With a depth of about 3300 meters, the Colca Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the world – twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Inhabited since pre-Inca times by people of the Collagua and Cabana cultures, the canyon remains vibrant with the indigenous people who still call the Canyon home, and maintain their cultural traditional practices as evidenced by the beautiful stepped terraces called andenes prevalent around the valley. This travel guide will highlight my experience trekking the Colca Canyon on a 2 day guided tour; but I will also will highlight alternative ways one can visit the canyon from alternate trekking options to easy day tours from Arequipa.
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Content:
- Review of the 2 day 1 night guided trek of the Colca Canyon
- Is it worth it to do a guided trek?
- Packing list for trekking the Colca Canyon
- Visit the Colca Canyon without any hiking
- Final thoughts on Visiting the Colca Canyon
Review of the 2 day 1 night guided trek of the Colca Canyon:
Day 1: Distance hiked: 15KM. Elevation loss: approximately -1000m
Degree of Difficulty: 8 out of 10
After visiting the beautiful city of Arequipa, I set off on a 2 day 1 night trek of the Colca Canyon. Overall, this is one of the most challenging trekking options you can choose for the Colca Canyon. On day 1 you’ll be picked up between 3am – 3:30am at your hotel in Arequipa, and be taken to the town of Chivay to have breakfast. At 3000m above sea-level you may be already feeling the effects of altitude at this point. You’ll likely have baskets of Coca leaves offered to you at breakfast. The traditional way to take Coca leaves is take 2-3 leaves, roll them up and stick the small roll in your mouth between your cheek and gums – and let the Coca leaves slowly do their work. After breakfast you’ll be taken to the Cruz del Condor viewpoint to watch the condors soar around the canyon on thermal waves. You’ll start the trek around 9am, and descend into the canyon for around 3-4 hours (average hiking time) to the town of San Juan where lunch will be served.
After lunch, you’ll continue descending down into the canyon to the town of Sangalle – where you’ll stay overnight at a beautiful resort at the bottom of the canyon complete with a pool and artificial waterfall that looks like a surreal piece of heaven after a hot day of hiking 15KM in the blazing sun. Dinner is included and accommodations include washrooms and showers.
While the hike on day 1 is net downhill, this can actually be quite challenging for those with knee or joint issues. The trail also has many sections of loose rock or gravel – which combined with the downhill element of the day can also create greater risk of falling.
One of the most challenging elements of day 1 is that most of the hike takes place on a trail with little cover from the blazing hot sun. It’s important to bring at least 2 litres of water. I would strongly recommend bringing a water bladder so you can drink frequently without having to take your pack on and off to do so. Hiking poles will also be very helpful.
Day 2: Distance hiked 8KM. Elevation gain approximately 1000m.
Degree of Difficulty: 9 out of 10.
Day two begins before the sun rises at 5am in the morning. The big feature of day 2 is the roughly 1000 meters of elevation gain that you’ll cover in the morning to the town of Cabanaconde. It will take most hikers roughly 3-4 hours to cover this challenging climb.
One of the beautiful things about day 2 is watching the sun rise over the canyon. The hike starts incredibly early so you can avoid most of the day’s heat before the sun rises. Headlamps would be helpful in the pre-dawn hours. After the hike is complete, your hiking group will be taken to have breakfast in town. The bus will then start driving back to Arequipa. Along the way, the group will stop for a buffet lunch (optional, extra charge – recommended) as well as an optional stop at some hot springs. Entry is 15 sols, highly recommended and well-worth it after such an intense hike.
The bus will also stop at various view points along the way back to Arequipa. Watch out for herds of Vicuna and other wildlife native to the Canyon on the drive back.
Overall, I would recommend the 2 day 1 night Colca Canyon trek for experienced hikers who have had some experience hiking mountainous terrain and can handle hiking at altitudes of 1000 – 2000 meters. If you’re not an experienced hiker but would still like to trek the Colca Canyon – consider doing the 3 day 2 night Colca Canyon Trek – which follows the same route as the 2 day trek, but stops for an additional night in San Juan (the lunch stop for the 2 day trek). The extra day helps to break up the 15KM that is usually covered in just 1 day on the 2 day trek. Day 3 of the 3 day trek is still the same as the last day of the 2 day trek – which involves the 1000m climb from Oasis de Sangalle up to Cabanaconde.
Is it worth it to do a guided trek of the Colca Canyon?
In my opinion, hiking the Colca Canyon on a guided trek is the best way to go. Some people opt to hike in the Colca Canyon on their own – however, their savings is minimal. The two day guided Colca Canyon trek costs approximately $67USD (Spring 2023 prices) and includes 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner as well as accommodations in the Oasis de Sangalle. You would be hard-pressed to do the trek on your own for less than the cost of a guided tour.
