Quick facts: One of the deepest canyons in the world; GPS: -15.61105, -71.90581; GMT-5; Altitude: 12345′
Cañon de Colca – Today’s start is the earliest of the trip so far, 02:30, because the tour bus picks us up at 03:30 in order to get to the canyon at the appropriate time. It’s about a 4 hour drive from Arequipa to Colca Canyon with a few stops on the way for sightseeing.
For the first few hours obviously it was pitch black. A little after the sun started to rise we got to the highest point of the trip for a quick stop, Patapampa Pass also known as Mirador de los Andes. The elevation here is 16110′ and was a spectacular view with the mountains, a volcano that just started to erupt a little and the sun getting it’s start to the day. After another quick stop a minute down the road for everyone to get some pics of the now obvious volcano going off we were on our way to Chivay.
In Chivay we stopped for a somewhat typical breakfast of bread and jam and I had some coffee as well. I also tried this warm drink they had that is made from quinoa and fruit for a little sweetener. I asked what the drink is called and was told it’s just called quinoa. From there we made another stop for about 15 minutes in Yanque to see the little shops and locals that had their animals out. Our Peru Hop guy told us about these people before getting in to Arequipa and asked us not to partake with the hawk handlers because he felt it is abusive to the animals. He didn’t say anything about the alpacas and they were so cute so I got a pic with one of them. While I was trying to get my pic the alpaca wasn’t cooperating and the lady kept saying, “Look Tomas” in Spanish and moving his head towards the camera. It was pretty funny. I think it was worth the few Soles the lady asked for, maybe I’m an animal hater?!?!
From there it was a short drive to where we were actually going for the tour, Cruise of the Condors, which overlooks the canyon. We could see the canyon for most of this section and it is impressive. Only a few decades ago were roads built to make this trek even possible so I’m happy I could see it so easily. Instead of just getting dumped off at the lookout spot and turning around our guide suggested we do a little hike to the lookout. I’m glad there weren’t too many people objecting because I was all for it. He did have a half route option and there were a few people who opted for that instead.
The hike was not very long, but at this altitude it was not a stroll in the park! From the first over look we could see some condors at the main overlook at the end so the guide suggested we move on. Then after about 1/4 of the way a couple of them flew past us and perched back where we just were so I ran back and got some photos. They were a little scandalous as the birds were making out or something so I only took a few and then ran back and joined the group again. From the second look out point those two started to fly around and were quickly joined by several other birds. I counted 6 total, but even one would have been cool enough. As the majority of the condors centered around the end and final lookout I tried to get there quickly not knowing how long they’d linger. I didn’t get far before walking the rest as I’m out of shape and was out of breath. Once at the end I had time to rest and was able to watch the birds go back and forth from sitting to flying around. Although there were quite a lot of people there I was able to get some decent shots but would’ve loved to been able to use a much longer lens 🙂
We might have spent about 30 minutes total at this lookout before heading back to Arequipa. While this might seem like a lot to do for just some birds it was definitely worth it in my opinion. I wish I could have more time as I’m sure it would be awesome to trek around in the canyon. One last thing we did before heading back to the city was stop at some hot springs. We were given about an hour here and it was great. I hopped from one pool to the next spending maybe 10 minutes or so in each. After the hottest one I went for a dip in the river which was cold but felt great. Once more in the hottest pool and then back into the river before having to get out and change to get back onto the bus.
Before actually heading back we also made a stop for lunch at a place in Chivay. It was already crowded by the time we got there but it was one the tour usually stops at so they had a table already reserved for us. The food was good and there were many things to choose from. The typical foods of the area were: alpaca, chicken, beef, and if you were lucky some trout ceviche. There were also some desserts to choose from so I tried the flan.
The ride back to Arequipa was long but this time the sun was up so we were able to see much more than on the way to Colca Canyon. The best part about the drive back were all the alpacas, vicuñas, and mountains that were all over. It’s a beautiful area for sure. We arrived back to Arequipa and I got dropped off at the hotel at maybe around 17:30. I went out briefly to get some cash for the next leg and then went back and hit the rack early since it would be another early start, just not as bad as this morning luckily.