The Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world - in fact, it’s twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. For a canyon that sits high up in the Andes mountains… that’s pretty impressive!
Whether you’re visiting to seek out the giant Andean Condors, or embarking on one of its famous trekking routes - the chances are, if you’re visiting Arequipa, then the Colca Canyon will be on your itinerary.
After researching a number of tours, hikes and day trips, we decided to challenge ourselves with a two-day, one-night Colca Canyon guided trek.
We have curated this guide to inform you on everything that we learnt during our trek, as well as some additional information for those who are undecided, or simply don’t know where to start!
How can I visit the Colca Canyon?
The Colca Canyon is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Peru and there are a number of ways that tourists can visit, including:
- A one-day excursion from Arequipa - tours often include transport to the Colca Canyon, Condor spotting at the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, and finishing off with a relaxing soak in the Chacapi hot springs. It is perfect for those wanting to spend the day eyeing up the beautiful landscapes that the canyon has to offer, without breaking a sweat.
- A two-day, one-night guided trek - this trek seems to be the most popular option amongst those who choose to hike the canyon, and is the trek that we opted for. We purchased our trek with Get Your Guide, however, there are many travel companies and hostels that offer package deals.
- A three-day, two-night guided trek - this trek follows the same routes as the two-day, one-night trek… but over a course of three days.
If you’re a keen hiker, and would prefer to hike without being in a group of people, then there are also options to hike without a guide. We recommend reading this blog post to find out more information.
What is the difference between the two-day, one-night trek and the three-day, two-night trek?
For the three-day, two-night trek, you will spend the first day hiking down the canyon until you reach base camp. The second day is spent hiking across steady inclines, flat surfaces and down hill, until you reach another base camp. On the final day, you will start your ascent to the top of the canyon. It’s a great option for those wanting to pace themselves.
As for the two-day, one-night trek, the first day is spent hiking down and across the canyon for over 6 hours (this is spread across two days on the three-day trek) until you reach base camp. The second day is spent hiking to the top of the canyon.
Now we’re not pro-hikers by any means, but we do suggest that a decent fitness level is needed, especially for the two-day hike (more on that later!) This does also mean that the two-day, one-night trek is incredibly intense, with little room for rest.
The second distinction between these two trekking options is the significant difference in cost. Despite both treks following the same route and itinerary, the two-day trek is priced at almost half the cost of the three-day trek. This is because of the additional expenses of an extra night in accommodation, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner.
On the topic of costs, it’s also important to note that both tours include transport to and from the Colca Canyon, meals, and accommodation. What it does NOT include is cost of entry to the park, cost of entry to the hot springs, and a meal once you have completed your Colca Canyon trek. These things will have to paid for in addition to your booking.
As we were travelling on a budget, we decided that the two-day, one-night trek was the best option for us.
An overview of our two-day, one-night trek with Get Your Guide
DAY 1:
With a very early start to the day, we were picked up from our Airbnb at 4am. After a 2 hour drive, our group stopped off in Chivay, a local village, for breakfast.
We then drove for an another hour, until we reached the entrance to the Colca Village. We had to pay for our entry in cash, which cost us a total of 140 PEN (70 PEN each).
Our driver took us straight to the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, where we lucky enough to spot two Condor’s. Our guides warned us that there was very little chance of spotting them, so we felt extremely lucky!
With a satisfying start, we were finally taken to meet our guide and began our descent. Three fatiguing hours and a few bruises later, we made it to the bottom of the canyon, where we crossed the bridge and had a short snack break!
We then walked a further 20 minutes or so, until we arrived in the small town of San Juan de Chuccho, where we enjoyed a well-deserved lunch. We fed our hungry bellies with quinoa soup, followed by alpaca with rice and avocado.
Post-lunch, we were all tired and had to find the motivation to hit the road again. However, this section of the hike was much easier because it had a variety of uphill, flat and downhill paths. At times, there were some steep uphill climbs, but it was perfectly manageable for us!
3 hours later, we arrived in Sangalle, our oasis base camp for the night. We were extremely happy to see the pool, although we all turned in early for the night because… well… we were shattered!
DAY 2
Another early morning start, which was tough! All guided tours tend to start at 4am on the second day, however we can assure you that your body will feel awake within 10 minutes of the hike. It’s also completely dark outside, so being extra prepared with a head torch isn’t a bad idea!
The hike really is onwards and upwards from the moment that you set off.
After the first hour, our guide allowed our group to go in front, so that we could hike the canyon at our own pace.
Despite feeling exhausted, we both felt that the first 2 hours were generally ok. Don’t get us wrong, the inclines were steep and it felt like we were climbing an infinite amount of stairs. But at some point our legs became numb, and we just got on with it.
It was the last hour that really hit Leanne.
Each step felt painful and the altitude began to have an impact on her energy - the base camp at the bottom of the canyon already stands at 2,100m, so climbing an additional 1000m is absolutely exhausting!
After completing the trek (hurrah!), we were whisked away to breakfast, where we were served the classic scrambled egg and bread rolls. It’s safe to say, that we absolutely devoured that breakfast.
We were then picked up by our driver, who took us to the hot springs. Entry cost 15 PEN per person, and we can safely say that it was the best 15 PEN that we have ever spent. Our sore muscles couldn’t have been happier!
Hobbling back onto the bus, our group were taken to a buffet lunch. Now this meal is NOT covered in the trip, meaning that you will have to pay for this.
