Hiking the Colca Canon

As mentionned in the last blog from earlier today (http://chrisgoessouthamerica.blogspot.com/2011/10/cusco-puno-high-altitude-training.html) we didn't have good internet connection the last few days, therefore we updated our blog not regularly. But today in Arequipa, we sit in the Casa de los Pinguinos and do our updates... outside is about 25 to 30 degrees, pretty hot! But back to the last week:
We stayed one night in the Patchamama hostal in Cabanaconde where we got an additional map of the Colca Canon with the paths you can hike and how long it takes approximately. Ready for it, we started next morning with direction of Llahuar (the other way what all tourist groups do).The GPS tracker traced most of the trail, but apparently the battery was not working at the end of day 3 / morning of day 4 so it misses the last path back to Cabanaconde, but ok..

Here you find the map!

So after 5 hours of hiking in the dry beauty of the canon, where a lot of cacti grow, but nothing else, we arrived the a lodge where we stayed the night. It's pretty basic: a wooden hut with a bed and (surprisingly) electric light. A cool shower can be taken and there is 2 hot pools (25 and 35 degree) close to the colca river. So we relaxed there and waited for dinner, before we went early to bed. The next day would be a bit tougher than the first one (descent of about 1200 meters only).

With pancakes as breakfast (06.00 am) we started with direction Llatica - Fure (about 2800 m) so we had to climb about 800m. Luckily, it's not too warm in the morning and the sun is not yet burning down, so we arrived in fure at 10.00, where we left our backpacks at a hostal and continued to the waterfall of Huacana (2 h there and back, additional 100 m up and down). After lunch, we continued up and down to the view point and further back to the colca river to the Oasis. The Oasis consists of 5 larger lodges where all tourists stop (they hike up from there to Cabanaconde, 1200 m uphill).

The next day, we continued our tour to Tapay (2900 m) where we planned to have lunch, but since this is not on the tourist trail, there is only few hostels and the only server dinner, no lunch. So we had to change the plan (we wanted to stay there till 15.00 to avoid the midday sun) and we walked back to the colca river. We stopped at a hostel, but nobody was there and we had to rearrange again... fortunately and incidentally, I met on the way down to the river, checking if there is other hostels in this "town", a lady with a dog and 2 donkeys. Fortunately because she hosts the Colca-garden hostel, which can not be found easily. She's very kind (we got lunch at 14.30) and we decided to spent the night there.
(Actually, at first it was a bit strange, following this lady down a little, narrow path, not knowing what to expect there... in TV stories sometimes end with: "and that was the last time where he was seen") ;-)
But it was actually a great evening at this hostel, we met a cool tourist group (guide, 1 Canadian, 1 Dutch, 1 Swiss) and we spent the evening talking at the campfire...
Our last day we started with breakfast at 05.00 with pancakes (btw. at the Oasis, you don't get breakfast at that time so the tourists have to start hiking without food...) and we hiked up to the top of the canon (1200 uphill) in about 2h 45minutes and we were not exhausted after :-) there was another group, but the looked very tired at the end of the trail :-)
In the afternoon, we went to see condors at the Cruz del Condor and we were lucky to see some pretty close (actually there is many of them)!

Last night in Pachamama with (actually really great wood-oven) pizza, we left Cabanaconde by public bus at 11.30. The bus was picking up people till it is "full". This means: people are standing in the aisle pairwise, hardly able to breathe, and nobody can move for or back anymore ;-) luckily, we had a seat but we were relieved when we left the bus at Chivay.
We spent some time in the hot-springs in Chivay to relax (around 38 degrees and a lot of sulfur that you can smell) and left the town next morning with another (full) bus with direction Arequipa where we are at the moment....

What's next? Chachani is planned for Monday (tomorrow) and then we'll see if we stay longer in Arequipa or if we head of to Bolivia...