WOW! Colca Canyon is off the beaten path for most American tourists, but it should NOT be!
Sunday morning we left Arequipa (at 8,500') by bus and headed up into the very dry western side of the Andes Mountains. Nevertheless, numerous snow-capped volcanic mountains soaring to over 20,000 feet were always just beyond the hills. Things changed slowly as we gained elevation and at our highest point we were 16,000 feet above sea level! We dropped back down into the Colca Valley to the village of Chivay and continued to our lodging, the Aranwa Lodge. Exquisite!
Up early the next morning for a 6:00 a.m. departure for the Cruz el Condor high above the Colca Canyon. The canyon, incidentally, is about 2 1/2 times deeper than the Grand Canyon at its deepest point!
At Cruz el Condor we waited barely a few minutes before the mighty condors arrived from deep in the canyon below, soaring on the currents. They are the largest birds in the world, with a wing span of over 10 feet! It was amazing to watch them soar right in front of us. A nice hike along the canyon rim (at this elevation!) gave us our exercise and fantastic views.
Our home for the evening was Colca Lodge with wonderful hot springs right there by the river. Ahhhhhhh.
Sunday morning we left Arequipa (at 8,500') by bus and headed up into the very dry western side of the Andes Mountains. Nevertheless, numerous snow-capped volcanic mountains soaring to over 20,000 feet were always just beyond the hills. Things changed slowly as we gained elevation and at our highest point we were 16,000 feet above sea level! We dropped back down into the Colca Valley to the village of Chivay and continued to our lodging, the Aranwa Lodge. Exquisite!
Up early the next morning for a 6:00 a.m. departure for the Cruz el Condor high above the Colca Canyon. The canyon, incidentally, is about 2 1/2 times deeper than the Grand Canyon at its deepest point!
At Cruz el Condor we waited barely a few minutes before the mighty condors arrived from deep in the canyon below, soaring on the currents. They are the largest birds in the world, with a wing span of over 10 feet! It was amazing to watch them soar right in front of us. A nice hike along the canyon rim (at this elevation!) gave us our exercise and fantastic views.
Our home for the evening was Colca Lodge with wonderful hot springs right there by the river. Ahhhhhhh.
The dry desert of the western side of the Andes
Snow-capped mountains soar to over 20,000 feet
Chris and Omar frame the mountain range
Vicunas! There are 4 types of Camelids in Peru and the Vicunas are the smallest.
Young Vicuna
Baby Alpaca
Herd of Alpacas and Llamas
Chivay Main Square
Enjoying Sunday afternoon in the square
Aranwa Lodge, our home for the evening
Bright colors at Aranwa Lodge
Chris, Amy, & Omar at Aranwa Lodge
Ruth in front of the living wall at Aranwa Lodge
This 90-year-old Quechau lady shows us her Alpaca
Inca Terraces cover the entire canyon area.
They are built with a layer of stone, then gravel, then sand, and finally soil.
The Inca Empire lasted a mere 100 years, but they changed the countryside dramatically.
The beginning of the Colca Canyon
Panorama to the south of Cruz el Condor
A Condor soars right beneath the 'Puma Head'
Male Condor in the sky above us
Two Condors on the Puma's Head and another trying to land
Ruth, be careful! It's a mile down to the river!
Our walk along the canyon rim
A falcon joins in the show - not to be outdone by the condors
Chris seems to get higher every time he leaps!
The Schlenker 5 at the Colca Canyon
Cactus Blossom
'Only' 5700 feet down to the river at this point
Nevado Mismi - The Continental Divide. The sharp peak on the right is the dividing line between the Pacific (on the left) and the Amazon Basin. This is the main source of the Amazon River.
Fantastic Inca Terraces above the river
Quechua Woman weaving while waiting to make a sale
Maca Church
Interior of Maca Church
Threshing Quinoa in the field
Yanque Church with Andes in the background
Sabancaya Volcano spits out a pretty good plume of smoke for us.
Babs and Libby share a dish of local ice cream
Colca Lodge on the Colca River
Terraces surround Colca Lodge
Libby and Babs at Colca Lodge
Ruth revels in the hot springs at Colca Lodge
The Inca Bridge (really was built by the Incas). Chris, Omar & Rick are there on top.
Omar and Rick cross the rickety suspension bridge
Long-haired Suri Alpaca
Alpaca Babies
Alpaca with Colca Lodge across the river
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