Condor Flight Show in Colca Canyon

After the overnight bus ride from Cusco to the white city of Arequipa, we spent the first day exploring the center. With a free walking tour, you always get some great information about the history of the city, so we joined one here as well. In addition to the great colonial buildings made of white volcanic ash, Arequipa offers beautiful weather for this Sunday. After the changing and cooler days in Cusco, this is just to our taste.

For the second day of our stay, we were initially a little unsure about the planning. Actually, the "nearby" Colca Canyon with the condors is a must for every tourist who comes here, on the other hand, the tours start again at three in the morning, and we have already seen condors several times in the past few months. In order not to just hang around in the city for a day, we still signed up.

So get up extremely early again and take the minibus first for three hours. We made a first stop at the pass at 4,800 meters - the surrounding volcanoes look great in the dawn. Especially the active Sabancaya produces a beautiful cloud in the morning sky. Then there's breakfast - unfortunately it consisted only of bread and spreads - and we continue. After a few pee or souvenir stops in the Colca Valley, we arrived at the actual destination, Colca Canyon. We left the bus and were able to take a short trail along some viewpoints.

On the first one, we saw a condor flying past us and then peacefully resting on a rock ledge - a good photo opportunity. When we continued walking, several condors flew over our heads together - so close that you could hear the air flowing through their dense feathers. Very impressive to experience the animals so closely. We are glad we made the trip because we have never seen the rulers of the sky in such an impressive way before. As an addition, we also saw 2-3 different other birds of prey that joined the flight show.

On the way back, there was a stop at the thermal springs, which we gladly accepted. Despite the beautiful weather and pleasant temperatures, we once again welcomed a "hot bath". Then it was time for the lunch buffet - this time more abundant than breakfast, probably because it was not included in the price - and a long drive back to Arequipa.

We are already on our way to the next stop in Nazca, where we want to see the famous lines from above with an airplane.