The Colca Canyon

While my parents were visiting, round about the second weekend of August, we made a visit to the Colca Canyon. This canyon is located about a five hour drive, mostly on switchbacks and gravel roads, from Arequipa, and is known for two things: it is the second-deepest canyon in the world (the deepest, Cotahuasi, is also in Peru, about another eight hours of driving past Colca on gravel roads), and it is home to a striking number of enormous condors. The song "El Condor Pasa," made famous by Paul Simon, is like a local anthem and apparently originated in the Colca area.


Driving out of Arequipa, on the way to Colca, you first pass a vicuña reserve. Vicuñas are by far the cutest of the camelids, and their wool is incredibly expensive. A scarf made from vicuña wool can go for anywhere from US $600-$1000, and shawls and coats are astronomically expensive.


Once past the vicuña reserve, we leave the highway and embark down a gravel road. The altitude here is already over 3000 metres, and there is a rest stop where food, herbal teas, and the usual tourist paraphernalia are sold. One of the teas, said to help with altitude sickness, is made with a plant called retama, which makes my pulse race and tastes like . . . meat. Never a good quality in your herbal tea.

Along we bumped and bounced on the gravel roads, Joffre's head lolling in his car seat, Alec vomiting yogurt from time to time, passing grazing llamas and alpacas,


alpine (andean?) meadows, a glacier,


and eventually the 5000 metre above sea level (masl) mark.


We stopped for a moment to gaze down into the valley, and poor Alec, already motion sick and altitude sick, drooped lethargically and threw up some more.

We made the long journey down into the town of Chivay, which sits at the east end of the valley, as we visited it (the river continues further east, and there are more towns along it, but the main tourist stretch of the river runs west from Chivay).


The town sits at 3600 masl, which was fine for us but still a dizzying altitude for many tourists. Orange and grey clouds rolled in and it rained - sleeted even - as we pulled through Chivay and headed the half-hour or so along the river to our destination, the Colca Lodge.


We had to cross the river, and then twist and turn along more bumpy roads till finally we found ourselves at the lodge. Because of the nature of the geography, we drove in from above the lodge, and descended a staircase and crossed a little bridge to get to registration, while porters brought down our bags. In classic "chic trek" style, we were invited to relax and take a cup of tea while reception practically registered for us. The rooms had lofts, with two comfortable twin beds downstairs and two more up. Snowy robes and towels were available, both for use in the room and the hot springs, natural thermal baths located a short walk from the rooms. The baths are built to look as natural as possible, incorporated into the canyon wall stone, and carefully regulated to have perfect temperatures ranging from "bathtub" to "almost-but-not-quite-scalding." Each pool is named after a nearby volcano.


Once checked in, we relaxed, soaked, recuperated, and eventually ate a deluxe buffet dinner before crashing out in our rooms.

The second day at the lodge, Mom and the kids and I didn't leave. We spent the whole day playing, drinking lemonade, sitting in the hot springs, and relaxing. We ate an excellent lunch, and in the afternoon Aaron and I took the boys on a pony ride. Aaron and Dad had gone for a long hike earlier in the day, so the late afternoon was a good time to rest. We had one more soak in the hot springs, and then went up to the bar to hang out with Joffre's new hero, Pedro the barman,


drink a bit of wine, feed the kids, and relax. We took turns eating dinner, as the children were sleeping, and then finished off with a game of Settlers of Catan.

The final morning was a bit hectic, as we had to eat breakfast, pack out, and be ready to go with our driver by 7 am. We were supposed to pick up a local guide in the tiny town of Yanque, but he didn't show. Scared of missing the condors, who leave their nesting area to search for food by about 9 am, we headed off down the valley. After a couple more small stops, we got to the Cruz del Condor lookout by about 8:30. We saw three condors - some people claim to see as many as fifteen on a good day, at the right time - and it was breathtaking.





Colca condors are said to be the biggest in the world, with a wingspan of up to 3 metres, or 10 feet. Even Alec was impressed by the enormous birds flying overhead. By 9 o'clock, true to form, the birds had pretty much abandoned the lookout area, so we headed back to Chivay. We drove back on the opposite side of the river, which gave us a unique view and the opportunity to see more charming little villages.




In one such village, the van got stuck in a rut across the road, and we had to use a board and some passing Chilean tourists to get out.

We ate lunch in a lovely buffet restaurant in Chivay, and stocked up on snacks and drinks before making the long, winding, bumpy trip back to Arequipa. We finally arrived home around 5:00 in the afternoon. It was tiring, but overall a beautiful and unforgettable journey.