Colca Canyon - Day 1

I travelled to Colca Canyon by bus from the city of Arequipa. I didn't want to take some overpriced tourist coach or go with an organised group, so I bought an ordinary bus ticket to the town of Cabanaconde for just 17 soles. It's funny that the 20-minute taxi ride from the airport into the centre cost me 30 soles, while the 6-7 hour journey up into the mountains cost me only half of that. But that's how it goes.

I had planned my trip around Peru so as to acclimatise to the altitude as well as possible and avoid altitude sickness. That's why I started at 2,500 m in Arequipa, to be followed by Colca Canyon (3,200 m), Lake Titicaca (4,000 m) and the Salkantay glacier (the saddle near the glacier at 5,000 m). What I didn't realise, though, was that the bus to Cabanaconde would go over mountains and high plateaus, and so after about 3 hours of driving I found myself as high as 4,800 m. Since I was essentially without any acclimatisation, my head immediately started to ache. Fortunately I had no problem with the 3,200 m at Cabanaconde, so it passed without any further symptoms, and the only issue was the roughly hour-long stretch across the highest points.

The bus ride itself was already full of gorgeous views and scenery. I watched the surrounding mountain landscape, llamas grazing on long grassy plains at 4,000 m, and the journey passed quite pleasantly. At the highest points the weather turned, and at times it even snowed. The bus stopped now and then to pick up new passengers hitchhiking by the roadside. One was a young girl, shivering there in the mist and rain with a tiny llama in her arms. After we crossed the mountain saddle at the highest point of the route and began descending towards the canyon, the landscape grew ever greener and various little fields and dwellings began to appear. Most organised trips go to the town of Chivay, take tourists on a day trip to the Colca River and to the viewpoint where the condors can be seen, then spend the night in the valley by the river and return to Arequipa the next day. That wasn't enough for me, so I rode the bus all the way to Cabanaconde and stayed at the Homestay Pachamama.

On the first morning I bought a few more supplies in Cabanaconde, and then 14.5 km lay ahead of me (200 m of ascent, 1,200 m of descent) heading towards Llahuar, where I had my first night's stay. Even in the town itself I loved the mountain atmosphere created by the surrounding peaks, which rise to over 6,000 m. After a few minutes' walk I came to the first viewpoint over the canyon, and it literally took my breath away. The incredible depth of the canyon (one of the 4 deepest in the world), the mist rolling across the landscape, the rich green of the surrounding slopes… it's an almost indescribable sight, and even though I tried to capture it all in photographs, it still feels to me as if that wasn't even possible.

I lingered quite a while at this first viewpoint, because the mist rolling through the valley kept changing the beautiful view over the landscape and I just couldn't get enough of it. I also came across the park rangers, who were collecting a 70-sol entrance fee here. I continued along a small path, gradually descending towards the raging river. I was here at the end of the rainy season, so all the vegetation was beautifully green, but it also meant the Colca was full of water and literally thundered through the whole canyon. In places I walked through thick mist and the view of the surrounding landscape closed off entirely. So I would stop for a moment and wait until the cloud shifted again and I could see another beautiful scene of the river and the surrounding slopes. That was also the first moment when a majestic condor glided by, utterly silent.

Condors soar on thermal currents, so the surrounding air first has to warm up, and then they ride these warm rising currents up into the clouds. After another half hour of walking I stopped at a spot where the condors should be better visible. And so they were. Within half an hour about 10 of them flew past. Some smaller, some truly enormous, with wingspans approaching 3 metres. When such a giant swung out from behind the cliff just a few dozen metres away from me, it was a magnificent sight.

I continued through the canyon, crossing here and there one of the tributaries of the Colca River, and several times the river itself. Walking across a footbridge over a river raging like this was quite an adrenaline rush. That mass of water commanded great respect. In the dry months, when there is less water, you can bathe in the thermal springs that surface on the bank right next to the river. But these spots were underwater, and bathing would have been utter madness.

In the afternoon I arrived in Llahuar, where I had my accommodation paid for the first night. They were tiny cabins right by the river, with essentially just a bed inside. There was one washroom for all the cabins in the compound, along with a strange large concrete restaurant. It's actually a bit sad, but even here there is an internet connection, so I could have dinner, charge my batteries and download my photos, but the moment the restaurant staff turned on loud music I couldn't take it any longer and retreated to my cabin instead. I suppose I'm one of those people who, in places like this, would rather be more in tune with nature.

Tip 1: I can definitely recommend going all the way to Cabanaconde and staying at the Homestay Pachamama. It's a great starting point.
Tip 2: If you really want to enjoy the canyon, don't hesitate to plan a full 4 days here so you can explore more of it and go further than Llahuar.
Tip 3: A little way beyond Colca Canyon there is also Cotahuasi Canyon, which is far less visited by tourists.