Trekking in Colca Canyon

As part of our Christmas holidays, Tom and I decided to undertake a 3 day trek in Colca Canyon.  I know what you're thinking, the words 'Sophie' and 'trek' don't belong in the same sentence, but neverthless I thought I would give it a go.

Our guide, Marcos, picked us up at 3am on Tuesday morning.  We then travelled for 3 hours by bus to the canyon, where on arrival we were fed a breakfast of bread, jam and coca tea.  It was a cloudy morning, but warm.

It is difficult to put into words what a geological marvel Colca Canyon is.  It is so vast, with rocky, uneven landscape, dry stony land interspersed with areas of green, thriving plant life.  Running through the bottom of the canyon is Rio Colca, the Colca River.

There are two main communities within Colca Canyon, named Chivay and Cabanaconde.  Historically there is some rivalry and tension between the two, and different native languages are spoken, as well as Spanish.  Our trek began in Chivay.  Aside from Marcos, there were 5 of us in our group, a German couple and an Italian man.  As we set off walking, Marcos told us about the condors, which are native to the canyon.  They are enormous birds, who can fly at 50km an hour and have a wingspan of 2 metres.  At first we didn't see any as it was so cloudy, but as the morning progressed and the sky cleared, we were lucky enough to see one.

We trekked downhill, which sounds easy, but I can assure you it wasn't!  The ground was rocky and incredibly uneven and steep in parts.  The path wound around and around as we descended.  The sky cleared and as midday approached, the burning sun made the walk even more challenging.  After around 4 hours, we reached the river, where we crossed over.  My legs were like jelly and my calves were throbbing.  I hoped that it was time for a rest, but it was not to be so.  We then trekked uphill for around half an hour, where we eventually arrived at an eatery nestled in the plant life in the mountainside.

After a delicious lunch of soup, followed by fried meat and onions with rice, chips and half an avocado, I managed to squeeze in a 10 minute nap before we continued our trek.

The remainder of the day's trek took around an hour, deeper amongst the trees and plants.  Marcos educated us about the different plants within the canyon, including one called 'old man's beard', which is a fine stringy plant, a bit like hair, which the local people use as part of their Christmas decorations.

We eventually arrived at our hostel, which was very basic.  Our room had no proper floor and contained only a bed and a wooden chair.  After a delicious evening meal of soup, followed by alpaca steak, rice, chips, avocado and tomato, we sank into bed underneath the thick woollen blankets, and slept, at times disturbed by the rain hammering on the tin roof.

In the morning, we breakfasted on pancakes with manjar blanca, a type of caramel very popular in Peru, and sliced bananas, washed down with a cup of coca tea.  We then departed for our second day of trekking, again downhill.

Marcos told us some more about the plants in the canyon.  There is one where the top layer can be peeled off, it is a strong papery layer, and many of the local people use it as a cigarette paper.  Under that first layer, if water is rubbed into the plant, it produces a lather and can be used as soap.  We also learnt about another plant which contains a thick, white, poisonous substance that can cause a very nasty rash on the skin and is fatal if ingested.

Despite having paused many times to survey my surroundings on the first day, I still could not believe how incredible Colca Canyon is and what a fantastic view one has, wherever you happen to be observing from.  Looking around, I could see the deep crevices within the mountainside, the waterfall cascading down against the rocks, into the swirling river below.

We trekked for 3 hours before reaching the river, where we crossed and then were once again required to climb uphill a short way.  We walked along the mountainside, into greener and greener areas.  Coming to a set of cobbled steps, we wound our way along, eventually entering a lush, green paradise, with palm trees and flowers surrounding a tranquil pool, against the backdrop of the canyon.  We had arrived at the oasis! 

I ached and felt like I wouldn't be able to move for some time.  Tom took my boots and socks off for me, we changed into our swimwear and lay on the grass beside the pool, sipping a cold beer.  We lunched on soup (again!) and fried vegetables, rice and avocado, then lay beside the pool again.  However, an ominous looking grey cloud was gradually approaching, and in the distance we could hear the rumbling of thunder.  Just as we made it into our accommodation, a small hut built from concrete and bamboo, the rain began to fall.  Lying in our hut, listening to the thunderstorm outside, we fell asleep, exhausted.

In the evening, we feasted on yet more soup, spaghetti bolognese and chocolate mousse.  We had certainly been well fuelled for our trekking.  Then an early night, in preparation for a 5am start in the morning.

Those of you who know me very well will probably be surprised that I managed to trek as much as I did.  By the third and final day, I ached in muscles that I didn't even know I had.  The final trek was uphill, to the top of the mountain, and I just couldn't face it.  Tom and the rest of our group departed the oasis just as the sun was rising, and an hour later I followed, travelling by mule.  At first I was a bit nervous, having never ridden a mule or a horse, and the path was very rocky and steep in parts.  However I soon relaxed and for the first time was able to properly absorb the view.  My mula bonita grew tired towards the end, pausing some moments to rest, but she served me well.

When I arrived at the top, Tom was already there.  Without me to slow him down, he had climbed to the top in just over 2 hours.  I was very proud of him.

Walking along a path through some fields, we came to Cabanaconde, where we breakfasted on scrambled eggs, bread and coca tea.  After viewing the plaza, the bus collected us and drove us to the aguas calientes (hot springs).  Here there are 6 pools of differing temperatures, set within the canyon.  Relaxing into the pools, one of which was 38 degrees celsius, we felt our aching muscles begin to ease.  After a traditional Peruvian buffet lunch, we boarded the bus home, soon falling asleep on the way.

It has been one day since we returned to Arequipa, and I am still so tired and aching all over.  A 3 day walk in amazing surroundings may not sound like such hard work for some people, but for someone as un-outdoorsy as me, it felt like an achievement.