HIKING IN THE COLCA CANYON

18. January - 21. January 2011
We got picked up by the bus in the middle of the night - at 3 am. It was a little more than a three hour drive to the first stop where we had breakfast in Chivay before driving on to the “Cruz del Condor” lookout. Here we had a first glimpse of the amazing Canon del Colca – apparently the second deepest canyon in the world, 3191 m deep.

We were very lucky to spot three condors just after we got off the bus. Later we saw another condor flying by very close. This birds are amazingly huge and the way they glide through the air is impressive. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to take a picture of the condor close by.

Once we arrived in Cabanaconde we went for a walk through town, had lunch and then finally started our 4 day hike in the canyon. Our hiking group consisted only of Micha, me and our guide Roy.

First we walked along fields of corn before hiking down the canyon. For a few hours we hiked downhill (nice and easy hiking) and had a great view before crossing the river to get to the other side of the canyon. After crossing a little river in a side-canyon it was time for some uphill walking to get to the hostel. There we enjoyed tea with fresh lemon gras and relaxed for a while. To get more than rice and carrots for dinner we went down to the river (scrambling through a field of cactus in the dark) to fish. Roy catched about 10 trout fishing with a net while we only watched. After dinner we relaxed in the hot springs near the river. Great after a good hike.

The second day we got up early for a long day of hiking along the side-canyon. We walked into the canyon for a few hours and had awesome views. For a while we walked along a small water canal and the trail (that wasn't really a trail) was very narrow. To the right of the canal was the canyon and I would not have liked to loose my balance. Around lunch time we arrived in a little village with a beautiful, very high waterfall. While I relaxed in the sun, Micha and Roy hiked to another waterfall. After lunch we started hiking again. The sun was shining and there was no shade which made hiking quite exhausting. Luckily clouds came up after an hour hiking. We walked along cactus and a rather dry landscape but always had a great view of the canyon with all the different colors. After a long day of hiking we arrived at the oasis Sangalle – a beautiful place with palm trees and pools. We relaxed and Roy prepared a delicious dinner.

We next morning we spent relaxing, swimming in the pool and enjoying the sun. In the afternoon we had to hike out of the canyon. Three hours (for me, only 1.5 hours 1 hour and 20 minutes for Micha) hiking uphill. At the hostel I enjoyed a very nice hot shower before dinner. Later at night we checked out the local bar scene and went to a cozy little bar with good music for some beer and pisco sour.

The last morning we went for a stroll through town and up a little hill with a good view over the area. Roy explained us some of the history of the area and some small town gossip. THANKS ROY for being a great guide, delicious meals, the hiking poles and walking slowly with me.

On the way back to Arequipa we stopped at some hot springs. It was raining and the water was extremely hot. All along the way back to Arequipa the view of the canyon and landscape was amazing.