An uneventful bus journey took us to relatively wealthy southern city of Arequipa. The city is also known as the 'White City' for 2 reasons. First, the historical quarter is built from a white 'Sillar' stone. Second, a large number of white immigrants have settled here in the past, and for good reason. Arequipenan's are rightfully very proud of their city and we heard from some locals that they like to think themselves different from the rest of Peru. Some even have their own passports which are bought from the local markets for a few soles! The historical quarter was beautiful and had very European feel. I would go as far as saying the main Plaza De Armas was like an Italian piazza, Florence springs to mind. A real change from our ´rough and rustic` view of Bolivia. Beauty aside, our main draw to the city was it's proximity to the Colca Canyon.
I call this one - Grinning gringo on a fountain 2011
The Cathedral overlooking the Plaza De Armas
We hired a guide and transport to the Canyon for a 3 day, 2 night trek. Our transport arrived at the unearthly hour of 3am to allow us time to get to the ‘Cruz del Condor’ (Condor Cross) before 9am to give us the best opportunity of spotting the magnificent Andean Condor. We nodded off in the car and awoke with a chill at 6am to find that we were heading over the 4900m mountain pass in the snow! We had a safe driver (thank god we weren’t still in Bolivia) and enjoyed the descent down the other side of the Andes to amazing views of snow capped mountains and steep green hills. The weather wasn’t great at the Cruz del Condor, in fact you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face let alone a Condor 10m away, so we decided our best bet was return at the end of our trek.
Our initial view into the Colca Canyon. Our first night stop was in the village of Cosñirhua in the distance
The trek into the Canyon started at Cabanaconde, a small village where our bi-lingual (Spanish and Quechua) guide Remi grew up. He shared with us a fountain of knowledge about flora, fauna, local and inca beliefs and practices over the next few days. The Colca Canyon is located about 160km north-west of Arequipa named after the river Colca that flows on the Canyon bottom. It is thought to be in places twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and therefore the deepest in the world.
After a 1200m steep downhill trek into the canyon, we stopped at a small village called San Juan de Chuccho for a traditional vegetable soup followed by Alpaca stir fry. It was all made in a tiny mud hut and served to us amongst their organic veg garden – perfect. We then had a short walk to Cosñirhua where we were to spend our first night with a local family in ‘basic’ accommodation consisting of a bed in a shed like structure with mud floor. A French couple and their guide were also staying with the same family so within no time we were gathered in the kitchen hut whilst our food was being prepared. An early night was on the cards and we slept surprising well only to be woken at dawn by the sounds of nature and the gurgling of the Guinea Pigs in the yard. It´s worth mentioning that these were not pets and in a few weeks, when they double in size, they will be served on a plate with rice and vegetables.
After a filling (and not so traditional) breakfast of banana pancakes, we set off for our toughest day of walking. We stopped in the next village across Malata and visited a local museum where our guide introduced traditional working methods from grinding corn to the traditional dress.
Rach and our local guide Remi
After an easy stretch back down to the Colca River, our spot for lunch was a little oasis complete with palm trees, flowers and swimming pool. Perfect chance for relaxation before the 1200m steep hike back to Cabanaconde. The hike wasn’t as bad as we thought and within 2.5hrs we were back at the top taking in the beautiful views.
Nearing the Oasis Lodge where we had lunch
We awoke to blue skies and by 10am we were sat at the Cruz del Condor watching at least 6 magestic young condors circling within 5m of us. Truly amazing, jaw dropping, unforgettable. Unfortunately, our photo skills are not great and below are the best of a bad bunch.
A young condor recognised by it´s brown feathers whilst the mature birds are black and white.
The wingspan is over 3 metres!
Next stop was the hot springs of La Calera. After 15 mins of 39ºC water in hot sunshine, we settled by the bar with a beer and Colca Pisco made with cactus fruit. Lunch was held at a newly opened restaurant and we were lucky enough to participate in the inauguration ceremony. Champagne, beers and sweets were handed out whilst the owner made a speech and smashed the Champagne with a hammer. A sure way to make everyone sleep on the bus on the way back.
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