Our next destination after the jungle was Colca Canyon.  Colca Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the world, with a depth of 10,725 ft (3,270 m), more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. To get there from the jungle we took an overnight bus from Puerto Maldonado to Arequipa, and from Arequipa another 4.5 hour bus ride to the small town of Cabanaconde, which sits at the entrance to the Canyon. We noted that the online bus companies didn’t offer routes from Puerto Maldonado to Arequipa – we had to go directly to the bus station to find a company that did so.  If you choose this route, be sure to bring snacks with you, for the entire journey is just shy of 24 hours.

Upon arrival in Cabanaconde, we stayed at a hostel very close to the entrance of the path to the canyon, named La Casa Santiago.  The hostels don’t have heat, and the nights are VERY cold, so make sure you have warm clothes to wear to bed, for you’ll need them!  This particular hostel was basic but pretty clean and has an amazing view of the mountains / canyon.  Since we were worn out from traveling so much, we decided to stay in town 2 nights before taking the trail down to the oasis at the bottom of the canyon. Because this hostel was so cold at night and didn’t have wifi, the following night we moved to another hostel which sits right on the main plaza and had wifi and slightly warmer rooms, although it also didn’t have heating, but was warmer than the previous hostel. (Unfortunately we cannot remember the name of the hostel and can’t locate it online) It was also attached to a restaurant, which was convenient for the dining options aren’t many in this town.

The hike into the canyon passes through a few small villages, with the main attraction being an “oasis” named Sangalle at the very bottom with a few resorts with swimming pools.  We chose to hike solo without a guide, and started at the San Juan de Chuccho entrance at 6:00am in the morning and hiked all the way to Sangalle, arriving there at ~1:30pm.  Key things to note about the hike:  

Although the first 3 hours is downhill, once you cross the bridge and reach the other side of the canyon, you have a series of rather steep hills to climb – if you’re in great shape it’s no problem;  moderate shape – somewhat challenging; not in shape – extremely challenging.  

Be sure to bring sunscreen and protective clothing for there isn’t much shade.  

Pack lightly but bring water and snacks, for you’ll need it.  

The trail can be somewhat difficult to follow once you cross the bridge, so be sure to check with locals on the correct way to go as you travel through the towns.  

Make sure you take plenty of cash, for there are no ATM machines in Sangalle, for its quite remote, and all supplies are brought in by mule.

Be sure you’re acclimated to the altitude before beginning the trek.

The hike is long and grueling at times but full of wonderful sights. Upon arrival at Sangalle, we checked into our room at a hostel named Paraiso.  Extremely basic accommodation – a bed on a concrete slab, with concrete cinder block walls and a thatched roof.  It wasn’t an airtight room either, so we were very exposed to the elements, which made for a bitterly cold nights rest for it dropped below freezing.  (You sleep in all of your clothes underneath some pretty warm blankets, so the only thing that’s cold really is your face).  Not sure how clean the sheets and blankets were either, but nevertheless we toughed it out.  It seems the locals there aren’t well-versed in foreigners expectations for “hospitality,” for it took close to 2 hours for them to serve us lunch once we arrived (and we were starving), and they sat in front of us and ate chicken and rice first, then once they finished they prepared a different, less appetizing meal for us.  It was the rudest experience of the trip.  The meals were basic – barely enough to fill you up, and a bit overpriced for the quality.  The pool was pretty nice, but in retrospect arriving in the afternoon, spending a few hours at the pool relaxing, going to bed early after dinner and leaving first thing in the morning was the best call (which is exactly what we did).  I wouldn’t want to spend more than a day in Sangelle, not unless some of the other lodges had better experiences.  If you’re on a tight schedule and budget, we strongly recommend taking 2 days for the trek – one day to reach Sangelle, the 2nd day hiking out of the canyon back to Cabanaconde.  

We were up at 5am the next morning, and on the path out of the canyon by 5:45am, headlamps illuminated to light our path.  As the sun came up and brightened the valley, we stopped numerous times to catch our breaths and take in the view, especially behind us, as the oasis slowly but surely became smaller and smaller.  The hike up and out consists of nothing but cutbacks for the most part, and took us 3.5 hours to complete. There were several hikers (in very good shape) that passed us along the way and completed it likely under 3 hours. There were also a number of people that hired mules and rode up the trail instead of hiking – not sure how much that costs, but it’s probably worth it if you’re not up for a very challenging, demanding hike!