Colca Valley, Peru

We set off on what is about a three-hour drive from Arequipa to Yanque (elevation 11,211 feet) in the Colca Valley. Colcas are mud and stone caves that stored crops, seeds and occasionally human bodies.  A portion of the drive was through the National Reserve of Salines and Aguada Blanca (Pampas Cañahuas). We stopped several times to see the beautiful vicuñas in their natural habitat. Vicuñas are one of four groups of camelids in South America.  They are the smallest and most sought after because they have the finest fiber in the world. The vicuñas were near extinction in the 1960s. Today, there are about 150,000 living in South America (80% in Peru). A vicuña scarf can cost upwards of $4000.

There were a stream of tourist vans/buses making the same journey and stopping at the same rests stops along the way.  We chatted with travelers from Italy, Spain, England, Belgium and the Netherlands while drinking coco tea and taking in the views. At one stop, the owner’s llama wandered in for a photo shoot.

After passing the highest point of the drive at 16,076 feet above sea level, we started to descend into the Colca Valley. In addition to drinking coco tea (an herbal remedy for altitude sickness), we also tried chewing the coco leaves. In the past, coco leaves were considered a divine plant used by the upper class and for religious ceremonies. Today, coco leaves, tea and candies are sold everywhere. As for altitude sickness, we are having mild symptoms so we are drinking a lot of water and taking it easy.

By the time we checked into the Killawasi Lodge, ate lunch and rested it was nearly 4 pm. We decided to walk around Yanque and visit the outside of the Immaculate Conception Church and saw a couple we met in Arequipa.  The four of us went for a short hike to watch the sunset, visited the Museo Yanque (a university-run museum with a nice exhibition on Inca fabrics, cranial deformation, agriculture and a replica of “Juanita”), and then we ate dinner together.

The following morning we drove to the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor with a few stops along the way to see examples of pre-Incan agricultural terraces and amazing views. At one stop our guide scrapped into our palms a white granular bug  (cochineal insects which she called lice) off a cactus plant.  When crushed it sprays a bright red liquid. The insects are scraped off, dried and used to create the natural dye E140.

Viewing the condors was spectacular!  We stayed for about hour and saw around 10 condors and many hawks. In addition, we saw the couple from Austria, a couple we met at the Monasterio de Santa Catalina and the couple we ate dinner with the prior night.

Then we drove to La Granja del Colca lodge in Cabanaconde to enjoyed the cliff top views over a beer and quicos (giant corn kernels that are soaked in water and then fried).

On the drive back to our lodge, we passed through small towns, made a few stops and ate a late lunch in Chivay. We were too full to eat dinner and tried to get caught up on email (when the wifi was working).

We planned for a rest day and did just that in the morning. In the afternoon, We went on a 3.5 hour hike that passed the Oqolle’s Amphitheater (pre-Incan terraces), crossed the Sifón Bridge (where we saw more examples of colcas and it was rather windy), wandered around at the Uyu Uyu ruins (a 500 year old village that served as the headquarters for the Collaguas and Cabanas tribes), dipped a toe into the thermal baths (they were closing), and returned to the hotel as the sunset.  We could see the moon, Venus, Mars and so many stars.