Trekking through Colca Canyon in Peru

When we traveled across Peru, we used Peru Hop to travel from Lima through all the iconic cities of Peru. One city we passed through was Arequipa, which was one of the most enchanting cities in South America I've ever visited by far. 

There's a 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day hiking trek you can sign-up for to explore the nearby Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. It is quite an experience, especially if you're able to walk downhill and uphill for 3-5 hours non-stop (pro-tip: you can get a taxi mule for the hiking up the last part). 

Local mentioned, some Incans used to use the routes from Colca Canyon to travel 6-7 days to Machu Pichu. Pretty impressive.

Importance of acclimating to the altitude

To prep for the Colca Canyon hike, it is recommended that you first acclimatize to the altitude in Arequipa (2-3 days might do it for you?). Arequipa sits at a 2400 m elevation, while Colca Canyon's elevation ranges between 1000 - 4000 m depending on where you are. 

If you're still feeling a little weak, you can get some herbal Peruvian medication at the pharmacy, infuse coca tea in your water bottle, get some coca leaves to chew on, and/or buy some coca candy for the hike. 

Differences between the 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day Colca Canyon hiking trail

I know some folks who've organized their own Colca Canyon solo hike, and it is possible to do so. You can take a local bus to one of the nearby cities (i.e.: Chivay, Cabanaconde), and start your hiking trail from there. Colca Canyon trails are pretty straightforward. Although there was a Belgian girl who went alone, got lost, and hasn't been found since January 2022. So, don't do it alone.

The organized tours are easy, and a little brainless - making it a great option for a safer vacation. They all start and end the same, so here's where the divide really takes place: 

• 1-Day - Get the gist, and enjoy some nice photo ops
• There's no hiking down the Colca Canyon. Instead, you'll enjoy the Condor bird watching, and the canyon, volcanoes, and alpaca viewpoints. Finally, a dip in the natural hot springs (worth it, bring your bathing suit!). 
  
  
• 2-Days - Jam-packed, resulting in a great 2-day workout
• Part 1 Hiking - 6-hour hike down the Colca Canyon, stay the night
• Part 2 Hiking - 3-hour hike, then grab lunch at a restaurant, and then a 4-hour hike to the top
  
  
• 3-Days - Chill, take your time, and relaxed
• Part 1 Hiking - 6-hour hike down the Colca Canyon, stay the night (same as 2-Days)
• Part 2 Hiking - 3-hour hike to a resort, enjoy the evening (yes, people party together)
• Part 3 Hiking - wake up at 4am in the morning, and hike up the Colca Canyon, watch the sunrise, enjoy the morning views and eat breakfast in town

Looking back at my experience, I think I would have gone with the 2-Day hiking experience because the 3-Day hiking experience felt a little long. The Part 2 Hiking portion was only 3 hours, and the time passed by really quickly. I totally had the energy to continue trekking along! 

Granted, I never thought I'd wake up at 4am to hike, and that was an experience in itself. 

The Realities of the Colca Canyon 3-Day Itinerary

• Pick-up: Typically between 3-3:30 am at your hotel or hostel. 
  
  
• Pro-tip for the winter months in Peru (May to September): I recommend you to check the weather. We were there in May, and at around 3am, we were shocked by how low the temperature was. The buses are typically not heated. When you ask them to turn on the heat, they give a lame excuse like the heater is broken. Not sure if this is the norm, or if the pandemic-related inflation aftermath caused oil prices to rise, and they were trying to save costs. So, bring your pants, socks and if possible, a warm scarf. 
  
  
• Breakfast: after a 3.5-hour drive, you'll get to enjoy breakfast around 6 - 7 am, you'll be brought to a 'touristy' breakfast spot in Chivay. They typically give you a piece of bread, butter, porridge, coffee, chocolate milk, and tea. It's not much for what's to come, especially if you're going for a hike. 
  
  
• Pro-tip for food: bring some nuts or bars with you in case you get hungry and need the energy. 
  
