them
while you stay in Sibayo. You will be able to see
how some of the families have grown a small farm behind their own houses, other have cattle you can feed or milk, and some other got sheep and alpacas you can take to
graze.
