Sumbay Cave Paintings Full Day Tour

Discover the different shapes and figures of paintings in Sumbay Cave Paintings. Most are camelids, although there are also some drawings of pumas and rheas or suris. Human figures also appear although in a smaller quantity.

Observe the colors used and imagine their probable meaning. The paintings are mostly done in white, although there are also ocher with different shades ranging from red to yellow.

Appreciate the typical camelids that inhabit the area. It is common to come across alpacas or vicuñas walking in search of food on this walk, which were surely the main source of inspiration for these ancient paintings.

Pick up from the hotel in Arequipa at 7:30AM, then we will leave to Sumbay, along the way we will pass by the National Reserve Salinas y Aguada Blanca, where we will watch vicuñas, alpacas and llamas at Pampa Cañahuas.

Pampa Cañahuas is located behind the Chachani and Misti volcanoes, It covers an extensive Andean. It covers an area of ​​314,447 hectares, with an average altitude of 4,000m.

The climate is cold and the rain is scarce, for this reason, the landscape is generally desolate, but it impresses with its grandeur, there are spectacular rock formations, as well as very important flora and fauna; we can find the Ichu (Stipa s.p.), the Tola (Lepidophyllum s.p.), the Yareta (Azorella Yareta), Polylepis, and in a special way, the cacti plants, such as the Neoraimondia Arequipensis, the Lobivia Mistiensis, the Loxanthocereus Riomajensis; Opuntia Soehrensii is also common, plants used to dye wool.

The fauna of Cañahuas is extremely valuable. For this reason, the Government has ordered the creation of the National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca, in order to avoid the extinction of highly predated species.

The most valuable specimen is the vicuña, a Peruvian camelid that produces the finest wool in the world and that would become extinct if the laws did not protect it from predatory hunters.

It is possible also to see some guanacos as well as the coveted taruca or Andean deer and some pumas. The chinchillas, on the other hand, seem to have disappeared from this place. You will enjoy a day in the middle of nature.

After two hours driving, we will arrive to Sumbay, located at 4127MASL. Arrive to the Sumbay town, where we will start a hike for around 15 minutes to the Sumbay Cave Paintings.

The pictography of Sumbay represents human figures, camelids, pumas and foxes, painted in cream and white with an antiquity between 6,000 and 8,000 BC.
The main cave hides more than 500 drawings of South American camelids. Most of these animals are not in motion, but rather at rest.

This is because these paintings were created in the last stages of the hunters, when they already knew about the domestication of these animals.

The most interesting figure in this cave is an amazing shaman disguised as a camelid. Therefore, it is believed that these caves were also a religious center for the primitives.

The creamy white color used in Sumbay is a peculiarity of the cave art of Sumbay, which was obtained from the clay that remains from the eruption of the volcanoes that surround the reserve.

In order to fix the drawings on those walls for thousands of years, they used animal fat. Thanks to this, today we can revive its beauty.

In addition to the paintings, stone spearheads, disc knives for cutting meat, bone scrapers for cleaning animal hides, and sewing utensils have been found.

Picnic time and return to Arequipa. Arrive at 3Pm and drop off to the hotel.

• Private Transport
• English speaking guide
• Picnic time

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