14-15/2/2012 - Colca Canyon

Happy Valentines day amigos!

Our early start ensured that despite the hairy bus journey I managed to get some sleep. We drove through thick fog, which didn't bode well for our trek, but I was fairly relieved that I couldn't see the ever-present sheer drop just a few meters to the side of the road. We passed the “Condor” viewpoint but the area was completely drowned in fog so we didn't bother getting off – I'm not sure there were many condors to be seen. Arriving in Cabanaconde and setting off was a little uninspiring – the cloud hung thick around the path and, although we knew there was a majestic canyon on our left, we couldn't see anything so there was little we could do except forge on along our misty route.

Slowly but surely we descended into the canyon and slowly but surely the cloud dispersed, treating us to a great view of the canyon spreading out below us. We snaked our way down the twisting path to the bottom where we paused for breath before continuing onto the first village on our route. Here we were greeted with offers of food and accommodation (we'd brought plenty to keep us going and it was only midday so we declined both) and also recommended a place to stay at the “Oasis” further along the trail - more on that later.

Our trek saw us saw us repeatedly climbing into and out of the canyon whilst taking in a variety of terrain (in one section the path was flanked by dry-stone walls and I could have sworn I was back in the English countryside) and passing through several more villages. Although the villages themselves weren't particularly picturesque, the spectacular setting more than made up for it and in one particular village the presence of a central square with a fairly sizeable church made me laugh at the colonial opulence which must have demanded its construction in this remote location.

 

After a few hours slog we got out first glimpse of the inviting “Oasis” and from afar it really did look idyllic – on a lush green plateau in the bottom of the canyon sat several perfect-blue swimming pools, each surrounded by a cloister of huts with bright red roofs and palm trees poking out between them. Too good to be true? We would soon see for ourselves.

As we again descended into the canyon and crossed the Colca river we lost sight of the swimming pools behind the foliage and were left walking up a windy path in the direction of where we'd last seen them. Eventually we stumbled on a swimming pool with a guy next to it offering us accommodation in the nearby huts (which unsurprisingly looked less inviting up close) but Jill had her heart set on finding the swimming pool which was “in all the pictures” so we headed on. Idyllic it may have been but well organised it was not so we quickly lost the path and were rambling through what seemed like back gardens in the direction of swimming pools we could see in the distance. 

Finally we caught sight of the one Jill was talking about but we were somehow in a dead-end garden and had to resort to a bit of fence climbing and roof-hopping to get to our prize; its just as well the whole Oasis seemed to be completely deserted. Although slightly puzzled by our unorthodox arrival, the man in charge of this particular pool and set of huts was happy enough to give us food and lodgings for a small fee and even started filling up the, currently empty, pool just for the 3 of us. As I took in our surroundings I became aware of just how big but also how eerily quiet this place was. There were around 30 huts all connected by lawns and stony paths on several terraces around the swimming pool but apart from us the place was completely empty. One could imagine that during high season the place would be filled with sun-baked tourists getting drunk and frolicking in this palm-shaded paradise, but right now, with a mild drizzle helping to fill up the pool and not a soul in sight, it felt like the opening scene to a bad horror film.

Despite the weather being less than favourable we felt obliged to have a swim in the pool which had been filled exclusively for our use and after a quick nap, ate a dinner of stodgy soup, rice and vegetables by candlelight (I spied the odd light-bulb hanging around the place but there seemed to be no electricity).We went to bed trying to freak each other out but slept surprisingly well in the extremely basic huts which nonetheless contained the most comfortable beds any of us had enjoyed in South America.

"Paradise"

We had all survived the night, so the next morning all that stood between us and our starting point of Cabanaconde was (according to the map) a winding 4 hour hike up and out of the canyon. We raced up the mountain-side, quickly putting a good distance between us and the creepy oasis down below and overtook a bunch of slower tour groups en route. Our lively pace meant we made it back to Cabanaconde just in time to catch the 9am bus back to Arequipa which nicely rounded off what had been an excellent 24 hours in Colca Canyon.

Back in Arequipa (initially with no electricity) I shared a goodbye drink with Dan and Jill - they would be jumping on a plane to Ecuador tomorrow and our paths would certainly not cross again for a good long while. They had been great companions and both had an infectiously positive attitude towards travelling which I loved. When I eventually head to Australia I'll definitely have to stop by in Wodonga.