A stop in Arequipa most certainly isn't complete without a trek to the Colca Canyon. Rated as the 2nd deepest canyon in the world, it can be explored numerous ways, 2/3/4 day trekking with a tour or by yourself. Having more time we than anticipated but not much trekking experience we opted for a 3 day tour with Pablo Tours. Whilst they were slightly higher in price than most of the budget agencies in town, the tour only takes a maximum of 6 people and goes a different route to the other companies, which sounded very appealing. So very early on the first day we were picked up from our hostel and driven out to the canyon.
Along the way we had a brief stop at Cruz del Condor, a lookout point high above the canyon floor which is good for condor spotting due to thermal drafts. Unlike our previous condor spotting expedition, this location was very well known and packed full of tourists. But of course where there is a lot of people, usually there is something to see, and this was most certainly be case with Cruz del Condor. Initially there was only 3-4 condors flying around searching for a rock to perch on, which is still pretty good as they are a rare bird to spot. But within only 10 minutes of snapping away at the same birds as everyone else more than 20 condors came flying over head showing us their magnificate 3m wing span. It was a truly amazing site to see these giant birds majestically flying through the valley and come soaring over us within only a few meters.
After the condors we stopped in the small town of Cabanaconde for brief break to have a look around the town and work a little more on my photography skills, and have some lunch. With our bellies full we did some final bag arrangements and last minute toilet breaks before heading off for the trek. As I mentioned before, the tour we went on was different to the normal canyon tours as we took a different trail to the usual groups. This was definately noticeable whilst we hiked along the unbeaten track with not another soul to see.
As we struggled with our footing on the loose gravelly track, our guide Marcos explained to us some of the interesting facts about the canyon and surrounding area. One of the most interesting facts was the actual name of the canyon itself Colca, or in its true native language of Quechuan 'Qollqa'. Like most of the names in moden day Peru they have been slightly altered from their original Quechuan lauanguage to suit the Spanish language when they invaded. Colca or Qollqa actually means storage pot, because in pre inca and inca times food was stored in the special type of materials only found in the bottom of the canyon. This was used as a preservation method between seasons. Another interesting fact about the area is the difference between the two major towns that border the canyon, Cabanaconde and Chivay. Whilst now days these two cities have embraced the modern culture such as the Internet, they have also begun to accept each others culture. Previously these two towns were almost rivals to a point where citizens of each community were banned from marriage to each other. It was once said that the people of Chivay had long and narrow shaped heads where as the Cabanaconden's had short stout head both representing volcanos within the surrounding area. The women in each area also dressed differently, most noticeably with different styles of hats. With one community donning a multi colored finely embroidered hat, whilst the other stuck to a plain white wide brim fedora. Nowadays though, the two cultures have embraced each other almost to a point where you can't tell a long head from a short.
After a 6 hour, toe blistering hike down to the bottom of the canyon we arrived at our first rest stop. Set just above the chilly waters of the Colca river we stayed with one of the two families that live in the Llahuar region. More of a out back bed and breakfast than a home stay, which was advertised, we ren't fazed as we were just glad to take our shoes off and have a nice warm shower. Feeling clean and revived we asked the family if we could help them prepare dinner, as we hadn't cooked in ages and thought we might get some inside tips on Perurivan food. Luckily for us they were more than pleased and happily informed us that their kitchen was a family kitchen and anyone who stays is family. The only problem was that the dinner menu for the night was not Perurivan. Never the less we were still just happy to help out with some vegetable chopping and watch the mother and daughter fuss around the typical tradition Peru kitchen.
The next day we said goodbye to our host family and started off on our grueling 4 hour uphill climb. Leaving earlish in the moring was definately a big bonus as the sun cast a nice shadow over our section of the trail, making it nice and cool for the up hill battle. The sceanery along the way was much the same as the first day, lots of small shrubs, cactus and towering cliff edges. The bonus though on day two was passing though numerous small villages and receiving smiles from all the locals. At about midday we reached one of the larger communities in the canyon and stopped for a short break in the shade of the local church. Having never tried cactus fruit before we kindly asked our guide if he could buy some for us to try. Happily he hurried off to one of the local shops and brought us back some, freshly peeled. The fruit has a similar consistency as a kiwi fruit, but not as sweet. After we finished our light snack we left the small town and started another knee jarring 2 hour walk down to the oasis at the bottom of the canyon floor.
The walk down to the oasis was made even more painful, as we could see our destination the whole time. Every step we took, you would look down hoping that our rest stop grew larger as we closer, but it just seemed to tease us off in the distance. Finally though we made the last push down to the bottom of the canyon again, crossing a bridge and entered the paradise that was to the the end of our day 2. OK, so whilst some may not call it paradise, with small rooms and cold showers, this place was at the bottom of the worlds 2nd largest canyon and had a pool filled by the natural spring. Arriving mid afternoon was a big bonus, as the sun was shining over head, we were still pretty warm from our days hike and the place was still fairly empty, as most hikers arrive late in the afternoon. So dressing down into our togs we headed straight to the pool. Whilst the water was fairly cold at first, this was a blessing in disguise as it helped sooth our tired muscles. The rest of the time was spent relaxing in the sun by the pool and eating the delicious local food prepared by our guide for lunch and dinner. We were even treated to a nice, yet slightly warm, bottle of Peruvian white wine, which the guide surprised us with at dinner.
The last day we had another early start, again to beat the sun. The final leg of the hike consisted of approximately 4 hours walking, however those 4 hours were all to be up hill, with almost 1km vertical. Having complete the inca trail and a few other treks in the area, I have to say that this one was the hardest. Possibly it was due to too much over indulging over my birthday but that last day was a killer. Fortunately enough we both had the energy to complete the painstaking ascent to the top of the canyon and were proud to say we completed the hike. This was not the case with some other tourists who sheepishly passed us along the trail riding their mules. After reaching the top and having some much deserved breakfast, we hopped back into the minivan for the long ride back to Arequipa. Along the way however there was plenty of pit stops to check out the sights, which included some pre inca terraces, heaps of llamas and alpacas, active volcanos, we tried a different variety of Pisco sour made with the local fruit and even had a swim in another hot spring. Overall the canyon was a beautiful place with many interesting things to see and do along the way. Having trekked so much we a now looking forward to relaxing a little in La Paz.
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