Colca Canyon

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Early on Saturday morning we set off from Chivay to the Colca Canyon, said to be the deepest canyon in the world, 3200 metres at its deepest point, over twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. We went to a viewpoint called Cruz Del Condor to see condors flying through the canyon. Condors are the largest of all flying birds and they hunt early in the morning, soaring gracefully on the thermals as the air warms.

We initially saw one or two condors but they were too far away to see properly. Then one came along and rested on a rock near to where we were standing and soon there were six or seven visible at a time, circling the area in front of us. Some even appeared just above the road next to the canyon and flew right over our heads. It was amazing to see just how big these birds are, and a crowd grew around us, people staring into the canyon and trying to get the best viewpoint, cameras constantly clicking away.

From here we spent six hours on the road to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca, from where we would travel by boat to the Uros Islands and Taquile Island.

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