  
• Pro-tip to combat altitude sickness: The tea they offer is from the Coca plant. Yes, it's typically used for cocaine production. With the non-concentrated amount of coca, the medicinal properties outweigh the true concerns of being drugged up. Essentially, it is great for combatting altitude sickness. You can take it in tea format or just chew on it. 
  
  
• Bird Watching at Mirador Cruz del Cóndor Viewpoint to admire the Andean Condor birds fly and the 1200 m deep canyon. Here you might get a 45-minute stop where you can walk along the trail and glance at the King of the Andes, an endangered specie where 2500 remain in Peru today. Apparently, their wings can span 3 meters, they weigh about 12 kilograms, and can live up to 75 years young. These vultures scavenge for carrion, decaying animal flesh (perhaps alpacas and llamas), and decomposed foods. 
  
  Most people busy taking photos might not realize there's a walking path below the hill. I only discovered it when I was looking for a bathroom, which there is one located below the hilltop. 
  
  
• Pro-tip for bird watching: 7am-9am and 3-5pm are apparently prime times for enjoying the Condor birds in action. I can attest that I've seen about 10+ condor sightings around 8am. Yes, there were a lot of people taking photos at this time.  
  
  
• It was pretty cool in that we saw a group of 30+ seniors traveling by motorcycles across Peru. We later learned that it was a 10+ day tour across Peru by motorbike. Super keen to explore this in the future.
  
  
• Hiking finally begins:
  
  
• Day 1 Hiking: 6-Hour (mostly) Downhill Trek to San Juan de Chuccho village
  
  
• The Trekking Experience Begins!
  
  
• First, load up at the Convenient Stores: We were dropped off at this convenient store hut near the entrance of the Colca Canyon. Some groups didn't pass by the convenient store, if not - do ask your guide to bring you there. It will be worth it. 
  
  
• Bamboo walking sticks: Here, we were able to buy bamboo walking sticks. I recommend you buy 2 bamboo walking sticks per person. It makes it a lot easier for traversing downhill. Save your knees! 
  
  
• Snacks: They also had bananas and cookies to help give you more energy!
  
  
• Toilet: for a quick buck, you can use their washroom. Good idea if you don't want the whole Canyon to watch you take a leak.
• Cute cats: there were these cute little kittens that, for some reason, had a genetic disorder. So, the batch only had one eye. So sad, but so cute.
  
  
• Walking towards the Ground Wasp infested road
• You might wonder to yourself, what's with all the holes in the ground on your way to the Colca Canyon entrance. Well, you'll quickly realize there are wasps literally everywhere! Don't be scared... they don't sting... if you don't bother them.
  
  
• Tickets
• Make sure you keep your ticket on you at all times (at the entrance and exit) otherwise, they might charge you twice. Also, you pay in cash. 
  
  
• Hiking begins: 
  
• We trekked down the hill, which took about 4 hours. It definitely hurts the toes if you don't do the 'zigg zagg' downhill walking technique. As you hike down, you'll notice how the fauna changes over time. I liked having a guide because you can learn all about:
  
  
• The San Pedro Cactus (This turns into a psychedelic when you boil it into tea. The locals say, Ayuwascha opens your eyes into your life, and San Pedro opens your eyes by the window sill)
  
  
• There's a cactus that bears the Tuna fruit, which you can eat it, watch out for the spikes, which are numbing
  
  
• Other medicinal plants along the hike
  
  
• Then crossed the river with this nice bridge. There were these 2 ladies selling cold drinks. On our way down, we saw a lady probably in her 50s having a heat stroke. It looked like she was going to barely make it. The ladies quickly got some herbs, performed some aroma therapy, pulled her legs up, and splashed cold water on her face and chest. Yes, it was hectic. She made it! 
  
  
• After crossing the bridge, there's a little hike up (10 minutes) and then you walk for another 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to the. San Juan de Chuccho village.

• Little 'convenient store' shack right before San Juan de Chuccho Village: there was a man selling some fruits like Tumbo (it had a texture similar to that of a banana), water, and cookies. Our guide said, this was the only place to load up on water and snacks for 'cheap' as it will be more expensive at the hotel.
  
