Great Adventure

Colca Canyon

This is a great trek, recommended for those who want to see the Colca Canyon from the inside and who have a basic level of fitness.  Spectacular views, soaring condors, remote villages and pre-Incan terraces feature in this trip, which is a must for those visiting south Peru.

Day 1

We take the local bus from Arequipa at 2:00 am and after about 3 ½ hours arrive at Chivay, from where it is a further two hours to Cabanconde, at the edge of the canyon.

We have breakfast around 8:00 am and then start trekking.  We stop at the rim of the canyon to appreciate the spectacular views, then begin the zig-zag descent to the river. On the other side of the bridge in San Juan de Chuccho we have lunch and some welcome relaxation.

We carry on walking on the other side of the canyon, passing through idyllic countryside and the remote villages of Coshñirgua and Malata, before descending to the Oasis, where we stay the night in bamboo bungalows.  There’s a chance to go swimming in the pool here, with a water temperature of about 23 degrees Celcius.

Day 2

Colca Canyon

Around 3:00 am the following morning we get up and start the climb up the canyon, by torch and starlight (such a climb is fiercely hot by day). Those who are feeling very tired have the option of making the ascent by mule.

Breakfast of pancakes with jam or scrambled eggs at the Valle de Fuego hostel tastes delicious after the walk.  We then take another local bus for 30 minutes to the Cruz del Condor.  Here it is usually possible to witness the flight of condors, as they rise on the thermals out of the canyon around 9:00 am.

We catch the bus again and stop in Chivay for lunch and the opportunity for a relaxing 20-minute dip in the hot pools there.  Arrival back in Arequipa is between 4:00 and 6:00 pm.