Whether before or after visiting Cusco, chances are that the white city of Arequipa will be among your destination list. The city features some nice activities and a decent night-life but what most of travellers really look forward to see, or better to hike in, is the Colca Canyon.
Even though a 4-6h drive separates the city from the canyon, its impressive depth of 1200m (more than double than the Grand Canyon) and gorgeous landscapes attract visitors from all over the world. Who would dare leaving Peru without hiking the Colca Canyon?
Check out the following info we’ve put together to help you organise your hiking trip.
Vulture seen at Cruz del Condor
General Info
Getting there – There are frequent daily buses that connect Arequipa (leave from the Terminal Terrestre and cost 17 soles/pp) with the canyon but if you want to start hiking the same day, only the 3am bus is a feasible option. A great alternative is to book transport-only with a tour agency (25 soles/pp) which pick you up at your hostel/hotel but more importantly stops at the Cruz del Condor so that you can watch these fascinating birds fly up high in the morning sky.
Hike starting point – There are different accesses to the trails of the canyon but most hikes start from the town of Cabanaconde. In case you decide to hike the classic route (short or long), you can also opt from start hiking at the Mirador San Miguel which would save you about 1h of hiking.
DIY vs tour agency – Hiking the Colca Canyon is an extremely easy and safe activity to do by yourself but if you have any doubts, make sure to drop by at the Peru info point in Arequipa’s main plaza. Obviously, if you prefer to be in a guided tour, you can easily find many tour agencies in town offering daily departures of 1,2 or 3 full days in the Canyon.
Accomodation – Most of the “important” stops in Colca have more than one but basic option for accomodation so you shouldn’t have problem finding a spot without previous booking. That said, only some places, in a Llahuar and Sangalle, are listed in booking.com and can be booked online.
Trail map of the Colca Canyon
Find Your Route
THE CLASSIC ROUTE (3D/2N)
This route is what the most of the people who decide to trek the Colca Canyon end up doing but also what pretty much all tours would offer as “highlight”. In 99% of the cases, this trek starts in Cabanaconde but some people prefer starting at the Mirador San Miguel.
The first day you’ll hike from Cabanaconde to San Juan de Choccho (spend the night here), a challenging 3h downhill trail which brings you to the bottom of the Canyon. The second day, after a short climb up, you’ll walk on a mostly flat trail for about 2-3h, pass through the village of Cosñirhua and Malata, and then head back down to the bottom of the Canyon to the town of Sagalle a.k.a. The Oasis (spend the night here). The third day you’ll wake up early in the morning and start the hardest part of the hike: a badass 4h-long path that will get you from the bottom to the top of the Canyon back to Cabanaconde.
Start of the trail from Mirador San Miguel
THE CLASSIC “SHORT” ROUTE (2D/1N)
This shorter version of the classic route, which is also what we did, is pretty much a copy and paste of the original but just at a faster pace for those who prefer walking more and are not satisfied by the short 3-4h walk a day of the classic route. For this route, we suggest to start the hike from the Mirador San Miguel no later than 9am.
The first day you’ll hike from Cabanaconde to San Juan de Choccho, have a lunch break there and then keep following through the villages of Cosñirhua and Malata to eventually arrive to Sangalle in the late afternoon with still enough time to enjoy the swimming pools. More or less expect to be hiking for 6-7h if you’re a fit hiker. The second day, you’ll have to wake up relatively early to avoid the heat and leave no later than 7.30am to trek the strenuous 4h trail back to the top of the Canyon.
Path to the bottom of the Canyon
THE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE (3D/2N)
This route is usually the less-travelled of the two and also because its usually best enjoyed for those willing to spend at least 3 days inside the Canyon.
The first day you’ll hike from Cabanaconde to Llahuar, a 3-4h easy downhill trek and spend the night there. If you start early, some people continue to hike until the village of Fure (3h more) to see the waterfall and spend the night there instead. The second day, whether you’re starting from Llahuar or Fure, you’ll hike downhill until the village of Paclla and then before the village of Malata head down to Sangalle (for a total of 4h) where you’re going to spend the second night. The third day, like all the other routes, you’ll have to wake up early and trek back up to the top of the Canyon.
Malata (left), Cosñirhua (right), Tapay (top) and San Juan de Choccho (bottom)
THE ALTERNATIVE “SHORT” ROUTE (2D/1N)
This shorter version of the alternative route is definitely less challenging than its twin classic version because the downhill path is mostly gonna be a less steep.
The first day you’ll hike to Llahuar, follow on to Paclla for lunch break and eventually reach Sangalle by later afternoon after a 7-8h not-so-intense trek. The second day, you’ll wake up early and then start the trek up to the top of the canyon before the heat gets you.
PLANNING A TRIP TO PERU? CHECK MORE GUIDES BELOW!
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