4 Things We Love About Hiking Apu Campana
Who says there’s no time to have some fun while volunteering in Peru? At Espaanglisch, we enjoy taking regular adventures through our Social Interaction Program. These activities, rather than consisting of more common tourist activities in Trujillo (i.e. a visit to Chan Chan or Huaca del Sol and de la Luna) focus more on off-the-beaten-path adventures in which foreigners and locals alike have the opportunity to socialize and experience some of the wonders of Peru.
One of our most frequent adventures is a hike up Apu Campana (also known as Cerro Campana), a local mountain. Here’s what makes this hike a frequent favorite of ours.
1. Spectacular sunsets, sunrises, and, sometimes, stargazing
Come prepared with your camera! On a clear day, the summit of Apu Campana provides stunning panoramic views that overlook Trujillo, Huanchaco, and beyond. From here, you can watch the sunset above the clouds. If you join us for an overnight camping trip, on cloudy nights with low moonlight it’s possible to do some stargazing where you just may see a shooting star or two. No clouds? Not to worry, on clear nights you have an opportunity to witness the city lights of Trujillo from above.
When camping out overnight, be sure to also wake up early so that you can check out the sunrise over the Andes.
2. Historical experience
There are a couple of historical sites you have the opportunity to witness along the hike up Apu Campana. One, which you can see cutting through the desert landscape along the way, is la Muralla Chimú, also known as the Great Wall of Peru. This wall, while incorrectly attributed to the Chimú culture, which built the nearby Chan Chan, is actually believed to have been built for defense by the Chavin just before their fall in 200 BC.
At the peak of Apu Campana is the second site, a Moche sacrificial altar which happens to be one of the oldest such altars in Peru. More than 1,000 years ago, men were beheaded here and then thrown into the abyss. This altar corresponds to depictions in ancient Moche ceramics, which portrayed a large mountain with many peaks from which sacrificial victims were falling.
3. Natural immersion and fascinating biodiversity
With just a quick, 30-minute taxi ride you can escape the everyday hustle and bustle of the city and experience the blissful quiet of nature, all while still seeing Trujillo off in the distance. Further, this particular hike gives you a look into the unique biodiversity of Peru’s coastal region.
On the way to Apu Campana from the drop-off point along the Pan-American highway, be sure to look out for scorpions and lizards as you hike through the desert. Once on the side of the mountain itself, you have the opportunity to experience the lomas ecosystem. Lomas are isolated, oasis-like pockets of vegetation which are sprinkled throughout the Peruvian desert. Fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean make this ecosystem, which is unique to Peru and Chile, possible. Thanks to the lomas of Apu Campana, you can find a variety of plants and wildlife on the mountain, including hummingbirds, foxes, and more.
4. It’s a rewarding challenge
Though it may not be far from Trujillo, that doesn’t mean that the hike up Apu Campana is without its challenges. The hike to the summit of the mountain has you walking through the desert sand, both relatively level and at an incline, scrambling up rocky, dirt ground, climbing up rocks as you near closer and closer and then, at last, reach the summit. And that’s only half of the journey, as you need to navigate the same ground, but going down, on the way back.
If you’re afraid of heights, there are going to be, without a doubt, moments where you feel filled with nervous uncertainty. Despite this fact, nothing quite beats that feeling of making it to the summit of the mountain, not to mention that moment when you make it back to your home in Trujillo, with your shoes full of sand, covered in dirt, prepared to take a shower, grab a Coca Cola, eat some ceviche, and smile at your accomplishment.
Sound like something you would enjoy? Give us a shout and join us the next time we take a hike up Apu Campana.