Colca Canyon trek in Peru - one of the BEST HIKES in the world.

Why? Lonely Planet travel guide 2007 Footprint travel guide 2005 Amazon 160x600 " Peru"	World > South America > Central Andes > Peru > Colca Canyon One of the best hikes in the world is the Colca Canyon Trek Cañón del Colca (Spanish) Andagua (5 day long trek) A trip to Colca Canyon is recommended for all hikers, regardless of ability and experience. It offers superb day hiking and immensely popular 2-day trips. Hard core hikers will love a unique 5-day option descending into the canyon then climbing up over a snowy 5100m (16,732ft) pass to the remote and rarely visited Valley of the Volcanos — weird cones & lava formations! WHY WE LIKE THIS HIKE PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world plunge into one of the deepest canyons in the world see families of condors, from above! visit a lush river oasis with swimming pools! soak in riverside hotsprings accommodation in huts or bring a tent easy access from Arequipa, our favourite city in Peru fantastic weather good mountain biking and day hiking along the rim Colca Canyon is close to the Misti Volcano trek travel Peru for as little as US$20 / day ... add a comment here photo - i-NEEDtoKnow.com CONSIDERATIONS These hikes are unregulated. Don't look for park rangers or rescue services. You are on your own if you hike independently. ascents are steep, hot & hard on the knees descents are even worse these hikes even without a pack are challenging despite what they tell you in Arequipa altitude sickness is a concern, the trailhead at Cabanaconde is at 3287m (10,784ft) for acclimatization Cuzco 3326m (10,912ft) is better than Arequipa 2230m (7316ft) dehydration & sunburn are common problems there are long sections with no available water scorpions, perhaps snakes, on the trail local people sometimes blockade the highway, unhappy that they are not benefiting enough from tourists the most popular short hikes are relatively safe, but ... the 5-day trek to Andagua is difficult & can be dangerous speaking Spanish is valuable for the 5-day trek. But you can get away with English on the shorter trips. ... add a comment here LOGISTICS There are dozens of good possibilities for trekking in this awesome region. We recommend 3 excellent options: 1) 5-day trek (difficult & dangerous, 5100m pass) 2) 2-day hike (difficult) 3) day hiking (easy) Most hikers do one of the standard 2-day treks with one night at the Oasis at the bottom of the canyon. It's a great trip! Everyone enjoys it. If you have time, spend an extra night at the Oasis — it's a wonderful place. A good alternative to the Oasis is a 2-day route with one night at the Lahuar hot springs. Check the options when you get to Arequipa. Walking (or biking) the rim of the canyon is the best dayhiking choice. It is too far down to the river to hike down and up in one day. Save that for the much shallower Grand Canyon. If you go with a trekking company, they organize your logistics. No worries. Most of the treks start from the canyon rim town of Cabanaconde 328m (10,784ft) though the hot springs town of Chivay is an interesting alternative if you want to get off the beaten track. best months May through September dry season though you can attempt the shorter hikes year round see larger view on aracari.com Independent hikers need organize transport: start in Arequipa bus to the trailhead town of Cabanaconde (6hrs) on Transportes Reyna bus line or one of several competitors. buy bus tickets the night before for an early morning bus if you want to hike the same day you travel. Staying overnight in tranquil Cabanaconde is easier. be sure the bus is direct. Many stop in Chivay (quite a good tourist town) for 90min en route. Independent hikers need budget: bus Arequipa - Cabanaconde = US$5 (15 soles) / person one way departure tax from Terminal Terrestre (main bus station in Arequipa) = US$.35 (1 sole) no permits nor trekking fees local people want to start collecting Rent gear, if you need anything, in Arequipa for a few dollars a day for each item. The Colca Trek agency has a terrific selection. 5-DAYS CABANACONDE TO ANDAGUA? The 5-day route is strictly for hiking fanatics. It is awesome, taking you to a unique volcanic national reserve. But you must suffer an overnight bus trip of 9-10 hours on bad roads returning from Andagua to Arequipa. We have done it and do not recommend it. If you insist on the 5-day trip, hire private transportation to fetch you from Andagua. 60km (37mi) we recommend 5 days as the terrain is difficult. If you are serious about trying the 5-day trek, get a copy of Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes 2003 . INDEPENDENT OR GUIDED? Both are good options for Colca Canyon. Many inexperienced hikers sign-on with inexpensive tours in Arequipa. But if you know what you are doing, and have your own gear — you can do all the Colca treks on your own, without a guide. The safest, most expensive way to do the much more difficult 5-day trek is to sign on with a trekking company. Recommended firms include: Terra Andina (English, French, Spanish) Colca Trek, Jerusalan 401B, Arequipa is the agency to check first. ColcaTrek@hotmail.com ECOtours, Jerusalen 402-A, Arequipa Pablo Tours Colca Canyon Pablo Tours Colca to Andagua SAS Cuzco ... add a link here PACK ANIMALS? Pack animals are not necessary for the shorter hikes which you can do carrying a light pack. But those trekking the 5-day route often hire beasts. We recommend you hire an arriero (mule driver) and mules at least for one day on the climb up to the 5100m (16,732ft) pass. You hire in the tiny town called Mina 3600m (11,811ft). This is explained in Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes 2003 . LOCAL INFORMATION South American Explorers Cuzco is your first and best source of information. Look for hiking partners through the SAE website or by posting a note at their Cuzco clubhouse. Colca Trek in Arequipa is helpful as are some of the other agencies BEST GUIDEBOOKS Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes 2003 is our favourite. It's all you need to do this trek. Other guides: The Andes - A Trekking Guide 2001 - Biggars Peru and Bolivia, 8th: The Bradt Trekking Guide - Bradt, 2002 Lonely Planet Healthy Travel Central & South America - Isabelle Young Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish Phrase Book ... add a recommendation here BEST TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS Lonely Planet Peru 2007 Footprint Peru - Box, 2005 ... add a recommendation here BEST MAPS the simple map in Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes 2003 is essential for the 5-day trek, we feel. IGN 1:100,000 Chivay (sheet 32-s), Huambo (sheet 32-r) & Orcopampa (sheet 31-r) cover the 5-day trek, but roads & tracks are not up-to-date. Buy these at South American Explorers in Cuzco. For the shorter treks, most hikers collect a number of hand drawn maps available free in Cuzco from trekking agencies & tourist information. Follow guided groups if you somehow get lost. BEST WEBSITES After this site, the best links are: i-needtoknow Colca Canyon Trek Aracari tailor made holidays ... add a link here BEST PHOTOS & TRIP REPORTS new Noel Wigdor Colca Canyon to Andagua 2006 new Jeffrey Poznanovic Colca - Andagua 2006 Nir and Tali Halman Colca Canyon to Andagua, also Misti McCharles Colca Canyon Trek 2005 Apu's Peru - Ariana Colca to Andagua Trek 2004 PBase.com Colca Canyon websites Dan & Sarah Arequipa and Colca Canyon Colin Campbell tour of Colca Canyon HGK Colca Canyon ... add a link here OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS ... add a recommendation here