  
• Enjoying food and accommodations at the San Juan de Chuccho village: we ate and stayed at Posada Gloria, which is a quaint motel where most hikers seem to stay at. Luckily, they had plugs for us to recharge our phones, and wifi to connect with the outside world (if you're not too into cutting yourself out from the world). 
  
  
• Accommodation:
• When you pay for your hotel rooms, they offer luxury rooms with hot water. Our host screwed up a little and gave us the basic room even when we ordered the luxury room.
   
• Basic Room - These are rooms with 2 twin beds, no lights, and no locks for the rooms. If you need a plug, they have an open plug near the shared showers. The shared showers don't have hot water. However, the recommendation is to shower when the sun is still out because it is likely the water will be warmer than at night. Bring your flip flops.
  
  
• Luxury Rooms - These rooms have private showers and plugs for electricity. When we were there, they were renovating, seems like there will be more luxury rooms soon.
  
  
• The food was surprisingly really decent.
  
• Lunch: Sopa de Trigo, and Lomo Saltado
• Dinner: Sopa (similar to Gallina), potato pancake with beans and rice, finished with a local tea made from fresh plants
• Breakfast: crepe/pancake with bananas and coffee
  
  
• Things to do here:
• There's a mini hill that you can trek up if you're looking for a romantic spot to watch the sunset (yes, you might encounter some barking dogs)
  
  
• Many people pull out a plastic chair and admire the drippy-looking molten rocks left by the last eruption made by the Misti Volcano from the 15th century as the sun sets. 
  
  
• At night, you can go outside and star gaze. 
  
  
• Morning, you can watch the sunrise! Admire the little garden of avocados, limes, and citrus they have grown. 
  
  
• Day 2 Hiking + Accomodation: The next day's hike was very relaxing. It was more or less a 3-hour hike on a straight terrain. Just the last part of the hike required a little bit of a downhill stroll. During this portion of the hike, we saw some fig trees, more cactus tunas, and many cacti covered in that white dust. Apparently, this is what the cosmetic industry uses for makeup production. 
  
  
• Staying the night at the Oasis Paradiso Ecolodge was lovely. Albeit, there were mosquitoes. We arrived here around lunchtime and were served amazing fish on rice. They also make juice smoothies and have a range of simple cocktails and beer for you to enjoy. By the end of the day, there were probably about 15-20 people staying at the lodge. 
  
  
• Day-time: you can sunbathe, enjoy the pool with a beer and take a nice hot shower. We also washed our clothes and hung them out to dry. Since the Colca Canyon gets very sunny and it's super dry, the clothes dry very quickly.
  
  
• Evening: they served dinner and drinks. Our evening turned into a party because our host ... was a little bit of an alcoholic. Nevertheless, everyone got to know each other and share their stories.
  
  
• To check out, you have to drop your keys at the cashier. It's also best you pay for all the extras before you go to bed. The owners here will keep a tally for you, write it in this big notebook, and sum everything up when you're ready to pay.
  
  
• Day 3 Hiking: 5 hours hike, starting from 4am to Cabanaconde!
• We woke up at 3:50am, packed our bags, and waited for our guide! Many people use their phones to shine a light on the ground to make sure they don't trip as they hike up. We brought tiny flashlights. However, if you're hardcore, you can use the moonlight to show you the path!
  
  
• Sharp turns - the hiking trail does have sharp turns, and if you're not careful, it could potentially mean life or death! So, I recommend you to take your time. Also, there are mules transporting supplies and humans up and down. In the dark, you might not see them because they don't use light to guide them. So, make sure you standard near the mountain and not the edge of a corner when the mules pass you by. 
  
  
• Taxi Mules - if you're too tired and worn out, you can pay a fee and have a mule transport you up within 45 minutes to 1 hour. Looked pretty sweet!
  
  
• You've finally made it! At the top of the mountain, there are folks selling souvenirs and also some snacks. When we were there, there was a lade who was selling an avocado sandwich. It was divine. 
  
  
• Breakfast at Cabanaconde
• Once you're done your hike, you can enjoy a buffet breakfast at La Casa de Santiago Hotel