Peru NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team · Public domain
The cut
3,058 metres, to scale.
A slice through Cotuahusi canion where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Eiffel Tower · 330 m · Burj Khalifa · 828 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is. On one side the ground was still rising 12 km out: the true rim is further away and the canyon deeper.
3,058m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
22.4km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
44°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
1,681m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
20 °C warmer at the bottom.
In October the afternoon reaches 31 °C on the floor, against 11 °C on the rim. The rim freezes at night all year round. The wettest months are from January to February.
- 29°9°Jan
- 29°8°Feb
- 29°9°Mar
- 30°10°Apr
- 30°9°May
- 30°9°Jun
- 29°9°Jul
- 30°10°Aug
- 31°10°Sep
- 31°11°Oct
- 31°11°Nov
- 30°10°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Cotahuasi Canyon
Cotuahusi canion is a canyon in Peru, cut by the Cotahuasi Canyon river. The relief model measures 3,058 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 22 km wide where the cut was taken. It lies within Cotahuasi Subbasin Landscape Reserve.
Getting there.
- Velinganearest town · 0.9 km in a straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 4.8 km from the floor
- Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 196 km in a straight lineCar hire in ArequipaDiscover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Cotahuasi Canyon runs highest from February to March.
The Cotahuasi Canyon carries about 46 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from February to March. It is lowest from May to November.
- 93 m³/sJan
- 132 m³/sFeb
- 116 m³/sMar
- 61 m³/sApr
- 23 m³/sMay
- 7.6 m³/sJun
- 4.9 m³/sJul
- 4.8 m³/sAug
- 6.2 m³/sSep
- 11 m³/sOct
- 20 m³/sNov
- 49 m³/sDec
From about 4.8 m³/s in the lowest month to 132 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 3,771 km².
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 1footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 1bus stops within 2 km
- 5hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmHospedaje Plaza Quechualla, Casa de Lady, Hospedaje Las Viñas and 2 more
- marked hiking routes within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- car parks within 3 km
- information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- campsites within 8 km
- restaurants and cafés within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Velinga0.9 km in a straight line
- Charcana5.5 km in a straight line
- Toro11 km in a straight line
- Cotahuasi16 km in a straight line
- Mungui16 km in a straight line
- Corculla18 km in a straight line
- Oyolo20 km in a straight line
- Sayla21 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Cotuahusi canion.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Cascadyas1 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas16 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Afternoon · rim | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Night · rim | -4 | -4 | -4 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -7 | -6 | -5 | -5 | -4 | -4 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 58 | 39 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 38 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| Sun hours/day | 8.8 | 7.2 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 10.8 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 9 | -4 | 53 | 8.8 |
| Feb | 29 | 8 | -4 | 58 | 7.2 |
| Mar | 29 | 9 | -4 | 39 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 30 | 10 | -5 | 10 | 10.0 |
| May | 30 | 9 | -6 | 6 | 11.2 |
| Jun | 30 | 9 | -7 | 2 | 11.1 |
| Jul | 29 | 9 | -7 | 4 | 11.1 |
| Aug | 30 | 10 | -6 | 4 | 11.5 |
| Sep | 31 | 10 | -5 | 8 | 11.6 |
| Oct | 31 | 11 | -5 | 14 | 12.1 |
| Nov | 31 | 11 | -4 | 18 | 12.3 |
| Dec | 30 | 10 | -4 | 38 | 10.8 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (1,681 m) and the rim (4,814 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 87% | 104% | 117% | 9% | 21% | — | — | — | 12% | 109% | 13% | 227% |
| 2021 | 79% | 51% | 89% | 121% | 5% | — | — | — | 48% | 93% | 120% | 40% |
| 2022 | 87% | 158% | 119% | 274% | 0% | — | — | — | 20% | 0% | 23% | 41% |
| 2023 | 35% | 40% | 43% | 35% | 50% | — | — | — | 28% | 18% | 38% | 87% |
| 2024 | 22% | 57% | 50% | 56% | 39% | — | — | — | 36% | 29% | 202% | 58% |
| 2025 | 99% | 171% | 174% | 259% | 139% | — | — | — | 24% | 144% | 40% | 25% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Cotuahusi canion
Peru
- 3,058 mDepth
- 22 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 44°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q2936928) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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