Colca Canyon, Peru

We set off to do a 3 day hike down about and up Colca Canyon. The canyon is thought to be the second deepest Canyon in the world, the deepest being nearby.

We woke at 2:30 a.m that morning to catch an early bus. After 5 hours on the bus we got off at Cruz del Condor, a viewing location for the majestic bird. The spot was touristy. Women selling trinkets and overpriced drinks decorated the site, while the condors were few. We spotted only a single condor from a far distance., it could have been mistaken for a crow.

From Cruz del Condor we began our hike, walking down a dirt road to the final condor look-out point. From here we got a closer view of the condor's beauty. We searched for the trail that would lead us to the small town of Tepay, but do to the lack of trail markings we somehow missed the trail and continued on to the spot that we were initally planning on ending, the town of Cabanaconde. That intial walk was 14km. We ate lunch with a German couple in Cabanaconde then decided to head down the 1000 meters to the bottom of the canyon. The hike down was long and taxing. The trail is dry and dusty, it rarely rains in this region. We took 3 or 4 hours to get down and both of us had shaky legs for the last bit. Downhill's are always a bit scary for me, especially while trekking on the edge over loose rocks.

Finally we reached the first town at the bottom, called the Oasis. The oasis was a surprising patch of green within the arid canyon. A few palm trees along with a couple different straw-hut sleeping options populated the canyon floor. Each of the hostel companies also had a appetizing blue pool to offer. We asked for our reserved hut and quickly found out that it was just the basics. A straw hut, dusty dirt floor, raised bed, no electricity, but quite a few fines growing in.
As Josh likes to say, "they spared no expenses."

Even though the temperature was cool and dropping changed into our swimsuits, well boxer shorts for Josh and hopped in the pool. The pool was cold and the bottom slimy, but we were glad to wash some dust off. We quickly dried and dressed, then bought a beer to share in reward. We debated going further through the canyon the next day, but chose against it over that beer. Everything that is brought down into the canyon is done so on the back of a mule. Prices are high, the dust is thick and the spiders in that hut and lack of hygiene in the entire area is less than pleasant. (I much prefer camping in a tent and peeing in the woods than sleeping in a bed with dirty sheets and using an equally yucky toilet.)

That night I had a terrible throbbing migraine, probably dehydration. We missed our 2 am ipod alarms, finally pulled out of bed at around 9. I inquired about our promised free breakfast after we packed up. We got the coffee we were craving and then a richly fried something, a bit heavy for the hike we had ahead.

We ascended the canyon in remarkable time for us (me!) considering the long hike we did the previous day and that we were doing it during the hottest moments of the day. We made it up 1000 meters in 4 hours, only passed by caravans of donkeys.

Once atop we found a nice hotel on the first street we walked down. We spend the night in Cabanaconda, needing a shower and a rest before the 6 hour ride back to Arequipa. We found a little place for lunch, which unfortunately for Josh turned out to be raw chicken. While the cook was preparing our food her baby started to cry. She handed her daughter over to us while she cooked to keep her tears astray, that redeemed her lack of cooking abilities in my eyes!