C & C globetrotting around the world…

We got picked up by a tourist mini-bus at 3:30am to head to the Colca Canyon, about 4 hours North of Arequipa. In the mini-bus we received a blanket and were very happy about it. Shortly after we realized why: it got so freezing cold, that the one blanket was not enough. We were wearing 3 t-shirts, 2 sweater and hats, but were still cold. The road was winding through the bleak altiplano (high Andean plateau) over the highest point at 4,800m, before dropping down to the town Chivay. After paying 70 soles ($30) per person to enter the Canyon del Colca region we stopped for breakfast in Chivay. During breakfast we were shivering the whole time, but after the warm coca tea, it felt much better. We then drove on the South bank of the canyon and saw some of the most extensive pre-Inca terracing in Peru. We then arrived at Cruz del Condor, the look-out where the Andean condors can be seen. These huge birds nest here under the rocky outcrop and can be seen in the morning gliding on thermal air currents. We were lucky and saw about 8 of these magnificent creatures elegantly gliding. With their nearly 3m wingspan, black feathers and a bit of white on the wings, they are impressive. From there we continued to Cabanaconde, the base for trekking in the Colca Canyon.

The Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world at 3,191m. Only the nearby Canyon del Cotahuasi is 163m deeper. From Mirador San Miguel you can look down the canyon and across to the other side. We saw the villages we had to hike to later and it’s a beautiful view. So we set off on the trek, going from 3,287m down to the river at 2,100m. It was really hard on the knees and the trail was pretty rocky and sandy, so we had to concentrate at every step and couldn’t enjoy the view as much as we would have liked to. Down at the bridge over the Colca river we took a mini-break before climbing 100m to the village of San Juan de Chucho. There the hike was much nicer as we walked through the woods and saw cool irrigation canals. After the village of San Juan, there were no signs onwards, but finally we found the way. The hike up to the village of Cosnirhu at 2,450m was a very difficult one and we were happy when we finally reached it. There we took a much-needed break where a family had set up a shop. The lady was nice and her 5-year-old son Andressito was funny and running around. We had lots of water and caught our breath. From Cosnirhu to the village of Malata the hike was pleasant, as it was straight and following the canyon. Then it was time to hike down to the river again, which was painful on the knees. On the other side of the river the “oasis” of San Galle was awaiting us at 2,100m. Seeing it kept us going, but we were tired. At the oasis we were greeted by an old man who offered us a hut at his “resort” El Eden for 30 soles. We were so tired, that we didn’t even continue to see what else was on offer. This oasis is not actually a village, only a couple of hostel resorts. People used to grow lots of fruits here and our old guy still does. Because of a micro-climate, lots of apricots, avocados, bananas and papayas grow here. Christoph went for a swim in the hot spring pool (there are hot springs close by) and then we both took a HOT shower. We were totally surprised that the water was so hot given that it was heated with solar power. We then chatted with the old man while he was cooking us dinner and then with other travellers over dinner. Although it wasn’t really cold, we dressed up before going to sleep and wore our hats since the hut was pretty breezy. After having hiked an altitude difference of 1,887m in one day (1,537m down, 350m up), we fell asleep right away.

The next day we slept in and had breakfast with the old man. Our muscles were so sore, we couldn’t imagine hiking up the 1,187m to Cabanaconde. We were joking of taking the “Aerocondor” or the “Donkey cab”. Actually, Cecilia seriously considered taking a donkey up, but then her ego didn’t let her. We climbed the nearly vertical 1,200m from 11am to 3:30pm, which was a horrible time to be in the hot sun, but we were equipped with thin long sleeves, hats and lots of water. We couldn’t have left any earlier considering our sore muscles. The hike was really demanding and the trail was again rocky and sandy. We met a couple on the way that had no hats and water – crazy! We gave them a bit of our water, but we didn’t have much to spare. Seeing them gave us some energy and we finally made it. Close to the top we saw some condors, but were not quick enough to get a good shot. Arrived at the top, we could see the village of Cabanaconde and finally arrived there soon afterwards. We checked in at Hostal Pachamama (“Mother Earth” in the Quechua language). We each had a hot shower and took a nap. Later we went to the bar where we chilled and chatted, having Colca Sour and dinner. The place had a great atmosphere and really tasty pizza. After that we had such a good sleep! The following day we woke up at 6am and had a good breakfast before taking a local bus to Chivay and onwards to Arequipa. On the way we saw vicunas, the national animal of Peru, grazing. They are closely related to llamas and alpacas, but a bit smaller.

Overall the Colca Canyon trek is nice, but definitely too strenuous to be enjoyable in 2 days. Our suggestion would be to do the trek in 3 days instead of 2 (stopping at San Juan de Chucho the first day), giving the knees a break. It was funny because the entire time on the trek we kept on comparing it to the one in the Tiger Leaping Gorge in China.