tomandbuntytrails

One animal I was desperate to see in Peru was the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) – the largest non-seabird on the planet. This Goliath of the skies lives to 75 years in captivity and only lays one egg every two years on average. Its wingspan is 315 cms and is classed as vulnerable by the IUCN. The best place to see them is the Colca Canyon in Peru. For simplicity’s sake we booked an all in tour inc transport, guide and accommodation which included one night on the canyon floor. We had spent a night in Arequipa – a fascinating place to spend a night or two. It’s the second largest city in Peru, and is known as the “white city” due to the pale volcanic rock used to build the magnificent central historical quarter, which is actually a UNESCO world heritage site! If visiting Arequipa you have to have dinner at a restaurant called Katari overlooking the stunning main square and cathedral, with the distant surrounding volcanoes framing the scene! 

We were collected at at 3am and fell asleep in the minubus, 3 hrs later we wake up to a stunning arid, desolate landscape, and there was thick ice on the inside of the windows! My watch told me we were at 7500 feet. After breakfast on a picturesque little farm we drove to Cruz del Condor a – place well known for condors – and we were lucky as within minutes we spotted about a dozen swooping nearby and overhead – obviously good thermals that day! We could have stayed for hours watching them, but the guide was very strict on the timings and kept saying “vamos chicos” – we wanted to stop longer, but at this stage we didn’t realise quite what was still lying ahead of us!  

Colca Canyon slices through the High Andes like for more than 100km, Colca is the world’s second deepest canyon, approximately 3,400 metres at its deepest point (the Grand Canyon is 1,829 metres). I’m not entirely sure why I thought the trek was going to be relatively easy. How wrong I was! We were soon descending, the guide pointed out the tiny bridge at the bottom which looked like it was miles away. Down and down we went, we forgot how tired we were, distracted by the absolutely breathtaking scenery. We didn’t reach our little oasis – Oasis Paraiso Ecolodge – till it was almost dark. We all jumped in the freezing cold pool and were soon enjoying a well earned beer at the bar! We were up at 4am for the trek back up! I can’t believe we made it, the canyon towers above you like a sheer cliff. We depart this early to avoid the heat. The added bonus is seeing the mountains light up and change colour as the sun start rising over the peaks. We made it to the top after 3 hrs (Bunty) and 3 3/4 hours (Me) non stop – luckily there was a sweet lady at the top, her wares spread out on a blanket – two thermos flasks for coffee, a selection of chocolate bars and bananas. 

We then had to walk another hour to breakfast! But with the promise of a long zipline experience followed by hot springs we were eager to keep going!