Colca Canyon

As I said in the previous post, we went off on another trek. This time to the Colca Canyon, a VERY impressive canyon. The canyon is about 100 km long and 3.26 km deep.

the lush Colca Canyon

The trek was 3 days, but did not feature too much walking. A nice change to the Salkantay trek. Nonetheless, it wasn´t all easy going. On our way to the canyon our bus had a flat tire. Because they didn´t have all the tools and could not fix the tire, they sort of patched it up and we proceeded very slowly, stopping every 20 minutes to throw water on the wheel (?).

When we finally got there we descended down the steep walls of canyon. This took about four hours. I HATE going down! By the end my legs felt a little wobbly and I was glad to get to the evening´s lodge. The canyon was incredibly beautiful! Because we are traveling at the end of the rainy season they valley was lush and green. The lodge we stayed at was really nice, although they didn´t have any hot showers.

the narrow path down the cliff

our lodge for the first night

The next morning we were treated to some delicious pancakes for breakfast and started walking at about 8h30. Our next stop was the little village of San Juan, an oasis. It was only a short, gentle walk and we got their nice and early. We stayed in little bamboo huts. We spent the rest of the day swimming and lounging in the sun and teaching the members of our group truco. We have decided that it is our divine duty to spread the gospel of truco everywhere we go.

the mighty Colca river

The next morning we had to get up really early (02h40) to get to the top before sunrise. It was a hard 2 to 3 hour slog up the canyon, but we were treated to a beautiful sunrise and a tasty breakfast before it was off to the main point of the trip, Cruz del Condor.

our group at the top

Cruz del Condor is a lookout point at the top of one of the deepest parts of the canyon and a mayor tourist attraction. The reason for this is the condors nesting in the cliffs. Just after sunrise, as soon as the air warms, they start flying. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! These gigantic birds (3m wingspan) glide effortlessly through the air just a few meters away (much to the delight of the HUNDREDS of tourists sitting on the cliffs).

the spectacular view from Cruz del Condor

the massive Andean condor

After this we went to another thermal spring to soak away the dust. From there it was another LONG bus trip back to Arequipa.

Tonight we leave for Nazca.

Neil

PS. we sampled some of the typical dishes of the region. Hmmm....

over roasted guinea pig!

all that was left...