Trek into the Colca Canyon, one of the world’s deepest, on this 2-day adventure from Arequipa. Watch condors soar at the Cruz del Condor, descend to the Colca River, overnight at the palm-fringed Sangalle oasis, and climb back out past traditional villages and hot springs.
Suitable for all ages.
The descent is long, the ascent is the real challenge. From Cabanaconde at 3,287 m you drop more than a thousand metres over about three hours to the Colca River and the Sangalle oasis, on a steep dusty path with loose footing, which is hard on the knees rather than the lungs. The climb back starts at 05:00 in the dark and takes roughly three hours of continuous uphill. No technical skill is needed, but it is a genuine trek and not a walk.
You take a mule. They are hired on the spot at the oasis for around S/ 80, paid in cash to the local families who own them, and they carry you most of the way up to Cabanaconde. If someone struggles partway through any section, the group continues with the guide while that person rests somewhere safe and comfortable, or is brought out by vehicle if it comes to that. Nobody is left to push on alone.
Included: hotel pickup in Arequipa, round-trip transport, your bilingual guide, two breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner, the night at the Paradise Palm Lodge in the Sangalle oasis, and the hot springs at the oasis itself. Not included: the Colca tourist ticket at S/ 70 for foreign visitors, the La Calera hot springs at S/ 15, the last lunch in Chivay at S/ 35, mule hire at S/ 80 if you want it, and personal travel insurance.
Travel light, since you carry your own daypack down and up. Bring a head torch for the 05:00 ascent, shoes with real grip for the loose descent, layers for a canyon that is cold at dawn and hot by mid-morning, at least two litres of water, sun protection, a swimsuit for the oasis pool and the hot springs, and cash in soles for everything on the not-included list. Leave the rest of your luggage at your hotel in Arequipa.
Two days packs the same canyon into a tighter schedule: down on day one, up on day two. The three-day version breaks the descent with a night in San Juan de Chuccho, gives you a full afternoon at the oasis instead of an evening, and makes the whole thing considerably less punishing. If you trek regularly, two days is fine. If you do not, the extra day is money well spent.
