Colca Canyon Trek

Cañón del Colca

Cruce del Condor

The 3 a.m. van arrived early and we scrambled aboard still half asleep. After a milk run around Arequipa we sped towards the world's second deepest canyon. Cindy was relieved to temporarily escape our oxygen deprived bucket of bolts in Chivay, where we stopped for breakfast. Soon after we enjoyed perfect conditions and watched the condors in their natural habitat for a full hour.  

La proxima ruta

At Pampas San Miguel, we started our trek into the canyon. Our guide, Marcelo had a wealth of knowledge and experience and was happy to share it along the way. Assisted by gravity we quickly reached the river and carried on to a small village on the other side. A local family treated us to a delicious lunch of soup, alpaca and veggies.                    

Caminos peligrosos

After our meal we hiked an hour uphill to Cosñirhua in search of our homestay. Our little hut had a dirt floor and a leaky roof but it was perfectly comfortable after a day in the canyon. Here we enjoyed more local fare, tea and some conversation with our hosts before hitting the sack.                   

Day two

We started the second day with a steep climb up to the hamlet of Tapay. Rico, the passive aggressive dog from the homestay voluntarily came along. The trail was narrow and somewhat treacherous as it clung to a ledge along a high cliff. 

Gateway to Tapay

Tapay proved to be well worth the exertion that it took to reach it. They somehow leveled enough rugged terrain to construct a nice soccer pitch. We  scaled the narrow steps of the bell tower and enjoyed the view and a snack. After a short break we retraced our steps to the homestay for a proper breakfast and some activities.      

 

Trajes típicos

We started by touring around the local farms, picking and sampling a wide variety of fruit. After picking some corn we headed back to the homestead to dress up in the traditional garb that is used when the communities from the canyon gather for multi-day festivals. After these shenanigans we said good-bye to our host family and hiked down to Oasis de Sangalle where we had a swim under a mango tree.    

Amaneciendo día tres

Day three started at 5 a.m. We started our ascent on schedule and made good progress as the sun came up. A few brave souls paid the sixty soles for the terrifying experience of being hauled up the trail on the back of a mule. We followed the steep zig-zag path up the old fashioned way. 

"Colca. We hate it ... but we love it."

We gained 1,200 meters of elevation in just under three hours. It was a first for both of us and was an excellent performance by Cindy, who survived her first multi-day trek. Breakfast in Cabanaconde was next on the list followed by a trip to the hot springs. After a nice relax, we returned to Chivay by bus for a buffet lunch, where we didn't hold back. I ate enough alpaca meat for all of us.  

Terrazas de Chivay