Condors in Colca Canyon
For the full experience, view online!
Cañón del Colca is the one of the deepest canyons in the world, almost double the depth of the Grand Canyon. There are many different routes you can take through it though we opted for one of the longer options over three days to see more of the canyon and for the hot pools in Llahuar. We did this hike with Leo who we met in Pucon and his travel buddy Tor!
Day one started with two long colectivos from Arequipa to Cabanaconde. By the time we arrived in Cabanaconde, the mini-van was packed to the brim with people. Every time someone would wave us down we thought surely we are full now, but the driver would stop and they would somehow squeeze themselves on. This happened multiple times with everyone inside the van doing what they could to make space. We even had an elderly lady on crutches climb on as it was near its fullest!
The walk this day was down, down, and down, dropping 1200m. Not the typical start to a hike and a bit worrisome knowing we would have to eventually regain the altitude we were losing. The views were epic though and weather cool, adding the the anticipation of the hot pools.
Sheer cliff faces towering over us.
We arrived at our accomodation and went straight to the hot pools which were not super hot but definitely cozy. Around us were endless fruit trees of bananas, oranges, lemons, as well as some cactuses with their tuna fruit.
After a tasty dinner we settled into a game of Wizard which Leo provided and is a popular commercialisation of Up & Down The River in Germany. Worth noting for records sake that the winner this game was myself, not that it’s a biggie.
The following morning we woke to a breakfast of two pancakes served with a small supply of jam. A disappointing spread given the abundance of fruit around us.
We were expecting a reasonably flat day this day though we soon realised after inspecting the gpx more closely that we in fact had 700m of climbing to begin. We cut tracks soon after brekky and began the steady climb up as the sun came out in full force.
At the top there was a pleasant viewpoint with good shade and a giant statue of a condor (though we didn’t see any here). From here on it would but mostly flat along the road with no coverage to protect us from the elements.
The final 2km this day was steep downhill on loose rocks that we half walked half slid down. Arriving at San Juan, we were welcomed by a barking dog at the end of a quaint path that we decided was the wrong direction. That was until the hostel owner appeared behind the dog and confirmed this in fact was the right place.
After a lack of food options along the track and limited snack supplies (for me at least) I sat down to a beer and large three course lunch that well and truly hit the spot. The view here looked straight across the canyon to sheer rock faces that were equally impressive and daunting with the knowledge we were set to wind our way up to the top tomorrow.
After a shower and some downtime we soon found ourselves playing another game of wizard, which I should duly report was won by MacKenzie. 2-0 to the kiwis! Dinner that evening consisted of the exact same three courses as lunch which I wasn’t mad about. Prime fuel for the ascent tomorrow.
After dinner, the hostel owner came a sat down next to us as we learnt of his stories and scheduled in breakfast for 7am the following day. When we asked if this time was ok and not too early, he said he wakes every morning during the dry season at 1am to queue up at the local source of water with a bucket in each hand. 7am was a sleep in!
With a much more satisfactory breakfast here of banana pancakes and dulce de leche, we set off at 8 for Cabanaconde.
The climb was as gruelling as it looked and tough on the legs though without the effects of altitude we had on Huayna Potosi, we actually felt relatively fresh! As we neared the top, condors began to soar past us, making use of the developing thermals as the cloud cleared and sun beamed in.
Our host the night before had told us the condors live further up the canyon where the walls steepen and humans can‘t access. They use the thermals in the morning to rise 5km high before gliding 200km out to the coast searching for food, back to the canyon before dusk.
As the path slackened and we gained pace, we soon reached the top to the exciting discovery that we owed 70PEN (33NZD) each for entry into the canyon. Somehow we missed that on all the blogs we read and managed to time it right on our way down when there was no warden present. Nothing we weren’t used to though and at least it was cheaper than Argentina.
The one thing we didn’t really look in to before our hike was a ride back to Arequipa. This resulted in a swift final kilometre as we rushed to make the 11:45am bus and save ourselves the hour of waiting for the next one at 1pm. Our efforts paid off as we jumped on the bus seconds before it left.
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