Colca Canyon

As a side trip from Arequipa I visited the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world at 1 - 2000 metres deep. Arequipa is sat at around 2335 metres above sea level, and that was already giving me trouble. The highest point that I reached on the canyon was 4800 metres above sea level, I felt sick as a dog at that level! I felt queasy and shakey as I walked a few metres to a viewpoint to see some volcanoes. Still, at least I didn't need oxygen like the woman next to me on the bus! I tried chewing coca leaves too but they didn't quite do the trick.

As well as some beautiful scenery and volcanoes, I saw some very cute llamas and alpacas, which are very characterful. I also had my first sighting of vicuñas, the wild relative to the alpacha, with very expensive wool! We finished the day up with a dip in a hot spring built into the valley. As scenic as it was, the water was nowhere near hot enough for me, especially as the air temperature was bloody freezing at that altitude! We then spent the night in the picturesque town of Chivay.

On the 2'nd day in the canyon, we headed out early to the Cruz del Condor to see the famous Andean Condor, one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan of up to 3.3 metres. The scenery was also stunning here, with extremely steep and deep valleys that you can't even see the bottom of. We also passed through a beautiful valley covered in the pre-columbian stepped terraces that you see all over the andean region of peru. These terraces have survived for over 500 years and many are still in use today. We stopped to try some sanky juice, a fruit that only grows in the Andes. It's a fruit from a cactus that was a bit like a cross between a kiwi and a dragon fruit. Apparently it's very good for you, and it was very tasty!Read more