Colca Canyon

Descend and ascend

By Thomas Feng

December 18^th, 2017

The Colca Canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and stretches for hundreds of kilometres. It is a three and a half hour drive from Arequipa to arrive in Chivay, the main tourist centre in the region.

After a pretty terrible breakfast of stale bread and jam, it was time to start the two day walk down to Sangalle. Having trekked Machu Picchu a couple of days before, my body was primed for another hike.

The strangest part about a canyon hike was the idea of climbing down before climbing up. It was something I'd never done before, but there was beauty in seeing the grand scale of the canyon from the beginning. It felt like we were being swallowed up by the mountains.

I raced down the mountain ahead of the group, my legs in rhythm and my eyes eager to see what appeared around the corner. Lizards stealthily glided in and out of the rocky terrain; a shrilling hummingbird's wings fluttered furiously as it sought its next meal; a mammoth set of rocky organ pipes descended down the cliff and towered over the path.

We descended for hours and hours in the soaring sun, the canyon road twisting and knotting onto itself as the knees became sore from the steep decline. As we approached Sangalle (the oasis town by the Colca river on the bottom), the sky turned grey in a sooty haze. Our guide Fernando showed us local ink plantations made from parasites, fig trees and muna, a cleansing herb similar to mint which helped with altitude and digestion.

At dinner, we played cards and drank ourselves a little silly from Arequipan beers. I was really fortunate with our group, everyone was laidback but also a little cheeky. Hearing Natalia and Dani's Australian accents were joyfully bogan after a fortnight deprived of strange Australian colloquialisms and cussing mannerisms.

Wake-up was 4.30am and my legs were covered in at least forty "no-see-em" bites. We began the hike back up at 4.45am. It was a precipitous two hour climb up 1400m back to the top of the canyon. I really disliked the early starts, but it meant you weren't walking up a steep incline in humid heat.

Rachel and Luis were in their element and smashed the walk in an hour and a half. Sam and I followed behind twenty minutes later. As we rewarded ourselves with a coffee, coca tea and Peruvian fruits, the others arrived.

It was 7am, and we had ascended to the top of the canyon. A dusty blanket of light began to cover the endless rolling mountains.

After celebratory breakfast, we headed to the hot springs where our muscles could relax. There was a precarious wooden bridge river crossing to jump into the pools, and we people-watched others struggling to cross for hours. A few hats fell victim into the river, but they were all salvaged by a brave Romain and Tabea.

From there we drove back towards Chivay, stopping by to try sancayo, a cactus fruit which is ten times more sour than kiwifruit, and to meet some llamas and alpacas. Sancayo was extremely sour and delicious! It was almost as sour as a lemon, but there was a satisfying sweet tang which made a world of difference.

Llamas and alpacas are both incredibly adorable, though llamas spit and alpacas are smaller. My favourite was a fluffy white alpaca which definitely needed a haircut. They were sheepishly happy with the greens I fed them.

This was a view of the rest of the valley and canyon from the same spot.

The next viewpoint was 5,100 metres above sea level and you could see the five volcanoes which surrounded Arequipa. It was breath-taking but shockingly cold and windy.

Apachetas, a small pile of rocks, line the desert terrain with people's hopes, dreams and atonements. They signify a deep connection to land and a profound respect for nature in Andean cultures.

The final stop was another field of llamas and alpacas before the long drive back to Arequipa. It was symbolic of the success of the Andean people in manipulating this rugged, arid terrain into productive, vibrant land.

The sheer depth and scale of the Colca Canyon was mind-blowing and it was fascinating to learn about Andean ways of life outside the vicinity of Machu Picchu.

I am extremely grateful for the friends I made along the way, as I was able to spend a week of quality time with them after the hike. No doubt I will see them again one day.