Colca Canyon Hike - Arequipa, Peru
by Rebecca Hollman
updated Dec 4, 2018
Colca Canyon Hike - Arequipa, Peru
Colca Canyon’s is the world’s second deepest canyon, right after its sister a few hours to the north - Cotahausi Canyon. Colca is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the US! Located in the south of Peru, about two hours south of Peru’s second biggest city Arequipa, the Colca Canyon and the surrounding valley are a sight to behold. Inside the valley are a handful of smaller towns and villages where the Peruvians are direct descendants of the Wari and Incan peoples and still speak Quechua. Most of the valley is still farmed on the original terraces called andenes that were built in pre-Incan times. Exploring the valley will give you a glimpse of farmers harvesting their crops, carrying bags of crops strapped to their backs, milking cows in the field, or herding sheep/cows/donkeys/etc. down the road to the next field. The canyon is 11,000 feet deep from the highest point. But because of the Andes mountains surrounding the canyon, the highest point is technically from a mountain peak. Descending from Cabanaconde into the bottom of the canyon is actually only 4,000 feet elevation change.
Table of Contents
The Three Ways to Explore the Canyon
1. Totally by yourself:
If you can pull this off, this is definitely the way to explore the canyon. It’s hard/more expensive to travel on your own but being able to explore at your own pace and by yourself makes traveling so much more enjoyable. You can either get there by rental car or by taxi from Arequipa. If you come on your own, you will be able to start at whatever time of the day you want, stop at any stopping point, and spend as much time in the canyon as you deem fit. You will also be able to walk by yourself as one of the down falls of the tour is that you go in a group of 20 something people. If you go on your own, make sure to know which trail you want to go on (as there are multiple), book your accommodation in advance, and bring cash with you for the park entrance fee. If you have a taxi take you, make sure to arrange someone to also pick you up when your hike is over. It is possible to do the shorter trail down and the trail back up in the same day if you go on your own but I suggest spending at least one night to enjoy the canyon. You can also take a bus from Arequipa to Chivay or Yanque and then taxi to the trailhead from there. This will make your costs significantly cheaper than going all the way from Arequipa.
2. On a 2-day tour:
Taking an organized tour into the canyon is obviously the easiest way to get there. So if you don’t have the possibility of having a rental car, then you’re going to end up taking a tour (most likely from Arequipa). Tours can either be 1, 2, or 3 days. I’m not even mentioning the 1-day tour here because I strongly believe against doing this option. You spend most of your day just driving. From Arequipa, the drive to Colca Canyon is about 4 hours. So if you drive from Arequipa and back in one day, that’s 8 hours of driving in one day. So very little time to spend in the canyon. You do no hiking and only stop at a few miradors/viewpoints that are filled with other van-fuls of tourists. If you’re going to drive all the way out there, you need to at least walk around the canyon. If you take the 2-day option, you will get picked up from your hotel/hostel in Arequipa at 3 AM, drive the 4 hours to the valley, stop at a local spot for breakfast, stop at the Condor Mirador to take pictures of the canyon from above and watch for condors, and then head to the trailhead where you can buy some last minute snacks/water/toilet paper/etc. From there, you will go into the canyon and hike down to the bridge across the river, approximately 10 kilometers. From there, you will eat lunch (alpaca) at a local restaurant in the canyon and then continue on the last 7 kilometers for the day. This last stretch has sections of trail that are steeply ascending, and some sections that are flat. Finally, you will reach the “Oasis Town” in the bottom of the canyon where you will be spending the night. You will most likely arrive around dusk. You can swim in the pool of your hotel, but by this point the sun has started to go down and the water is cold. One of the highlights of the 3-day tour is getting to spend time around the pool in the sun. After a shower and dinner, you will most likely go to sleep because you will be exhausted and have to get up again at 3 AM. The next morning, the hike starts at 3 AM where you will ascend 1,500 feet of elevation gain and 4 kilometers straight up the side of the canyon. This hike is HARD. It takes about 5 hours to do the 4 kilometers. There are mules available if you need help getting up the canyon. Even though the hike is tough, you can make it to the top! Trust me! Just take your time and as many breaks as you need and just power through it. After everyone in your group has made it to the top, you will head to get a simple breakfast of eggs, bread, jam and coffee (a classic Peruvian hostel breakfast). After breakfast, you will head to one of the hot springs in the area (each tour guide goes to a different hot spring) where you can relax in the hot water for about an hour. Entrance is included in your tour but you can pay a few soles more to rent a towel and they also have drinks, including beer, for sale. After everyone changes and is back in the van, you will make one final stop at a buffet style restaurant for lunch. Eating lunch is optional and is S/ 30 per person but it’s all-you-can-eat buffet style and was one of the best meals I had in all of Peru. Finally, you will head back to Arequipa and on the way stop at one or two more viewpoints to break up the drive.
