Colca Canyon

---

I’ve had many different versions of my name so far while travelling. For some reason people in Australia just couldn’t understand me when I said White even though I was perfectly understood the rest of the time. In some countries I get ‘oh…like Lohan,” quite a bit but in South America they take Lindsay for Daisy or Lency. Today however my name seemed to be Hassler, just the one name Maddona stlyee. The guide who picked me up for my overnight trip to Colca Canyon kept asking me if I was sure that Hassler wasn’t my name, maybe my last name. I was pretty sure. So after a phone call or two he decided that even though I wouldn’t confess to being a Hassler I was still the right person for the trip and I was allowed on the bus.

The mini bus picked up the rest of the passengers and the multi national group of us set off into the countryside. Arequipa is at altitude at 2350m (nearly 8000ft for those working in old money), above sea level but today we were going to be travelling higher. I hadn’t felt the effects of altitude as yet but the guide warned us that we may experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea. What a fun trip this was going to be!

The scenery around Arequipa is desert and mountains, bleak reddish hills with little or no vegetation. As the bus travelled higher a little greenery crept into the countryside. Firstly some cactus then some low thorny bushes and small clumps of bleached grass. After an hour or so we reached a plateau where the grass was slightly thicker. Here I spotted my first vicuna, a type of llama. A small herd was grazing by the roadside. The wool from vicuna is highly prized and extremely expensive (apparently the finest wool in the world). A small scarf may set you back £400.

We soon stopped for a break at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It of course had a tourist market outside. Anywhere tourists stop in Peru (even in the middle of nowhere) you’re guaranteed to find stalls and the obligatory child in traditional dress with llama ready to pose for pictures (for 1 Sol - 25p). I rather like the touristy stalls. I can’t keep away. They have lovely scarves made from ‘maybe Alpaca’ but they are so cheap and cosy too that their authenticity doesn’t matter. I loved the embroidery too. In this part of Peru the older women wear the traditional dress, not just for the tourists. In the fields you can see them in full gathered skirts down to their ankle with a wide band of decoration at the hem, usually colourful embroidery and ribbons of different material. They look far too pretty to be anywhere near a field in my opinion.


The road turned to a dirt track for the next hour and we bumped our way over higher plateaus with grazing llama and alpaca in the distance (I really can’t tell the difference). As we rounded a corner a woman held up a rope blocking the road, her small children holding the rope on the other side. Our driver slowed and handed her a half finished bottle of energy drink and an empanada he’d bought at the last stop. She gladly took it and lowered the rope, not a word passed between them.

This is volcano country and there was always an extinct snowy peak in the distance to catch your eye. Mid morning the bus stopped at the highest point on our journey. At 4388m up we were at eye level with the surrounding peaks, in fact at nearly 14,500ft it’s almost the height I’d skydived at in Taupo which is a little hard to get your head around. As I stepped off the bus the whole scene began to spin and I could feel the air was thinner. I felt drunk but without the giggles. In fact I need to say it was a little scary. I doubt there was any real chance of full altitude sickness but feeling suddenly out of control of your body was very unnerving. I took a few snaps then got back on the bus where it felt a little easier.

By lunchtime we had arrived in Chivay, a village at the top of the Colca Valley. It was a traditional village of mud brick houses and thatched roofs on the outskirts leading into basic hotels, a main square, church and local market. We had a buffet lunch of Peruvian food which was delicious but I have no idea what the dishes were. I had bean stews, ceviche, chicken casseroles, sweet potato fritters, banana fritters, delicious rice dishes and vegetables. We had been told that it’s better to eat lightly if we’re not used to altitude but I don’t think anyone on the tour took the advice after seeing the buffet laid before us.

We left our bags at the hotels then headed off on the bus for a small walk through the valley then onto the local spa. The bus dropped us off in a small village of mud brick houses and dirt track streets. The surrounding fields were terraced and dated from pre-Inca times, some still in use, others had been abandoned. It was pleasantly warm here and just perfect for a little stroll. The path had amazing view over the Colca River and the fields on either side. Colca means storage in Quechua (the local language). Walking over a bridge over a small gorge we could see the naturally occurring holes in the cliff where people used to store corn and crops in days gone by. As we walked further we passed people working in the fields with their donkeys grazing nearby, fields of corn and potatoes, dry stone walls with tiny cactus planted on the top and not a car for miles. It was very tranquil and a scene from the past. These people still lived a hard rural life working the fields, not all had donkeys and very few had even a hand pulled cart. It was manual labour all the way here and I don’t think I saw a person under 40 in the fields.

The bus met us at the end of the walk and took us back to Chivay and to the local hot springs spa. It was a complex of 5 open air pools all fed from the local volcanic springs. There was a very social atmosphere. People sat around chatting at the pool side half in half out of the water. The water was gloriously warm even though as the sun had gone down the outside temperature had plummeted to well below chilly. I happily luxuriated in the pool gazing up at the velvet black sky dotted with twinkling stars.

I did however feel pretty chilled and had a splitting altitude headache at the restaurant for dinner afterwards. There was no heating and I gradually began to feel shivery. Even a cup or two of Coca tea didn’t help. I stayed for a little of the music and the traditional dancing before heading back early to bed and for a heat and a sleep.

Next morning I was feeling fighting fit and ready for the highlight of the trip, Colca Canyon and the resident Condors. The guide kept billing this as the largest flying bird but I had already seen that in New Zealand (I think the Albatross beats the Condors wingspan buy a few inches). But still I was excited to see the Condor, I love watching birds of prey, even back in Scotland, there’s something very impressive about them.

We were dropped a short distance from the main viewing area for a little walk along the edge of the canyon. Colca Canyon is twice the depth of the Grand Canyon in parts at 3500m deep. The walls on either side are not vertical like the Grand Canyon but it’s still an impressive sight. As we walked we could see 6 Condors gliding around the viewing area, just small black specs but all too soon they were gone. I felt we’d missed our chance. They only appear in the morning from 8-10 am. They’re not fed to attract them so it’s just luck if you manage to see them here. A little disappointed we walked on. The viewing area was packed. People were perched on every spare inch of rock to get the best view over the vast canyon hoping to spot a Condor and get a snap.

Thankfully we had time to hang around. The condors returned. Six huge birds glided over the canyon and over the cliffs. One adult with the familiar black colour and white collar, the rest were brown coloured juveniles. Still, they were impressive; a Condor wingspan is over 3m long. They circled close to the view point and over the crowds. I could see every claw and feather. They stayed for 20 minutes and after grabbing a few pictures I just enjoyed the show. The condor hardly ever flaps its wings, it just glides on the up currents from the canyon. It was thrilling to see them up close in their natural habitat (even though there were another 100 people there too).

The bus pounded out the miles back to Arequipa and we arrived late in the afternoon. To round off the trip I went for dinner with 2 of the lovely people from the tour on a balcony overlooking the main square and the Cathedral. I enjoyed a glass or two of red wine with lomo saltado, a local Peruvian dish of strips of beef, onion and tomato on chips with rice. And very tasty it was too.

---

Photos

When in Rome...
It's impossible to go to Peru and not have your picture taken with a llama or alpaca (not that I can tell the difference).