If we’re being completely honest, we weren’t in the mood for this stop over - we just wanted to get back to our Airbnb in Arequipa. However, with our sensible heads on, we decided to eat anyway, because our body definitely needed it.
Once everyone’s bellies were full, we were then driven back to Arequipa, where we were dropped near the Plaza De Armas .
In all honesty, you’ll probably spend the rest of the evening eating take out food in bed (we ordered a Papa Johns).
How much did we pay for the excursion?
We booked our tour with Get Your Guide, which cost us 392.87 PEN (£82) per person. This covered our transport, meals, and accommodation.
Additionally, we paid an extra 70 PEN (£14) per person for our entry to the park, and 15 PEN (£3) per person for our tickets to the hot springs.
We also took some extra cash with us, which we ended up needing for the lunch buffet on the final day.
While the excursion is a little pricer than the average day trip, we thought that it was worth every penny.
How difficult is the Colca Canyon trek?
After doing some research and watching a few YouTube videos of people climbing the Colca Canyon, there was always one thing that stood out to us. Every single person in those videos claimed that it was one of the hardest hikes they’ve ever done.
If we’re being totally honest, we were both a bag of nerves.
We like to think of ourselves as relatively fit people and we love going for walks - but we are not avid hikers.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that we both found it tough for different reasons.
Of course, we crossed paths with other people who found the hike relatively easy, but for the most part, the majority found it to be a challenge.
For Will, it was the gruelling 3 hour descent and walk to base camp on the first day. The path was extremely rocky, so we were constantly having to watch our step - one foot out of line and falling on your bum was almost guaranteed .
It also meant that our legs were bearing our weight, which soon became uncomfortable.
Leanne, on the other hand, found the 1000 metres uphill climb on the second day to be the most challenging.
In fact, 3-hours into the hike (and 10 minutes away from finishing) it all became a bit too much.
Leanne cried and wanted to give up. It was partly because of the altitude, but it was also because her legs couldn’t face another rocky step.
After a quick pep talk and deciding on our reward (a pizza), we finally reached the top, and felt a great sense of achievement.
Having now completed the hike, we both feel that those wanting to take on the challenge should be sensible.
You don’t have to be an extremely fit person to climb the Colca Canyon, but you should take into account that the 2-day trek will be more intense.
If you are a little worried about not being able to climb all the way to the top, or think that there’s a chance that you will get tired, then there are donkey rides available, who will do the hard work for you.
Our packing list for a 2-day, 1-night trek
We highly recommend leaving your big travel backpack at your hotel / hostel. There’s absolutely no need to carry all of that extra baggage - the hike is already tiring as it is!
Instead, we recommend bringing a day backpack instead! Here is everything that we brought along with us for our Colca Canyon Trek.
- 1 x hiking trousers (these will come in handy for the 4am start on the second day!)
- 1 x hiking shorts
- 1 x hiking vest
- 1 x hiking t-shirt
- 1 x hiking socks
- 1 x cap
- 1 x swim wear
- 1 x sleep wear
- 1 x underwear
- 1 x jumper / fleece - it can get chilly in the evening!
- Basic toiletries
- 1 x toilet roll
- First aid kit
- Head torch
- Cable adapter and charger
- Battery pack for your phone
- A refillable water bottle + an extra 1 litre of water
- Lots of snacks! We brought breakfast bars, and biscuits for fuel.
Useful tips and what we learnt from hiking the Canyon
Go at your own pace - honestly, we can’t stress enough how important this is! In a group environment, the pressure to keep up is always in the back of your mind. But it’s important to remember that every human is different. The hike is extremely tiring, so you should aim to conserve every bit of energy. It’s also important for injury purposes. On our first day, the path was extremely rocky, so we decided to take it slow. We were with another couple, who for some reason, thought it was a race. They HAD to be in front, and whenever we caught up with them, they would practically run. What was the result in their stupidity? Well, they fell over… a lot. One of them even injured themselves. We think that they were partly doing it out of competitiveness, but also from a lack of research (the guy was wearing skater shoes for heaven's sake). In the end, they decided to pay for a donkey to take them to the base camp… and up the canyon the next day. Guess we had the last laugh really.
Acclimatise to the Altitude beforehand - if you’ve already been travelling across the Andes, then the chances are, you will already be acclimatised. But let’s be honest, acclimatised or not, it doesn’t get any easier. The base camp at the bottom of the canyon already stands 2,100m above sea level, and you’re expected to climb more than 1,000m uphill on the second day. Acclimatising beforehand means that there is less of a chance of getting altitude sickness, and avoiding those awful headaches. If you are new to the altitude, then we recommend at least giving yourself a week to adjust.
Bring extra cash - important for those toilet breaks (most toilet stops will charge a small fee to use them). Cash will also come in handy when you want to treat yourselves to a well deserved beverage at the end of the hike.
If you are offered a walking stick from your guide, take it - this will ease the pressure on your legs.
But most importantly…
Don’t forget to stop every once in a while to soak up the breathtaking views. People are so focused on the hike itself, that they forget to enjoy the canyon and all its glory.
Trust us, you don’t want to miss the canyon’s glimmer during sunrise. It’s golden.
We hope this guide has helped those who are thinking of trekking the Colca Canyon. If you have any further thoughts / questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. We’d be happy to help!
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