3. On a 3-day tour:
The 3-day tour is very similar to the 2-day tour, in fact you follow the exact same path, you just split it up into 3 days instead of 2. This gives you more time to chill and appreciate the canyon. The 2-day tour does feel a bit rushed, especially if you want to enjoy time in the bottom of the canyon. You will get picked up in Arequipa at 3 AM, stop for breakfast, stop at the Condor Mirador, go to the trailhead and then descend a partial distance into the canyon. Instead of going all 17 kilometers to the oasis in one day, you will split this over two days and sleep in Llahur. Arriving to Llahur earlier than you would to the oasis, you will have part of the afternoon to enjoy the pools and hot springs. The next day will cover the rest of the distance to Sangalle/the oasis where you will sleep in the same spot as night 1 of the 2-day tour. The third day is the exact same 4 kilometer ascent as the 2-day tour, so your final days will be equally as hard. You just get to split up the distance of the first day, spend more time in the canyon, walk more leisurely, and get to enjoy your surroundings versus rushing by. If you have the time in your trip, I suggest doing the 3-day tour.
Other Things to Do Around the Valley
Rafting in the Rio Colca - Want to view the canyon from another perspective? Take a day long rafting tour down the river that formed the Colca Canyon. The river has both class 3 and 4 rapids. The best time to raft is during the rainy season when the water levels are high, which is from March to December.
Visit the towns of Cabanaconde, Chivay and Yanque - One of the most unique aspects of the valley is the culture that still exists there. Take some time to stop in a few of these towns and enjoy the Plaza de Armas, go into colonial churches, talk to locals and eat food at a small, local restaurant.
Stay at the Colca Lodge - If you want to treat yourself after a hike, book a night or two in the up-scale Colca Lodge. Besides offering amazing accommodation, the lodge also has a full spa and its own hot springs.
Soak in thermal hot springs at Termales La Calera - After 2 or 3 days of hiking, this is the perfect way to relax. There are a handful of different hot springs around the area but the most popular is La Calera. It’s close to the town of Yanque and is open to the public. If you’re on a tour, you’re tour guide will probably take you to hot springs and might even take you to a less-known and more local spot.
Trail Map
What to Know Before You Go
The sun is harsh and you are at high altitude. You will get burnt so put on sunscreen - especially on your shoulders if you’re wearing a tank top and on your face.
It is hot. You are in a desert. Going down (and up) during peak daylight time is going to be very, very hot.
It is cold at night. You are in a desert. Bring a jacket for when the sun goes down/sleeping.
There’s really not any place to refill your water. There are occasional stands where some people from the nearby town are selling water bottles and snacks but they are few and far between. Bring your own filtering water bottle and drink from the streams.
Breakfast isn’t served on the last day of the tour until after you are done hiking. Bring snacks if you need to eat in the morning.
The hike is HARD. You pretty much ascend 1,500 feet in about 3 hours. You need to be in decent-enough shape and acclimatized to feel comfortable doing this hike. Otherwise, you will have a hard time (but will still probably make it).
You can rent a mule to carry you or your stuff up the ascent of the trail. See above.
The one day tour is pretty much just a guided bus tour and you don’t get to hike at all or spend anytime in the canyon. The drive from Arequipa alone is so long that you can’t even enjoy anytime in the canyon if you do a 1 day tour. I HIGHLY suggest doing at least a 2 day tour, if not 3.
The condor viewpoint is jam packed with tourists. And you’re not guaranteed to see a condor there. You’ll have better luck seeing a condor just flying around the canyon.
If you’re taking the tour, you are going to get up early. The van leaves Arequipa at 3 AM. The last day of your hike starts at 3 AM. Be prepared to wake up super early.
What to Bring
Sunscreen - The sun here is no joke. Even if you don’t normally get burned, you will probably get burned here.
Hat/Sunglasses - Same reasoning here.
One hiking outfit - You can realistically wear the same top and pants all the days you will be hiking in the canyon.
Change of undergarments - You cannot realistically wear the same undergarments all the days you will be hiking in the canyon.
One sleeping outfit - You need to sleep and I don’t think you want to sleep in your dusty clothes.
A bathing suit - Utilize those pools and hot springs after long days of hiking.
Hiking boots/shoes - Pretty obvious.
Another pair of chilling shoes - Optional. If you are going to bring some, make sure they are super lightweight like flip-flops so they don’t add weight to your pack.
Flashlight/headlamp - You’re going to be walking early in the morning before the sun rises. Also, not all of the hotels have reliable electricity.
Filtering water bottle - There are occasionally little booths set up along the hike where people are selling water bottles and little snacks but this is the only place you can get water on the trek. So unless you pack all your water in, you will have to buy water at some point and jug around a giant water bottle (and waste a lot of plastic). If you have a filtering bottle or water tablets, you can fill up your water at any of the countless streams along the way. I highly suggest having a filtering bottle for all of Peru because this will save so much plastic waste!!
Camera - Capture the beauty of this place.
Backpack - Bring a pack that can fit all your stuff but try to keep it small. Keep in mind you will be lugging this around for 2-3 days so don’t overpack stuff you don’t really need.
One jacket/long sleeve layer - It gets cold at night.
Snacks - Although meals are provided, you might want to bring your own snacks to fill up on if you get hungry in between.
Cash - There is a park entrance fee of S/ 70 to enter the park. This IS NOT included in the price of any of the tours so you will need to have the cash on hand to enter into the park. There are no ATMs out here so take some cash out before leaving Arequipa.
Toilet paper - There is no toilet paper provided at any place you will be staying in the canyon, nor in any of the restaurants.
