Blogs from Colca Canyon, Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 17

Colca Canyon : A canyon that is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. It´s about a 6 hr bus ride from AREQUIPA. In AREQUIPA, everyone tries to sell you a two day tour to the canyon but from what i´ve heard, the tours are not that great, they are expensive and it´s all done in a hurry. The Cheaper way to visit the canyon is to take a public bus from Arequipa, from the Bus Terrestre (a quick taxi ride from the city center at 3 soles), remember, you should call to make a bus reservation 24 hours ahead bc they get full rather quickly. There are three bus companies that take you 1) Andalucia and I forgot the other two. You can easily get information on how to visit the canyon ... read more

After a pretty comfy night bus ride we arrive in Arequipa at about lunchtime, only one mishap with the bus as it broke down about 20mins from town - hmmmm but another bus did follow on and we got to the hotel - still pretty impressed with them all as quite nice and all pretty clean!! So today is a free day in Arequipa and Dave and I head to town there is not a huge amount to see but lots of markets - bought a few more pressies - I think Mia dn Ellie will be taking my backpack home hee hee!!! I got Dave and I alpaca socks - soo soft and warm - perfect for the upcoming Inca trail!! It was Jack 23rd b´day today - man I am feeling a tad old ... read more

So, after an eventful weekend in Huacachina, it was off to Arequipa down the coast where we planned to potter around for a while. We got the overnight bus with some friends from New Zealand called Nick and Hayley who we have actuallytravelled quite a bit with since. Arequipa is really pretty and sits below a volcano called El Misti. It is also really bloody high sitting at 2,380 metres (7800 feet) above sea level. They say in Peru that you should try and spend a few days in the really high cities to get used to the altitude to try and combat altitude sickness, but I really felt it in Arequipa. I just felt dizzy and had pains in my tummy. Andrea kept getting pins and needles and we all felt rather strange. Anyway, because ... read more

During the 30-minute flight from Puno to Arequipa we had an excellent view of the Chachani volcano, one of several that surround the white city of Arequipa. This second largest city of Peru is the home of the Museo Sanctuary where Juanita the ice maiden rests. This Inca princess was sacrificed on the summit of the Ampato volcano over 500 years ago and her frozen remains were discovered in 1995. En route to the Colca Canyon we drove through herds of llama, aplaca and vicuna (all members of the camelid family) roaming safely in the national reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca. During the drive to the pass at 4500 metres we were instructed in the art of chewing coca leaves but experienced little effect. The summit offered excellent views of the surrounding volanoes. Each available ... read more

I just returned last night from a four day hike in Colca Canyon in the Arequipa region of Peru. I had made some friends at the hostel where I was staying, Anna and Patrick, who invited me to tag along with them. They had a tent and a small cooker stove so the plan was to really do it on our own. Many people take a a tour with a guide and maybe even some mules to haul heavy stuff. I havent ever really done a serious hike so I wasnt sure what I was in for. For a few details about Colca Canyon, it is more than two times deeper than the grand canyon in the US, but not as steep of a drop in, and it is still inhabited by small communities of people ... read more