• AliceAlainPeruTraveler
    The bottom of the canyon comes into view
    Dust clouds behind the lorries1Mineral salts1Steep and deep in dust... and we thought it was downhillThis is the canyon we are trying to descend1This is our roadYou can tell there are many minerals here1Finally some tarmacWe are pedaling through a lot of rubbleThis would be a good place for finding gold...Panning for gold. There are several scruffy men down the river looking for gold in the sediments111Broken Rohloff cable! What is a woman to do?1Packing up after a night in the canyon

    The Tablachaca canyon

    September 16, 2025 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    “Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

    Its a long way down into the Tablachaca canyon, and its a rough bumpy dusty dirty road. After only a few km, and a couple of trucks and buses, our clean clothes are yet again thick with dust that wont shake out. Not to mention the small matter of our airways. Plus there are some unexpected very steep and dusty uphill sections which we struggle with.

    However, soon the delight of the enormous canyon below us takes hold. With the bumps and camera stops, progress is slow but we are enthralled. Poor Alain takes a tumble and comes out with grazes and bruises and even more dust. He looks like he has just emerged from a mine.

    We admire the splendid canyon colours and ponder how we have never heard of this amazing canyon before. Surely it is not a bad second to the Grand Canyon!

    We are pleasantly surprised when we hit the canyon bottom and find (intermittent) tarmac. The bumping reduces, speed increases… and then suddenly Alice feels an ominous clunk. Her gear cable has broken- so no more changing gear. Its a new fancy system that we have not fixed before, and we have no wifi. We manage to extract the broken cable but can’t figure how to thread the spare cable back in. We decide to carry on- luckily its mainly downhill.

    However time is passing and we need to find a place for the night. Alain spots the old road by a tributary. The location between canyon walls is impressive, although the site is not so easy for camping. First, we are camped on dirt so its a challenge to keep things clean. Then, although near the river, access to water that is clean enough to filter is difficult. Finally, we are a bit more visible from the road than is ideal. Still gazing up the steep sides and seeing the stars above has a certain magic.    Read more