Day 228
18 hours on the bus! Yet another Cruz del Sur coach trip was waiting for us on this day in late December. Our destination was Arequipa.
We arrived very late and quickly checked into Marlon’s House hostel right in the city center. A good night’s sleep was waiting for us.
Day 229
The next morning we were about to go on a two day tour to the second deepest canyon in the world: The Colca Canyon.
From Arequipa it was a mere drive up into the Andes climbing up to about 5000m. We got plenty of breathtaking vistas of the high platoes and the snow capped mountains and volcanoes like Ubinas, Mismi, Misti, Chachani, active Sabancaya and Ampato.
At Pampas Cañahuas (3500 m), a national reserve, we even got plenty of opportunities to spot lovely vicunas, groups of llamas and alpacas–they’re all South American camels with slight differences in appearance and character. One cuter than the other.
Later on down at 3600m we arrived at Chivay, the final place for the day. We had lunch, and dropped by our lodging. I have to say I didn’t think it would be that cold. But it was. But summer just had started a few days ago…
The afternoon hours we visited Hot Springs of the Colca Valley with various pools. The scenery was blurred thanks to the masses of rain that were pouring down.
For dinner we went to a El Horno were we enjoyed some traditional Peruvian/Andean music and dancing.
Day 230
After our 6am breakfast we headed down towards Colca Canyon. Just driving down the dirt road along the edge of the canyon for two hours offered stunning lookouts of the valley and canyon.
At the famous Condor Cross, we appreciated the fly of condors, the biggest birds in the world.
When driving back to Chivay we stopped a number of times to get additional nice views of the river and valley. I particularly liked the ancient pre Inca terraces that are still being used by local farmers to grow their crops.
We even briefly stopped at a small town to explore their colonial church and market.
After lunch we embarked on a 4 hours drive back to Arequipa: Yet again with majestic vistas!
It didn’t feel like it, but it was Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas!
We had awesome dinner and fine wine at top notch Zig Zag Restaurant in downtown Arequipa.
Day 231
Wikipedia states:
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country. Arequipa lies in the Andes mountains, at an altitude of 2,335 meters aabove sea level. The former snow-capped volcano El Misti overlooks the city. The city has many colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock, from which it gets the nickname La Ciudad Blanca (“The White City”). The historic centre of Arequipa was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, in recognition of its architecture and historic integrity.
It was Christmas day and the three of us spent most of the time relaxing in our room. Plus a little bit of sightseeing in the downtown area.
Day 232
The day started off being very bright and sunny. We got a few opportunities to glance at the magnificent volcanoes close by.
We also took the chance to explore some further part of the city. Particularly we were interested in the numerous churches and awesome Santa Catalina Monastery.
Other fancy places we visited were the Plaza de Armas, which is located in the heart of the historic centre of Arequipa and founding the centre of itself. Also: City Hall, The portal of San Agustín, the portals of the Cathedral, the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, San Francisco Temple, Church of Santo Domingo.
At 9pm we took the Cruz del Sur 10 hours overnight bus to Cusco.
The South of Peru: The Andes, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and Christmas
Day 228
18 hours on the bus! Yet another Cruz del Sur coach trip was waiting for us on this day in late December. Our destination was Arequipa.
We arrived very late and quickly checked into Marlon’s House hostel right in the city center. A good night’s sleep was waiting for us.
Day 229
The next morning we were about to go on a two day tour to the second deepest canyon in the world: The Colca Canyon.
From Arequipa it was a mere drive up into the Andes climbing up to about 5000m. We got plenty of breathtaking vistas of the high platoes and the snow capped mountains and volcanoes like Ubinas, Mismi, Misti, Chachani, active Sabancaya and Ampato.
At Pampas Cañahuas (3500 m), a national reserve, we even got plenty of opportunities to spot lovely vicunas, groups of llamas and alpacas–they’re all South American camels with slight differences in appearance and character. One cuter than the other.
Later on down at 3600m we arrived at Chivay, the final place for the day. We had lunch, and dropped by our lodging. I have to say I didn’t think it would be that cold. But it was. But summer just had started a few days ago…
The afternoon hours we visited Hot Springs of the Colca Valley with various pools. The scenery was blurred thanks to the masses of rain that were pouring down.
For dinner we went to a El Horno were we enjoyed some traditional Peruvian/Andean music and dancing.
Day 230
After our 6am breakfast we headed down towards Colca Canyon. Just driving down the dirt road along the edge of the canyon for two hours offered stunning lookouts of the valley and canyon.
At the famous Condor Cross, we appreciated the fly of condors, the biggest birds in the world.
When driving back to Chivay we stopped a number of times to get additional nice views of the river and valley. I particularly liked the ancient pre Inca terraces that are still being used by local farmers to grow their crops.
We even briefly stopped at a small town to explore their colonial church and market.
After lunch we embarked on a 4 hours drive back to Arequipa: Yet again with majestic vistas!
It didn’t feel like it, but it was Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas!
We had awesome dinner and fine wine at top notch Zig Zag Restaurant in downtown Arequipa.
Day 231
Wikipedia states:
It was Christmas day and the three of us spent most of the time relaxing in our room. Plus a little bit of sightseeing in the downtown area.
Day 232
The day started off being very bright and sunny. We got a few opportunities to glance at the magnificent volcanoes close by.
We also took the chance to explore some further part of the city. Particularly we were interested in the numerous churches and awesome Santa Catalina Monastery.
Other fancy places we visited were the Plaza de Armas, which is located in the heart of the historic centre of Arequipa and founding the centre of itself. Also: City Hall, The portal of San Agustín, the portals of the Cathedral, the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, San Francisco Temple, Church of Santo Domingo.
At 9pm we took the Cruz del Sur 10 hours overnight bus to Cusco.