A guided tour also includes a tour guide who knows the route, can point out interesting things to see along the way; and also can get help in case you are unable to hike or get injured. A lot of people underestimate how challenging the trek will be. I would say for every 10 people I talked to about their experience trekking the Colca Canyon, 2-3 people needed additional help – such as hiring a mule to get them out of the canyon, or first aid for injuries. A guide would know how to get you this kind of help quickly. If you were by yourself, this could be a lot more challenging.
Another reason to go with a guided trek, is for way-finding and safety. While the Colca Canyon trek is fairly straightforward, there is not a lot of signage, and it can be quite easy to get lost. Unfortunately, there have been hikers who have disappeared trekking the Colca Canyon on their own.
If you’re considering trekking the Colca Canyon trek, I would strongly recommend going with a guided trek. Not only are there a lot of extras taken care of – such transportation to and from the trail, and getting you to attractions along the way such as the Cruz de Condor, and hot springs after the hike; the guided tour also is a much safer option for roughly the same price as what it would likely cost you to trek on your own.
Packing list for trekking the Colca Canyon:
- Sturdy hiking boots ideally with ankle support. I use and love Saloman’s Quest 4D hiking boots (women/men) – they are considered some of the best in the market.
- 20 – 30L hiking backpack. The Osprey Talon is one of the best hiking backpacks on the market. If you’re traveling light, consider this ultralight expandable 20L-30L backpack with lightweight back support and hip and chest straps – it also comes with a rain cover, is waterbladder compatible, and only weighs 1lbs.
- Hiking poles I use these tri-fold hiking poles that can fit into my daypack when not in use.
- 2L water bladder (highly recommended so you don’t have to reach back or take off your backpack to get a drink of water. You’ll want to hydrate often given the conditions.
- Headlamp – for the evenings and for trekking in the pre-dawn hours. I prefer using a rechargeable headlamp to avoid disposable batteries.
- Power bank. I used this one on various multiday hikes including 6 days on Kilimanjaro. Avoid powerbanks over 20000mAh for trips involving air-travel.
- Sunscreen. I love using La Roche Posay SPF 50 for Kids a super-powerful sunscreen that’s also gentler on my sensitive skin.
- Insect repellent – for the evenings. I prefer Icardin-based repellents – just as effective as Deet, but much safer.
- Brimmed hat or ballcap – very important to keep the blazing sun off your face
- Flip-flops or hiking sandals for showering and post-hike
- 2-3 T-shirts (depending on whether you do the 2 day trek or 3 day trek). I love Icebreaker Merino t-shirts (women/men)– as they dry quickly and resist odors even after multiple wears.
- 1 pair shorts (for hiking in the sun on day 1 – it will be super-hot)
- Lightweight towel
- Bar shampoo – I use this as my everything soap.
- 1-2 pairs of hiking socks. I use Icebreaker Merino socks (women/men), as they have a lifetime guarantee. If your socks ever develop holes, just send open a claim online with some photos, and Icebreaker will send you a giftcard for the value of the socks!
- 1 pair of convertible hiking pants (men/women) – useful for the climb back to Cabanaconde on the last day when it will likely be quite cool before the sun rises, but it will get quite warm once your body warms up from the climb and the sun starts to come out.
- 1 long sleeve shirt (for the evening)
- 1 hoody or mid-layer – if you’re hiking in the cooler months, you might need an extra layer to keep the chill off I the evenings
- 1 rainshell (just in case it rains, but it is also helpful for keeping the wind off in the evening, and also in the pre-dawn hiking hours. Consider these ultralight packable jackets (women/ men)
- Toque/beenie – in the predawn hours it will be chilly – it is useful to have a warm hat
- Silk sleep sack – the accommodations on the hike are lovely but they are rustic – I greatly appreciated having my silk sleep sack.
- $100 – $200USD in cash. You’ll likely not need this much cash, but it’s good to have this amount handy in case you need to hire a mule. You’ll also need some cash buy snacks and water along the way.
Visit the Colca Canyon without any Hiking:
If you’re not a hiker, there are many options for visiting the Colca Canyon without any hiking. There are both day trips and even multi-day tours of the Colca Canyon available that will not require any hiking. This well-reviewed day trip from Arequipa takes you to many points of interest in and around the Colca Canyon, including many of the stops visited on the Colca Canyon trek such as the Cruz del Condor, Abra Patapampa, the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve and the hot springs. There are even multi-day non-hiking sight-seeing tours that can be done from Arequipa. Such as this well-reviewed 2 day 1 night sightseeing tour – which again, visits many of the points of interest and attractions that you would see on the 2 day Colca Canyon trek.
Final thoughts on trekking the Colca Canyon:
Trekking the Colca Canyon is a beautiful and challenging experience. Along the way you’ll see immense natural beauty along with settlements of indigenous peoples who have lived in harmony with nature in the Canyon since time immemorial. Whether you’re up for a challenging 2 or 3 day trek down and back up this deep canyon; or you prefer to just do a day trip by bus with very little hiking – the Colca Canyon is an incredible destination that will leave a deep impression on your memories of Peru.