Infinite feeling of freedom in the Colca Canyon

Driving for 7 hours on a bus without a toilet, air conditioning, and on winding roads with a still upset digestive tract is no fun, but we made it to Cabanaconde (3300m). The town is located on the edge of the lower Colca Canyon, where you can indulge in your passion for hiking. Unfortunately, since Cabanaconde is uphill, all the paths initially go downhill, which means you have to climb back up in the end. After 2 rest days accompanied by stomach cramps and alpaca meat, we started our four-day village hopping adventure. Endless freedom from the internet, electricity, and even running water. However, it is important to manage resources well, because there is not even an ATM in Cabanaconde and the difficult accessibility makes water and beer expensive. We started to get a little nervous because cash was running low, but luckily we met 2 angels who exchanged our remaining euros for soles. The first descent was about 1000m down to Llahuar, where we passed a sulfur-smelling geyser. But going down is also quite exhausting. When the sun is beating down on your heads and your knees start to hurt on the steep zigzag path, it's tough enough. Buuuut: if you've spent almost exclusively in bed or on the bus for the past 1.5 weeks, it's even worse. Even bathing in the hot springs couldn't do anything against the muscle soreness of death that started the next day. Even now, almost a week later, it's still not completely gone.

On the second day, the path was particularly spectacular. A narrow path leads through the barren landscape to Fure, a mountain village that can only be reached on foot or by mule and is beautifully located in the rear area of the Huaruro River Valley with stunning views of the surroundings. The regional water supply and waste management also run along the hiking trail. The only person living in the village is a 25-year-old woman with her husband and daughter, who runs the only available accommodation for occasional guests. It is 2 hours away from the nearest 'road', where a bus runs to Cabanaconde for an hour once a day, and there is not even an ATM there, the nearest one is another 1.5 hours away #youngurbanlifestyle. All the other houses there are abandoned. Further down the valley, you can admire a beautiful waterfall, provided that the brave hiker dares to pass by the nicely prepared human remains. Alongside many skulls, there were thigh bones, hip bones, and spines in the semi-open mass grave. Nice to know what we'll all look like one day.

On the third day, unfortunately with a lot of road sections, we went from Malata and Cosñirhua to San Juan, which is located on the Colca River and suddenly everything is green. You can chat with the locals about the development of the region over delicious beer and alpaca steak, because it has only been possible to reach the larger villages by gravel road for 3 years. On the fourth day, we had to go up on steep paths, 1200m in total. Phew. But it was great because the view and the narrowness of the path delighted the hiker's heart. Fortunately, a warm shower and fresh clothing were waiting for us at the top. A real treasure!