Colca Canyon

In the next few days, we set off towards Colca Canyon. Somehow, when you think of the term 'canyon', you automatically associate it with red earth and deep vertical ravines like the Grand Canyon. But it's the opposite with Colca Canyon. Everything is green and vegetables are grown on terraces. At first, we needed a night to acclimatize. Silke and I had slight headaches, but it wasn't too bad and the problems were gone the next morning. First, we splashed around in the Banos termales Sallihua. World class! Three small steaming hot stone pools and an incredible view. In the afternoon, it started to get crowded and we set off.

Next stop, "Mirador Cruz del Cóndor". A ranger told us that the best time for observation is 8:00 a.m. Pretty groggy, we set off the next day to admire the aerial show. Although we were not alone, countless sprinters brought sleepy and sometimes altitude sickness-stricken tourists, but the condor show was very impressive.

 Besides condors, active volcanoes, and numerous hot springs, Colca Canyon also has a geyser.

Naturally, we visited this geyser. Well, of course, it doesn't compare to the geysers of del Tatio, and the beastly smell of sulfur doesn't make it any more sympathetic.

 Actually, we wanted to go on a hike in the canyon.

This plan failed. Maggi was simply too big for the local guarded parking lots. At first, we were a bit frustrated, but that went away over time. Next destination: Peru's coast and the Nazca Lines.