Peru, Part 3: Through the deepest canyons in the Americas

I left off my last post in the pueblito of Quechualla at the bottom of Cotahuasi Canyon. It is an oasis of lushness in the otherwise barren, rocky depths. I cheated by catching the morning bus back to Cotahuasi town. The journey along the cliffside road was slow perilous and it took a few hours to make the 30 km trip as we picked up local farmers and villagers heading to town.

After two rest days in Cotahuasi (2,700m), I began the massive climb back to the puna. I climbed steadily on a quiet paved road, slowly gaining elevation to a height of 4,500m where I set up camp with glorious views of Solimana, one of many glacier-capped volcanos in this part of Peru. From there, a bit more pavement brought me to a shortcut to Andagua and the Vallee de Los Volcanes. This was 35 km of gradual uphill washboard and it sucked the life out of me.

From a highpoint of 4,850m, it was pretty much all downhill to the bottom of the Colca Canyon at only 1,400m, my lowest point of the trip. I took some time to explore the dramatci Vallee de los Volcanes, which gets its name from the numerous volcanoes of all sizes rising out of the landscape and the blackened lava flows that divide the agricultural terraces.

The bottom of the Colca Canyon was unpassable until a few years ago when Peru's road building masters carved a driveable path down and built a bridge at the confluence of the Colca and Macacocha Rivers. Those waterways provide the only life in this otherwise dark, foreboding location. From there it was all uphill on a dirt road – almost 2,000m of climbing in only 30 km. After an exhausting slog, I made it to Huambo around 4 p.m. and decided to stop there and save the final 700m of the climb for the next day.

That climb was the final major challenge of my trip. From Huambo, I enjoyed a couple of easy days on paved roads through the Colca Canyon to the tourist hub of Chivay. And then it was one was final climb up to almost 5,000m, followed by a windy ride across the puna towards Arequipa. I spent my last night camping amidst herds of wild vicuna, with views of Misti and Chachani Volcanoes. I was looking forward to the 2,000m down to Arequipa. Unfortunately, the first half was undergoing reconstruction and was a mess of washboard, loose rocks, and deep sand. I suffered through, finally reaching pavement and the city below.

I had one more obstacle in my way – a parade! What a way to finish a trip.

Here's Part 1 and Part 2.

And here's the route.