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Colca Canyon trek–how to navigate Peru's epic canyon independently

Colca Canyon in southern Peru is the second deepest canyon in the world, twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, but still manageable to walk down and back up in a day, as long as you’re pretty fit. The scenery around Colca Canyon is truly stunning, layer upon layer of mountains are visible as far as the eye can see, snow-capped peaks stand tall in the distance, and huge condors glide seamlessly above.

layers of beautiful mountains as seen during the colca canyon trek in peru
The peaks and valleys surrounding Colca Canyon

Organized tours to Colca Canyon start and end in Arequipa, meaning a very early start and over eight hours in a car or truck. During my four months in South America, I started to enjoy trekking independently, so my friend and I decided to do it without a tour. After spending a few days exploring Arequipa, we took a local bus from Terminal Terrestre station to a small town called Cabanaconde, the journey took around five and a half hours and cost 17 soles (roughly $6) each. We found out that around five buses are departing daily.

Cabanaconde is one of the last villages of the Colca Valley, it’s a really traditional place with only 3000 people living there, all working mostly in agriculture. Because most tourists take pre-organized tours, this village remains mostly tourist-free, making it a nicer experience to visit without the crowds. We stayed in the village for two nights in a basic but cozy hotel called Majestic Colca. We found it when we arrived, but there are plenty more options in and around the area for as little as $14 per night.


corn fields with mountains in the distance during the colca canyon trek in peru
Corn fields surround Cabanaconde village during our Colca Canyon trek

The Colca Canyon trek

After breakfast on the morning of the trek, we headed to a start point of the route we had decided to take, signposted from Cabanaconde village. It was a grey, slightly misty day, but as soon as we started walking, the mist began to clear, revealing incredible rolling mountains. The well-worn route led to an oasis at the bottom of the canyon called Sangalle, and I managed to do the whole trek wearing flip-flops. Since I was traveling for a long time (one year), I didn’t have an abundance of shoes or trainers to trek in, and I didn't want to do it in Converse for fear of rolling my ankle, so I followed the local's lead and opted for my flip flops like them. Reflecting, I probably wouldn’t do it in flip-flops again now I'm older and wiser, but it worked at the time. Heading down took around two hours, while the climb back up was slightly longer, and we, of course, stopped at the pool at the bottom of the canyon for a few hours to eat, drink, and swim.

A blue swimming pool in the bottom of Peru's Colca Canyon as seen when doing the Colca Canyon trek
The pool at Sangalle in Colca Canyon 

On the day of our trek, we passed a few other people, but not too many, we saw farmers working on the mountains, and occasionally, one would pass by with a donkey, offering a ride back up. Climbing back up the canyon was steep and hard but perhaps slightly easier than going down, and the views throughout the whole walk were amazing. As we reached the top, tired and aching, it began to rain, the sky turned completely gray, and we raced back to our hotel for pasta and a huge bottle of Arequipeña beer. The Colca Canyon trek is one I’d highly recommend doing solo.

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