Peru Travel: Into the Depths of Colca Canyon

Arequipa boasts many attractions, from the intricate mestizo-baroque colonial buildings of volcanic sillar in the historic center to the volcanoes and fertile valleys of its countryside. Nearby, one finds the two deepest canyons in the world, Cotahuasi Canyon and Colca Canyon. Although the former is actually deeper, Colca Canyon is most popular, mainly due to its impressive condor colonies.

If you are considering trekking Colca Canyon, consider the San Juan de Chuccha Route, which can be done in 2 or 3 days. Whether you choose a 2-day or a 3-day trek along this route, you will need to depart Arequipa quite early, at around 3:30am, to depart for Colca Canyon. There is always a stop in the canyon town of Chivay for breakfast before continuing on to Condor’s Cross lookout, the most famous spot in the canyon. There, you can watch as the world’s largest birds of flight, the endangered Andean Condor, ascend from their colony deep below the lookout in search for food. Riding the rising thermals as the sun heats the canyon, they can appear sometimes to be suspended in the air, casting huge shadows on the canyon walls. It’s also a good spot from which to admire the profundity of the world’s second largest canyon.

The trek begins from San Miguel Pampas in the town of Cabanaconde. Over the initial 3½ hour descent, you’ll learn about the canyon’s indigenous plants upon which locals rely for medicinal and other uses. These include muña, cactus fruit, Andean corn, squashes, and jatupa. The canyon also boasts fruits like lúcuma,  peaches, apples, papaya, squash, lúcuma, mango, and figs.

After a rest at the Colca River, the force which formed the canyon, one crosses the first hanging bridge to arrive at the tiny and enchanting canyon town of San Juan de Chuccho, located on the north side of the river and marked by trees with fruit, flowers, and lichen. After lunch and a rest, those on 2-day treks continue on, visiting the towns of Malata and Cosñirhua en route to  Sangalle Oasis. (Those on 3-day treks spend the night in San Juan de Chuccho.

Although the canyon’s crops flourish during the December to March wet season, during much of the year parts of the canyon become quite barren- except for the Oasis, where hot temperatures and water from a geothermal spring keep the area lush year-round. There, you can enjoy the palm-lined pools of the Oasis and spend the night in adobe bungalows representative of the zone.

It’s best to begin the following day’s ascent very early- not because it takes much time, but because it is more comfortable to do the climb before the sun becomes strong. It may take as much as 3½ hours to reach the top. After breakfast in Cabanaconde, you can give your legs a break and catch the private bus to Chivay, stopping along the way at the town of Maca and at various natural lookouts boasting privileged views of the canyon’s depth and the pre-Incan terraces of the valley.

At Chivay, one can visit the nearby Las Caleras hotsprings and have lunch before beginning the return trip to Arequipa. Along the way, you can stop at the Lookout of the Andes, which offers panoramic views of the Chila range and Ampato, Sabancaya, and Hualca Hualca Volcanoes. We’ll also stop at Aguada Blanca National Reserve, which is most known for its grazing herds of vicuña, the rarer and more elegant cousin of the alpaca and the llama. Then, it’s back to the White City of Arequipa to explore all that it has to offer.