Day 441 – San Juan de Chuccho to Arequipa
Colca Canyon: Final Day
Today we woke up at our nice accommodation, Colibri Lodge. We were advised to start the hike early to avoid the sun. However the sun was already rising before 6am. We had breakfast, packed and then checked out at around 7.30am.
We came nowhere close to leaving before sunrise! 
Breakfast at Colibri Lodge
The start of the hike was flat as we walked through the town of San Juan de Chuccho. We then walked towards a foot bridge to cross the river.
Unfortunately, the rest of the hike was all uphill. It was tough under the harsh sun. Just like on the way into the canyon (Day 438), there is hardly any shade. The path zig zagged up the side of the mountain. We stopped occasionally to rest and for water.
Near the end of the hike, we started to see tourists going in the opposite direction into the canyon. We reached the top at 11.45am. It was a gruelling 4 hours hike. I was so glad when it was over.
Back to Arequipa
As we were walking to Cabanaconde, we saw a Turismo Milagros bus driving down the road. Even though we were exhausted, we started running after it. Luckily the bus stopped in the middle of the road for us.
Views along the way to Arequipa The Turismo Milagros bus that stopped for us.
The bus was semi full with tourists and was going all the way to Arequipa. We stopped in Chivay for 20 minutes, which was good for a toilet and snack break. The bus left Chivay at 2.10pm and we arrived back in Arequipa at 5.30pm.
Before leaving the terminal, we bought tickets to Puno for tomorrow. Then we caught a taxi into the historic part of town. When we arrived at Holidays Backpacking Hostel, we discovered that we had booked for tomorrow night, instead of tonight. Luckily, they had a spare room, which we could take. We were super grateful for this.
For dinner we found a nice Mexican restaurant called Tacos Y Tequila. The staff weren’t overly responsive, but the food was good. Afterwards, we walked back to the hostel and collapsed in the beds.
A rewarding but hard day.
Getting Around
Cabanaconde to Arequipa Bus Terminal:
- 18 PEN (~$8.50 AUD) per person,
- with Turismo Milagros,
- leaving Cabanaconde at roughly 11.30am,
- arriving in Arequipa at 5.30pm