Last week I trekked through Colca Canyon. Colca is the 2nd deepest canyon in the world (the first is very nearby here in Peru). So Colca is deeper than the Grand Canyon. That’s a fact. But is it more impressive?
Well, it’s hard to compare. I didn’t get to know the Grand Canyon as well as Colca. At the Grand Canyon, I stayed on a rim, drove around the perimeter. And wow, what a canyon! Super impressive the moment you lay eyes on it.
But Colca is different. While deeper, it’s not as “Wow! Amazing!” It’s absolutely beautiful, one of my best hikes ever. Very diverse views, crazy different landscapes. And there are villages littered all over the place on the way down to the bottom where an “oasis” awaits you. Swimming pools, horses everywhere, and of course…views of all the mountains around you.
Check out what I saw during my 2 day hike. This was the first time I did a hike all by myself. It was very fun. Different for sure. I like doing it both ways. With other people and without. Two different worlds.
Okay, just getting started (under a watchful eye!)…
And I started seeing awesome views right off the bat…
And BAM!!!!
AND BOOM!!!
But soon there were choices to make…
After initially choosing wrong, I got to my destination eventually… 🙂
That’s an alpaca steak. With some rice, french fries, and vegetables, and a fat avocado wedge. MMMMMMMM.
I stayed in a little village called Malata that night. It was deep in the canyon.
Then woke up the next morning to start the loooong climb up. 3 hours of pure climbing hell.
But when I got to the top, this is what I saw:
And this is what I ate, one of the BEST sandwiches I’ve had the whole trip:
That’s an alpaca sandwich. With cheese, avocado, tomato. Alpaca is really good.
Bottom line: Colca Canyon is awesome. It’s not better, it’s not worse than the Grand Canyon. It’s different. The views are amazing. You run into animals of all sorts. People of all sorts. Doing things of all sorts.
There are endless villages dispersed through the canyon, you could easily spend a week in there, just wandering. Of course, longer if you wish.
Colca Canyon. Do it.
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