Chivay is the gateway town for the Colca Canyon — one of the deepest canyons on earth and the best place in the world to see Andean condors in the wild. Most travellers arrive from Arequipa, acclimatise overnight at 3,700 metres, and then head deeper into the canyon the following day. The hot springs, the central market, and the Inca ruins in the surrounding hills give the town itself enough to fill a day.