Alpacas, good food, and the depths of the Colca Canyon

Forewarning: this post is a bit long. We had a fantastic first week in Peru and of course, we want to share it with you :).

We started our time in Peru in the second largest city of the country: Arequipa, at an altitude of 2,400m. We had heard before that a stay in Arequipa is worth it and that the city is very beautiful. So we booked a hostel with some "bells and whistles" like a large garden, library, and bar for 4 nights.

Every morning, the sun was shining with a blue sky, so we had the perfect T-shirt weather. We took advantage of this by doing some sports (Tim went running, I went to yoga) and hanging out in the hostel garden - simply wonderful! In the afternoons, we explored the city center of Arequipa, which is known for its beautiful architecture. Many buildings are made of white stone, with a splash of color here and there - especially in the Santa Catalina Monastery, which we also visited. We quickly found some great restaurants that we frequented daily for their affordable lunch menus (a few euros per person). Around 2 pm, thick clouds rolled over the surrounding mountains and volcanoes, and it instantly became cool. The cooler temperatures are something we have to get used to in the highlands of Peru. At least now we can finally use our warmer clothes and not carry them around aimlessly. In the evenings, we usually cooked comfortably in the hostel, except for one exception when we took a Peruvian cooking class. It was a lot of fun, and now vegetarian ceviche and Pisco Sour are part of our repertoire. Another highlight was the llamas and alpacas, which graze freely in a field in the city and can be visited in a petting zoo called "Mundo del Apaca".

Arequipa is also a popular starting point for a visit to the Colca Valley and Colca Canyon. Before our arrival in Peru, we debated whether to do a two or three-day trek through the canyon. However, since we didn't have waterproof hiking shoes or suitable backpacks, we were leaning towards a "no". Also, I (Tabea) wasn't sure if I would be up for a strenuous multi-day trek at an altitude of over 3,000m. The only alternative would be a tourist bus tour to the canyon, but we weren't particularly excited about that either. Once we were there, we sought advice from two agencies with good reviews on TripAdvisor and learned that due to the ongoing rainy season, no trekking tours were being offered - so it would have been canceled anyway. Agency number two then offered us a very promising 2-day tour, which included some short hikes and a bike tour along the canyon. We were impressed, hesitated briefly because of the relatively high price compared to our previous travel budget, and finally booked it. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of our trip so far!

With six people (us, an Italian couple, and an English couple), we set off early in the morning of the first day in a mini-bus with a driver and guide towards the Colca Canyon. The mood was instantly great, and we felt well taken care of. After a stop where we had coca tea and coca candies (delicious!) for the first time to prevent altitude sickness, we embarked on the first hike in an area with impressive volcanic rock formations. This area is not part of the Colca Valley but conveniently located on the way. As with all the other hikes, we had the entire place to ourselves as a group, which made the nature experience even more magical. On the way to the Colca Valley (the drive takes several hours), we were able to see countless alpacas, llamas, and vicuñas, and finally enjoy a delicious lunch in Chivay, the capital of the Colca Valley region. In the afternoon, we headed to our lodge for the night in a small village at the entrance of the canyon, which is adjacent to the Colca Valley. Here, too, we made several stops for great views into the valley. The lodge we stayed at is operated exclusively by the agency, so the six of us were the only guests in the house, which was a bit creepy but somehow beautiful. We hiked a bit further "down" into the Colca Valley, encountered some donkeys, pigs, and sheep along the way, and got our first glimpse of the canyon. When a strong thunderstorm moved over the valley, we were luckily already sitting by the fireplace having dinner and then fell into bed, satisfied and tired.

The second day started around 5:30 am because the early morning is the best time to observe condors in the canyon. We weren't sure if we would even see any specimens of these giant birds (with a wingspan of up to 4m) because strong sunlight is preferable. The weather conditions were not ideal with a relatively cloudy sky, but we were lucky. A few condors glided peacefully below us, and we enjoyed the rising sun on the horizon and of course, the view of the 1,200m deep canyon. Then we got on our bikes and embarked on a 15km tour along the edge of the canyon. Most of the route was downhill, and it was a huge fun for everyone. Another hike in the canyon to a valley with a small lagoon surrounded by hundreds of cacti was the final activity of our tour, and we enjoyed it very much, especially since the clouds made way for the sun once again. After lunch at our lodge, we said goodbye to the rest of the group and didn't go back to Arequipa but instead took another minibus to our next destination, which we will tell you about in the next post.

The two days in the Colca Valley were definitely two of the most beautiful days of our trip so far. We were incredibly lucky with the weather (rainy season almost without rain), the group, the guide, the driver, and the food were excellent, and the program put together by the agency introduced us to fascinating sights and places in the region. Thumbs up for Colca Trek and our guide Augusto!