My name is Vic Hanson, I am the founder and manager of Adventure Cotahuasi Tours. I have lived here in Cotahuasi and Arequipa for over 4 years. I am an avid hiker, mtn. biker, rock and mountain climber and explorer. I lived for many years in the Los Angeles area. There the Santa Monica, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains were my playground. I have climbed San Jacinto, San Gorgonio and Mt. Baldy in the L.A. area, as well as “14ers” Mt. Russell and Mt. Whitney, most of them multiple times. When living near the beach in California, I did a lot of roller blading and running, including a number of 10Ks and a half marathon.

 

Here in Peru, I have successfully climbed Lucmani (16,924'), Mismi (18,465'), Pichu Pichu (18,586'), El Misti (19,106’), Sabancaya (19,606'), Chachani (19,872'), Ampato (20,630') and Coropuna (21,079’). Additional climbs include a few mountains in Chile and attempts on Solimana (19,990') here. I thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2006, from the Mexican border to Canada. I have been hiking, exploring and guiding here in the Cotahuasi area for over 4 years. You can read about many of my adventures at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Vic_Hanson

 

I also have a lot of photos, trip reports and mountain and hiking information on SummitPost, a climbing and hiking site. My home page there is:

I have served as an evangelical Christian missionary here for 3 years. During that time I have also traveled and done mission work in different parts of Peru. I started this business to support the missionary work here, as well as to help provide economic advancement for the community and people. If you are interested in seeing (or being involved in) the mission work here and in other areas of Peru, custom tours can be arrangned which will give you a good overview of that.  

 

The village of Cotahuasi is in Southern Peru in the department or state of Arequipa, in the province of La Union, of which it is also the capital. It is located in Cotahuasi Canyon, claimed to be the deepest canyon in the world (11,598' deep). It sits above the Cotahuasi River, which has world class kayaking, a 500 foot waterfall and old suspension bridges. Cotahuasi is situated at 8,880 feet elevation; you can experience elevations from 5,500 to 21,000 feet on the treks and climbs. Daytime temperatures range from the 60s and 70s (F) for much of the year, with lots of sun and refreshing winds, except at higher elevations when it may be below freezing. The nights are cool to cold, with star filled skies. The rainy season (mid December thru March) usually has warm sunny mornings, cooler with rain in the afternoons and early evenings and not as cold at night as during the dry season.