Trekking the Colca Canyon

Colca Canyon, From the Mirador de Los Condores

Some sources have Peru's Colca Canyon as the second-deepest canyon in the world. Some have it as the third. I've even read some things that have it as the deepest. I suppose it's like the whole "World's Tallest Building" vs. "World's Tallest Freestanding Structure" vs. "World's Tallest Structure" thing in the Guinness Book. All I can confirm is that it's really freaking deep. The fact that it took my legs five days to fully recover, from two days of trekking in and out of the canyon, were proof enough of that.

Starting the Hike at Cruz del Condor

We started off at 2,975m above sea level (a.s.l.), hitting the trail head at Cruz del Condor, on the southern edge of the canyon. Our hiking group charged forward, descending over a kilometre of vertical altitude to the canyon floor – sitting at 1,800m a.s.l. – in less than an hour-and-a-half, before crossing the Colca River and hiking through small villages on the northern slopes.

Moving Aside For the Mule Train

Andean Off-Road Transportation

Our overnight stop was at the village of Sangelle, sitting a few hundred metres up from the lowest sections of the canyon. The next morning was a 5:00am start, the early rise necessary so that we could finish up the three-hour climb to the village of Cabanaconde – perched above the canyon at 3,287m a.s.l. – before the blazing sun really started beating down on us.

A Bridge at the Bottom

A Village Church Within the Canyon

It was a whirlwind trip to the Colca Canyon region. The two days away from Arequipa – with about twenty–four hours actually on the trail – were the shortest possible time I could have taken to trek the canyon. I would have liked to have spent more time visiting the villages and interacting with the Quechua people within the valley. Given this was my first major physical activity at altitude in the past three and a half years, a more leisurely hiking pace might have given me a better chance at avoiding the severe muscle pain in my legs that nearly had me falling down stairs when I returned to Arequipa.

A Stream Runs Through It

But, given my tight timetable, the experience was fantastic. I got to soak in some incredible Andean scenery. I got to dine on a few alpaca steaks. And the trekking was the perfect counter-point to the five days I had spent boozing it up in Mendoza the week before.

Related Entries:
1. Arequipa
2. Mendoza