I am very excited to announce that Adventure Cotahuasi Tours is open for business. We offer hiking/trekking tours in the Cotahuasi Canyon and surrounding high plains and mountains in southern Peru. Please check out our new website at: www.adventurecotahuasi.com

If you are interested in an unforgetable adventure, please look and see what we have to offer. Also please pass on our information to anyone you know that might be interested.

Gracias,

Vic Hanson

A week ago I made my first trip to Quechualla, which is a days hike down canyon from Cotahuasi. I have heard a lot about it, in addition to it being the deepest part of the canyon, there are old ruins, Inca trails and lots of fresh fruit due to it’s warm climate. I was hoping that Max or Reinaldo could go with me but neither of them were able to. I was planning on leaving Cotahuasi about 1:00 pm and going as far as Niñ o hot springs the first day, which is just below Velinga. I had been there before and had in my mind that it was only about a 3 hour hike so was in no hurry to leave. After last minute shopping and getting ready, it was 1:15 by the time I left. I had been debating what to do but finally decided to leave my car here and hike the whole way, rather than driving to the end of the road at Sipia Bridge. It took 2 hours to get to the bridge, which was longer than I remembered. I wasn’t concerned, figuring that even with 3 hours more, I would get there by 6:15, about 30 minutes before dark.

I took a break and got water at Chaupo, about an hour and a half later and then continued hiking. I was hoping to meet someone and get some confirmation of how much longer and about 30 minutes later finally met a man on his way to Cotahuasi. I asked him how long to Velinga and he started to say 2 hours and something but then said “About 3 hours.” That would have gotten me there about 8:15, which would be about an hour and 30 minutes after dark. I had a headlight and enjoy hiking at night so that wouldn’t have been a problem except that I had to take a turn off just before Velinga and go down to a small river side trail and I couldn’t remember exactly where it was or what it looked like. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to see the trail in the dark as some of them aren’t very clear. However I seemed to be making good time and getting close to Velinga so was puzzled. Then I dawned on me, most people in the remote villages don’t have watches so I’m not sure they really know how long it takes to get some place. Sure enough, I was at the junction in about an hour and 30 minutes. Even then I wasn’t sure it was the right one at first, until I saw an old bridge across the river which I recognized. It just has sticks lashed onto the cables instead of planks and I remember not trusting it when I first saw it.

Anyway, I got to the hot springs just before dark, exactly 5 ½ hours from Cotahuasi, and enjoyed the evening soaking in the hot springs, after finding a small campsite in the trees near there, just above the river. Later when I went to get a snack, I discovered that a mouse had had the same idea and had chewed a hole in the lid of my backpack to get at the trail mix inside.

The next morning I continued on to Quechualla, taking my time and lots of pictures of the scenery and ruins on the way. After lunch there in the village, I went farther down until I came to a sign saying it was the deepest point in the canyon. I then came back up and explored some ruins across the river from Quechualla, as well as camping in them for the night. The next day I went to back to Quechualla to meet some friends who had left a day after me. The mouse must have sent word to his friends, as one of them snacked on 1 of my bananas during the night. After lunch, we hiked back up to Niñ o hot springs for another long soak. They were leaving at 4:00 am to catch the morning combi from the bridge, but I slept in and caught the afternoon one, rather than do the 2 hour plus hike from the bridge back up to Cotahuasi. My previous camping spot in the trees had been used by burros, who left their droppings, so I found a sandy spot right along the river and slept there, finally without anymore mice problems. You can see some photos to the left of this report.

Dios te bendiga,

Vic