Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

We successfully went on an independent trek in the Colca Canyon, despite reading and hearing a lot about how you need a guide. It was easy to get out to Cabanaconde (where the canyon treks begin) on a local bus. As we passed Chivay (the largest town in the area) the road turned to dirt and started winding along the canyon edge. Sometimes we couldn’t see the edge of the road from our seats, just the bottom of the canyon! The bus seems to be the main form of transport for the locals – they were even loading crops and goods into the bus luggage compartment. A bunch of Peruvian cowboys jumped on, complete with cowboy hats! We really were in rural Peru.

Many of the women still wear traditional dress, both in the cities and rural areas, unlike in the other countries we have visited so far. Peruvian dresses look amazing, with bright colours and patterns. They seem to be very warm for the climate, with heavy fabrics and several layers. Instead of backpacks, Peruvian women carry belongings, goods and even young children (not together!) in bright fabric slings. It’s amazing how effectively they can use these simple squares of fabric.

Cabanaconde is tiny, less than five minutes’ walk from end to end. It’s a farming town, not a tourist town, with just a handful of hostels. We stayed at Pachamama, a cool hostel with helpful staff who gave us maps and guidance.

The main street of Cabanaconde

We set off from Cabanaconde the next morning and walked down into the canyon. It felt like we were the only gringos on the trail, which was nice. The only people we encountered were locals from villages in the canyon, heading up the trail with mules in tow. We walked through a few small villages on the way to San Galle, also known as the Oasis.

The only tricky thing about hiking here is a lack of track signage. Apparently whenever the idea to improve signage is raised, tour guides convince the mayor not to, in the interests of propping up the guides’ businesses. We did end up taking one “scenic route” (mostly because of our lack of Spanish) which required backtracking about half an hour. This meant we miscalculated our water needs. Although we were far from being in an unsafe position, we ended up being the cartoon stereotype – wanderers in the desert, craving water, in search of an oasis :-)

Our hostel in San Galle was a bit like a (basic) resort, with a swimming pool and volleyball court. Not bad for NZ$10 per person, per night (including breakfast!) Although at most resorts they don’t run out of water at 8pm or have a mouse gnaw through your bag to get to a chocolate wrapper!

Being at the bottom of the canyon, the sun went down at 3pm. We spent the afternoon playing volleyball with some of the staff and some other travellers. Although we had been alone for most of the day, the hostel was full of tour groups by evening. We were glad of our decision to trek independently once we talked to some of the people on the tours. The tours seemed to have very little trekking time, yet they had to get up in the early hours each morning to allow for their bus rides and some tourist stops. Also, we walked in one and a half days what some tours take three days to do – and our days weren’t that challenging. Of course we can’t comment on what value the guides add to a Colca Canyon trip.

We set off at 7am the next morning to avoid the desert heat. It took us 2.5 hours to climb up the steep canyon wall. The path turns rapidly from canyon to fields, and then right into the main square of Cabanaconde.

Our bus back to Arequipa was considerably less pleasant than the one we arrived on. A while into the five hour journey, a man walked onto the bus wearing an official-looking ID badge and carrying a suitcase. He stationed himself in the aisle right beside our seats and then started shouting down the bus in Spanish. At first we thought he was an evangelist. At one point a local (we assume) asked him to stop, but the man talked him down and continued. We gradually worked out that he was a snake-oil salesperson, scaring the passengers into buying bee pollen powder that you hold in your hands to prevent arthritis. Although we couldn’t understand him, the hard sales tactics were clear (scary pictures, pressuring people into paying, not taking back his distributed “samples” without payment). Sadly, the majority of people bought his expensive “cure”. The shouting lasted for an incredible hour and a half. Sally refused to let Craig have the phrasebook so he could try out some interesting new phrases! We later found out that this is common - time to start taking ear plugs on day busses!

We enjoyed relaxing for our next couple of days in Arequipa. We were in need of a rest, so we just spent the time catching up on little jobs and wandering around the downtown area. The hostel (Sol de Oro) was a great chill-out spot, with a large sunny terrace, a delicious breakfast and even an enclosed Astroturf!

Sadly we don’t have much longer in Peru. We will spend just a day in Huacachina (a desert oasis) to go sandboarding and dune buggying, followed by a couple of days in Lima. Thanks for all your comments, we’ve enjoyed reading them :-)

Comments from WordPress

• Lesley 2012-07-08T20:52:21Z

  Glad you found the oasis and water supply :) Oh and a patch of astroturf for the frisbee…Lucky. xox

• Arequipa & The Colca Canyon: On A Budget | Like A Backpacker 2013-09-22T22:46:29Z

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Written by Craig Drayton and Sally Robertson