Arequipa & Colca Canyon

We arrived in Arequipa after a 12 hour night bus yet still on a high from the great time we had had in Huacachina. We were pretty tired so decided to check into our hostel (which was really nice) and get some supplies. Unfortunately when we got back to the hostel Joe collapsed into bed and didn't get up for 4 days - a stomach bug picked up from some dodgy food somewhere.

However, after a trip to the clinic and some expensive antibiotics he was back on the road to recovery and we were looking forward to exploring Arequipa and taking a trekking trip into the Colca Canyon. Arequipa was a really nice city and we enjoyed spending time walking in the Plaza de Armas, Jerusalem, and San Francisco.

On our 6th day in Arequipa we were up at 3.30am for our trip into the Colca Canyon. This was one of the highlights of the whole trip. On day 1 we passed through Chivay on our way to Cruz del Condor and Cabanaconde. After lunch, it was from Cabanaconde that we set off trekking into the canyon. It was a four and a half hour descent which was tough going on the knees but the views made up for the pain - they were spectacular! We finally arrived at our destination - a tiny little village deep in the bottom of the canyon - this was our biggest culture shock yet!

Day 2 started bright and early with some lovely pancakes served up by our guide, Victor. We then made our way through two more small villages, which included a tour of a museum (we use the term 'museum' in it's loosest sense). Throughout day 2 Victor also explained all the different types of plants, their medicinal properties, and how the locals use them. Our favourite was the 'white trumpet' which supposedly provides hallucinagenic affects for up to three days!

By the end of day 2 we had arrived in Paradise, literally. At the bottom of the canyon was a lush oasis with palm trees, a pool, and some interesting bamboo huts to sleep in! After diving straight into the pool we spent the afternoon fishing for trout in the river.

Day 3 was a hard slog back out of the canyon to Cabanaconde. Fortunately we were up at 5.30am and managed to avoid most of the sun's heat. Joe came within a whisker of the tourist record as he steamed up 6km of near vertical mountain in 1 hour 40 mins (the record was 1 hour 23mins). Jen followed 20mins later after a sprint finish to ensure that she beat the donkeys! Tired from 21km of walking over the last three days we finished the tour with a visit to the hot springs in Chivay followed by a brilliant buffet lunch.

We arrived back in Arequipa at around 6.00pm and relaxed prior to our journey to Puno and Lake Titicaca the following day.