Colca Canyon is located in Southern Peru, northwest of the town of Arequipa. At a depth of 3,270 meters, it is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and one of the deepest in the world. The Colca Valley has pre-Inca roots and the locals maintain their ancestral traditions by continuing to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. When we read this and saw pictures, we instantly knew we had to hike it!
Note: We strongly recommend acclimating to the altitude before trekking the canyon. Also, a good level of fitness is suggested. This is a very strenuous trek both down and up the canyon!
Total Price: 235 Soles: included transportation to and from Colca Canyon, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 1 dinner.
Note: Entrance fee into the canyon is 70 Soles (not included in the tour fee)
What to Bring: Head lamp: the oasis is very dark at night, and you also need it for the early morning hike up the canyon the following day. Camera with spare battery, external battery to charge your phone/gadgets as there are no electrical outlets in the room. Good hiking shoes/boots, change of t-shirts: you are going to sweat A LOT!
Below is a summary of our experience hiking Colca Canyon, photos of our journey, and what you should expect while hiking through the canyon. We also have a few tips, and recommendations for you if you are staying in Arequipa. Check it out!
Day 1
- Hotel pick up – We were picked up at 3 AM from our hotel in Arequipa. As the first ones to be picked up, it took about an hour to drive around Arequipa to pick up other travelers. After everyone one was in the van, we drove to Chivay for breakfast, arriving around 7 AM. Breakfast was simple, bread, coffee/tea, and Quinoa porridge.
Tip: If you are going back to Arequipa after hiking Colca Canyon, ask your hotel if you can store your bags. We had our hotel store our bags, and then stayed there the night we came back from hiking Colca Canyon. This way we only had to carry what we needed for one night, and not our ginormous bag.
- Cruz del Condor viewing point – First stop inside Colca Valley was Cruz del Condor viewing point which is 3,700 meters above sea level. This is where you get a glimpse into the valley below, as well as getting to watch the Andean Condor fly above the canyon. These birds are massive!
- San Miguel viewing point – After 40 minutes of viewing the condors, we drove to San Miguel viewing point in the town of Cabanaconde. This is where you will enter Colca Canyon. At this point you are 3,400 meters above sea level, similar to Cusco.
Note: If you are going onto Puno after hiking Colca Canyon, this is where you will store your bags while hiking.
- Starting the descent into the canyon – We started our descent into Colca Canyon around 10 AM. The trek down is pretty intense. Your knees will definitely be aching by the time you reach the bottom. As the trail zig zags and snakes its way to the bottom of the canyon the views along the way are incredible! After 2.5 hours we reached the bridge at the bottom that crosses over the Rio Colca. At this point, you will have descended 1,000 meters, break for 10 minutes, and continue on towards the oasis.
- Lunch – It took another 45 minutes to reach the little village where we ate lunch. The trail here is all uphill, and zig zags through other small villages. For lunch, we were fed soup and llama. Yes, I said llama. The llama was stewed with vegetables and served with rice. We ALL had a nice little nap on the lawn below the restaurant.
Tip: Before reaching the oasis, you will have a chance to buy snacks. Buy some fruit and some granola bars, you are going to need it!
- The Oasis – Continuing on after lunch, it took another 3.5 hours trekking both uphill and downhill to reach the oasis. The oasis is beautiful! It is equipped with a swimming pool, a bar, and little cabins to sleep in. It was starting to get dark when we arrived, but we still had time to take a quick swim in the pool, which was much needed after the grueling 7+ hours of hiking.
- Dinner – Dinner was tuna spaghetti, not very appetizing, but we ate it because we were starving. After dinner we showered and crashed out for the night to rest up for the hike up the canyon the next day.
Day 2
- Starting the ascent up the canyon – We woke up at 4 AM to start the ascent up the canyon at 4:20 AM, prior to having breakfast. Breakfast would be eaten once we reached the town up on the canyon ridge. The trek up is 950 meters of elevation and took us almost 3 hours to make it to the top. We arrived at 7:30 AM.
- Reaching the top of the Colca Canyon – Once you are at the top, you have the chance of seeing an incredible sunrise over the canyon. It is well worth it! You will be hungry, and your knees, like ours, will be killing you. Luckily, there was a woman selling avocado and bread with salt, which tasted so amazing after the grueling morning trek. Perfect snack before breakfast.
- Cabanacande – Next, you will proceed to walk into the town of Cabanacande to have breakfast. Our guide asked before-hand if we wanted the free breakfast that was included, or pay extra for a bigger breakfast. We ALL opted to pay extra to have eggs any way you wanted, avocado, cheese, Coca tea, and toast.
- Breakfast – After breakfast we relaxed and sunbathed to warm up our bodies for an hour or so. Did I mention it was cold? We walked into the town square to wait for the bus to take us back around 10:00 AM to a lookout point to view the Pre-Incan terraces that surrounded the valley.
- Chivay Hot Springs – After viewing the terraces, we arrived in Chivay to relax in the hot springs. This is much needed to warm up your body and also to soothe those tired muscles and joints. All of our aches and pains disappeared while we soaked. We had 1 hour here and could’ve spent 2. They are next to the river so you can jump in the river then get back in the hot spring. Almost like a natural plunge pool.
- Mirador de las Andes – Next we stopped for a buffet lunch before the 1 hour drive to the Mirador lookout to view the three volcanoes. The volcanoes are: Sabancaya, Ampato, and Hualcahualca, and are at 4,850 meters above sea level. The Ampato Volcano was where the famous Juanita was discovered. There were stacked rocks as far as you could see- everywhere!
- Alpacas and Llamas – After viewing the volcanoes, we drove 15 minutes to view Alpacas and Llamas. They are all on the side of the road, but in their natural environment. It is a good chance to take some photos, but is recommended you keep your distance.
- Last Bathroom Break – We also stopped for the last bathroom break before the 2 hours back to Arequipa. It is a long way back, therefore I recommend you utilize it. We were all dropped off in the center of town, and had to walk back to our hotels.
Summary
All in all our Colca Canyon 2 day, 1 night hike was amazing! It was definitely more strenuous than we had anticipated, but it made it that much more rewarding knowing we kicked that trail’s butt! We would highly recommend this hike to anyone traveling in the Peru. Let us know how it was!
More Photos of Colca Canyon
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