Oh Peru! part 2: Hiking the Colca Canyon and Witnessing The Majestic Condors….

The Colca is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Of course we had to hike down into it!

From the village of Cobanaconde (pictured) it took us 3.5 hours to lick the 1200 meter descent to Sangalle (also known as the oasis- a tropical green village nestled deep inside the dry ravine of the Canyon) Words cannot describe the scenery….pictures may give you the slightest idea!

The top of the trail was touristy and swarming with exhausted trekkers nearing the end of their arduous climb back up from a night at the Oasis. We were fresh and on our way down and with big smiles we greeted each hiker….most replied through gritted teeth and painful grimaces as they neared the final leg of their tough ascent. One girl summed up our own trepidation about getting back up the following day (under her breath and with the perfect tinge of sarcasm) “..mmm..yeh…good morning to you too…and… good luck tomorrow….”  

The last hour down was tough as the path was steep, gravelly, dry and as the fresh dawn turned into mid morning with a rapidly rising sun, HOT.

We ignored the touristy mecca of Sangalle and it’s hostels, sparkling swimming pools carved from the side of boulders, lush grass and ‘Spanglish’ signage promising “drinks cold, food traditional and (my favourite) wifi he are” and pushed on down to the river itself.

Ha! bliss to stop and remove our shoes and dust-caked socks (well ok we removed everything to be honest and dived into the icy river to revive our aching bodies!) We soaked up our secluded, river-side retreat cradled by the sheer rock faces either side of the canyon, and discussed our next move. We were starting to falter on our original plan to do a 2 day circuit as the descent had been brutal and we had a further 4 hour traverse ahead of us before a 1300m ascent the following day.

Despite nearly caving in to the temptations of the Oasis, we cautiously asked directions for the path to San Juan de Chucco…. A lovely English hiker eyed the kids doubtfully and asked us several times “are you sure you wanna do that?”

Heading into the heat of the day we were not sure at all…. and as I slipped into a deep mud hole just out of Sangalle, my squelchy, thick-goo covered foot nearly turned us around yet again. But we trudged (and squelched) on… 

After crossing the river we had a seemingly endless and steep ascent in the midday sun to get to the path that traversed along the edge of the near vertical canyon. To look at the sides of this massive ravine, you cant help but marvel at the way the paths (and even a road and an ingenious aqueduct system!) are carved into this rock. We started cautiously eyeing the other side, knowing that would be our path up the following day. We couldn’t see the trail and, from that angle- it looked virtually impossible to ascend.

We finally arrived at the village of San Juan De Chucco and ‘La Casa De Gloria’ our hostel for the night. We settled into two very basic rooms (no power or hot water but a great view and a meal of soup, vegetables and alpaca all cooked by Gloria and her family on a wood-fired stove in an open kitchen) We rested our screaming muscles and worried about the climb up the following day. A couple of other hikers told us it wasn’t so bad but I noted that they had come down that path and so I wasn’t quite sure they were qualified to comment on the ascent…

We were up at 4am and on the trail by 4.30am determined to get as far as possible back up before the heat of the sun hit the side of the canyon. Jaiya freaked me out by slipping into the aqueduct in the dark…I was just behind her and saw her slip and my first thought was that she had slipped off the side but she scrambled out with cold, wet legs and saturated fleece pants, socks and shoes. Not a good start!

The steep path of switchbacks and sheer cliff traverses wound its way up the near vertical face. We plodded our way up and after 4 hours of dusty, taxing, uphill hiking, exhausted but exhilarated, we finally reached the top of the canyon. Our wonderful guide Coco surprised us at the top and saved us a further half hour walk back to the village (bless him- he had waited, watching the path for us for 2 hours!)   

We are in constant awe of our two children and their limitless ability to adapt and accomplish feats that most people would not think an 8 and an 11 year old are capable of. With a 5.30am start, they walked for 7 hours solid including a 1200m descent, a 250m ascent and then another 250m descent onto San Juan. Day 2 was a 4am wake up and a 1300m ascent! Kids are made to walk. They just get into a zone…We all struggled at various times in this hike and half way up Jaiya started really lagging. It was Kai who grabbed her by the hand and coaxed her up the steep, loose shale switchbacks! We tell stories, dream, plan and talk about just about anything as we walk and it really helps to stay pre-occupied from aching leg muscles.

We piled into Coco’s car on route to our one decadent stay of the trip…a luxury, French owned lodge with its own private hot springs! We planned to stop at a lookout for viewing the legendry Condors but Coco warned us that it would be crawling with crowds of tourists and we may not get a good view. Luckily, a few km from the lookout on a deserted stretch of road, Coco pulls over excitedly and we see a massive vulture approaching the roadside. As we got out of the car it glided within a meter of our heads and a second and third bird followed- magic!

The Andean condor has an average wingspan of 2m with a maximum of 3.2m. It is second only to the wandering albatross (up to 3.5 m) in terms of wingspan among all living flying birds. We watched in awe as these 3 graceful birds with their imposing presence cruised the canyon edge. With distinct head movements they searched for carrion on the slopes below…

The condor can live for up to 80 years and a female bird only lays 1 egg every 2 years. A threatened species, they are protected by the Peruvian government and their numbers are thankfully slowly starting to increase.

5km further along the winding road that hugs the Colca, we found the ‘Condor’s Cross’ lookout swarming with hundreds of tourists herded from the many large, air conditioned coaches parked along the roadside…. Although there were condors soaring there too, they were hard to see, at a distance and without the impact of size and stature that we had experienced at such close quarters. We tried not to look smug as we hit the road again, feeling blessed by our private viewing of these magnificent creatures. A thrilling end to our two day hike…..

Stay tuned for our next post: Hot Springs, Hummingbirds and a Head On Collision with Altitude Sickness!