We decided it would be a good idea to hike to the bottom of the second deepest canyon in the world – Colca Canyon. Just a bit shallower than the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon, the Colca Canyon is actually twice as deep as the Grand Canyon; however, it seems more like a really, really deep valley with steep walls.
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I imagine the Grand Canyon to be deep with nearly vertical walls, which may or may not be true… I will find out soon enough. Regardless, it was amazing and worth the pain of the nearly 4,000 foot descent and ascent.
Our tour started at 3am. A bus stopped by all the hostels to various groups of day-trippers, two-dayers and the adventurous 3-dayers like ourselves. We quickly fell back asleep. We awoke around 8am as we were entering Chivay, a town at the mouth of the canyon. We paid our entrance fee and made our way along the canyon’s edge, mountains towering over us on both sides. We reached Cruz del Condor about an hour later and were quite lucky to see a number of the condors up close in our short stay.
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From here, we were also over the deepest part of the canyon – a full 2,000 meters to the bottom.
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We then made our way to Cabancone for lunch and then began our descent to the canyon floor. Approaching the canyon’s edge, ominous gray clouds were collecting and moving in our direction. We started the hike in the sun, but could hear thunder from the nearby stormclouds. We hoped we could make it down, before the rains came. We weren’t quite so lucky, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
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The hike down wasn’t as steep or difficult as expected, but it was hard to look around and truly appreciate the surroundings for fear of missing a step and sliding down the canyon wall. Eventually, we made it to the bottom, crossed the river and made our way to a very rustic, mud-walled hostel.
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We hit the trail by 8:30 on Day Two. We were set to walk down the valley, cross through two villages and end our day in 3.5 – 4 hours at Sangalle, an “oasis” with hostels and swimming pools. The hike was nice and our guide gave us great information on the local plant life, celebrations of the local villages and how the people earn a living.
We finally arrived at the Oasis, relieved to take a dip in the pool and lounge about in the sun. The oasis was actually much nicer than anticipated and we were very thankfully to stay the night at the oasis rather than hike out in the afternoon like other groups. Up until the Oasis, we had only encountered a few other hikers. Most of the people we encountered were from the local villages.
We had a great afternoon and got ourselves to bed quite early, so we could be fresh for the 5am start up the Canyon. We were some of the first ones on the trail and we started at a gentle pace to get the blood moving. In the dark, it was hard to see just how tall the canyon walls were, but as the sun’s rays peaked out, we began to feel dread at the amount of ground we would have to ascend.
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As we progressed up the canyon, we could feel the air getting thinner and by the top, we were beginning to be in the direct sun – adding to our agony. Just under 3.53 hours later, we were at the top, looking over the terraced fields outside Cabanconde. From there it was a short 15 minute walk to town where breakfast was waiting for us.
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Our last stop on our 3-day trek were the hot springs outside Chivay. We pulled in, quickly changed our clothes and enjoyed an hour of soaking and relaxation in the warm 90 degree pool. It was a great way to end the trip to the Colca Canyon.
