Arequipa: Beautiful Colca Canyon and the best almond peak in the world

Once again, we have landed in a beautiful and very pleasant Peruvian city. After a short stay in Puno, we have remained here for a longer time. We have always enjoyed being able to stay in one place for several days. This allows one to immerse in the 'everyday life' and also engage in some less typical tourist activities such as climbing, massages, drinking a lot of coffee, and indulging in the best almond peak in the world (twice) (mhhhhm :)).

Of course, we also visited the famous Colca Canyon, and it was stunning. We booked a 2-day tour and were glad we had that extra day. The Colca Canyon is quite far from Arequipa, so we didn't have to cram everything into one day. We stayed overnight in a lodge that not only had a life-sized wooden condor (these birds are huge!), but also a fireplace. So, in the evening, we sat by the fire and enjoyed a fine hot chocolate while reflecting on the day’s experiences. The next morning, we got up early so we could see the condors. At the first viewpoint, we had no luck. However, when we rode down into the valley a bit on our bikes, we were suddenly surprised by two condors gliding higher into the sky. Wow, what luck! :-) The ride on the bike was also very impressive. The entire valley is filled with terraces that have been cultivated for centuries. This gives the valley a special 'appearance' that we really liked.

From the end of October, I was traveling alone again. Since I liked Arequipa so much, I stayed for another week longer. During that time, I probably visited every alley in Arequipa and tried out many different coffee shops ;-). Additionally, I took a day tour to a small salt flat, where we took fun photos with the group and I could enjoy the barren (but beautiful!) landscape of the Altiplano.