Mar 6, 2013 - Colca Canyon and Shivay

This is the first time where we actually did not organize a trip ourselves, but rather bought a two day package to see Colca Canyon and Shivay. There was just too many places to see, too many stops and the price was right. We found out that sometimes it just takes too much time to organize trips ourselves and chances are that you are missing out on some fantastic spots. A number of people we met complained that Peru has gotten too commercial. For the most part these were people who visited the country 10 or 15 years ago. We did not object...

May 22, 2012 - Cruz del Condor

The Colca Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world. At 13,650' deep, it is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. In some ways it isn't as impressive as the Grand Canyon because the canyon walls are not as steep. But it in other ways it is more impressive because people actually live in this canyon and the terraces make it really beautiful. The other impressive thing is that Andean Condors make their home in the cliffs of the canyon and each day, they catch the thermals and spiral up through the canyon and out the top to search for food,...

Nov 8, 2011 - Chivay and Colca Canyon

Nov 8 Chivay and Colca Canyon We left Chivay at 5:00 am to go to Colca Canyon to see the Andes Condors soar through the canyon gliding on the thermals rising from the canyon floor. The condors average wing span is 3 meters and 20 centimetre, height is 1 meter and 20 centimetres, and the weight is 14 kg. The condors came about 10 feet from us. The canyon is the worlds deepest canyon at 4160 meters deep. The view on the way there and back was breathtaking. The ancient people living in the valley built incredible terraces into the mountain...

Jun 2, 2011 - Arequipa and Colca Canyon

After Nazca, I then went to Arequipa, the second biggest city in Peru. It was a really nice place, and finally we had some great weather and a free day to people watch and sit around in cafes and the square all day. The next day we got a bus to Colca Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world, and around 3500 to 4000m above sealevel. We stopped off at 5000m above sealevel, and despite a hangover and a lack of sleep, I was fine, but a lot of people got altitude sickness. We stayed in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, and started our high...

Jan 13, 2011 - Condor spotting in the Colca Canyon

We got up at 5am so we could try and spot some Condors flying in the Colca Canyon, we waited from 8.30 until and 10am and think we saw one but it was so far away we couldnt really tell!!!!! We saw some burial sites half way up a mountain that looked a bit like bee hives. We took an hour hike along the Canyon after trying to spot the condors. Then we headed back to Arequipa (stopping in Chivay again on the way to have lunch). We had dinner in a lovely little restaurant behind the Cathedral.

Oct 28, 2010 - Colca Canyon to Puno

Today started with a 7am departure and a long bus journey ahead. Nothing to report on the journey. Arrived in Puno at 1.30pm. Puno is the jumping off point to Lake Titicacca. After a group lunch we had free time to wander around the city. Not alot to see. Also did some grocery shopping for our host family on the island of Amantani. What was on the dinner menu...pizza!! And it was damn good pizza all washed down with a `vino caliente`or hot wine. Very nice. We had been given our packing list for our overnight on the island of Amantani in the...

Oct 27, 2010 - Colca Canyon - Flight of the Condors

It is not guaranteed that the mighty Andean condors will be flying so we were up at 5.30am to leave the hotel at 6.30am. The trip to the canyon from the hotel was about 2hrs. Lucky for us there were 4 condors flying when we arrived. They are a very impressive but also a very unattractive bird! Wing span is about 3 metres. Together with the other hundreds of tourists we snapped away with the cameras in an attempt to get the best photos....not sure that I succeeded? The Colca Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon so it was also impressive....

Aug 29, 2010 - Colca Canyon

The following day we made our way to Colca Canyon by way of the Reserva Nacional de Aguada Blanca, Reserva Vicuñas and pueblos tipicos in the countryside around the Canyon. This region is very close to the Atacama desert and so is dry and dusty. At the highest point we reached 4,900 metres above sea level and took pictures at a viewpoint called Los Volcanes y Nevados como el Ampato. Volcanoes and Mountains in the area, Ampato being the one where they found the mummy of the Inca girl sacrificed to the God's. Very high up and very beautiful...

May 22, 2010 - The Colca Valley

The last couple of days have been spent in the andes mountains, in the colca valley. We were staying in a beautiful lodge in the middle of nowhere with 360 views of the mountains, this was about 3800m altitude and luckily, no symptoms! Went hiking and found some tombs up in the mountain tops which were a bit grim, skulls and bones everywhere. They bury them up there so that they are closer to the gods (sun, moon, stars, mother earth) There was talk of making a sacrifice to ensure we saw condors the next day in the canyon, apparently I was...

May 8, 2010 - Flight of the Condor

We spent a day in Colca Canyon which is famous for being loads bigger than the Grand Canyon. It’s not as wide, which is why many concede that the Grand Canyon with its endless girth is the more aesthetically pleasing sight, but on statistics Colca Canyon is impressive, over four times deeper than the Grand (the deepest bit is about 4.5 km from top to bottom!). The sight was impressive but we really went there to see Condors. We were unsure whether or not we would see any. We were on a tour and they made it clear that you are not guaranteed...

Jan 24, 2010 - Colca Canyon and Condors

I have spent the past 3 days in the world’s second deepest canyon. We have gone on a number of hikes over the past 3 days to prepare ourselves for Machu Pichu, hikes which have tested my physical strengths, hikes which I have completed and felt good about completing. I feel like I am ready for the trail. We left for the canyon early in the morning. The bus ride was to take 5 hours, stopping off en route to drink some coca tea, see the many different species of animal which roamed the Andes, and to visit the highest toilet in the world at...

Apr 10, 2009 - Colca Canyon :)

Woooooooooo Colca Canyon...... W spent two days in the Colca Canyon and anyone that visits Peru should go here and if you do go to a place called Pacha Mama (which means mother earth in english). Its a hostel slash resturant thingy that have woodfire pizzas so good and the guys there were really nice, they sat down and chatted to us and showed us a little salsa. It was very relaxed and exactly what i needed. I tell you oine thing being in a group has its ups and downs like anyone would expect. I (and Anna) was getting sick of eating int he...