5h drive from Arequipa.
Second deepest canyon in the world (the trips do not go the deepest place though).
Condors nest in the canyon.
Booked the trip with Peru Andes Expedition. Cost: 130 Soles pp. Got a discount because we promised we would climb El Misti with them.
Pick up at the hostel at 3.30.
Group of 13 tourists:
and two guides (Sandro and Mirabel?).
Breakfast at a small restaurant in Chivay: different kinds of small pancakes.
Mirador de Cruz del Condor: saw a few condors, very touristic.
Cabanaconde: Candelaria celebration, lunch.
Started hiking, joined by a dog called Como Tu ("like you"). Nice views to the villages down in the canyon (Cosñirhua, Malata, Sangalle).
From Cabanaconde to the bottom of the canyon:
| Distance | 8.34km |
| Moving time | 2h 11min |
| Total time | 2h 50min |
| Moving speed | 3.8 km/h |
| Overall speed | 2.9 km/h |
| Elevation change | 3320m → 2400m |
| Time of day | 12:41 → 15:32 |
Then walked uphill for about 20 minutes until we reached the Rivolini (?) lodge.
From Cabanaconde to the Rivolini (?) lodge close to Cosñirhua:
| Distance | 9.83km |
| Moving time | 2h 40min |
| Total time | 3h 39min |
| Moving speed | 3.7 km/h |
| Overall speed | 2.7 km/h |
| Elevation change | 3320m → 2446m |
| Time of day | 12:41 → 16:20 |
Warm shower, beer 10 Soles, dinner [BUG: what was for dinner? some vegi dish?].
Walked along the irrigation channels, crossed the river, then uphill to Cosñirhua.
Another party with a brass band (musicians come from Cabanaconde to the valley). Como Tu left.
Malata. Small central square.
Museum.
From the Rivolini (?) lodge close to Cosñirhua to the Paraiso lodge, Sangalle oasis:
| Distance | 6.91km |
| Moving time | 1h 39min |
| Total time | 3h 35min (long stops in the Cosñirhua and Malata villages) |
| Moving speed | 4.2 km/h |
| Overall speed | 1.9 km/h |
| Elevation change | 2446m → 2246m |
| Time of day | 8:11 → 11:45 |
The rest of the day was spent by the pool, and (after it started raining) in the hut.
Started after 5.20 (still dark). Como Tu is back!
From the Paraiso lodge out of the canyon (to the canyon rim), 1000m altitude gain:
| Distance | 4.02km |
| Moving time | 1h 40min |
| Total time | 1h 53min |
| Moving speed | 2.4 km/h |
| Overall speed | 2.1 km/h |
| Elevation change | 2246m → 3278m |
| Time of day | 5:12 → 7:06 |
Best time: 1h 43min (French guy who was listening to Prodigy to boost himself up).
Worst time: 2h 20min (chain-smoking Italian Matteo).
After reaching the top one of the Irish musicians realized that he had left his money-belt down at the Oasis. Sandro called the owners, they went looking for it (it was supposed to be under the pillow) but could not find it. The Irishman went back down. Sandro followed him. In the end they went down 2/3 of the way, there they met the owner who came to meet them with the belt that he had finally found.
Walked to Cabanaconde and had breakfast there. Then waited a couple of hours for the Irishman and Sandro to come back.
Bus trip back. Stopped at a viewpoint to take a better look at the terraces. Stopped in Maca. The nice colonial church there was closed. Took a picture with a llama and an eagle.
Spent an hour at thermal baths close to Chivay.
Stopped briefly at Mirador de los Andes, Patapampa, the highest point during the trip, approx. 4900m. Very cold.
Stopped briefly to chase some llamas/alpacas.
Drove by a small group of vicuñas.
The trip ended at the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa where the van dropped us off.