A Journey Through Peru - Part 4 - Colca Canyon, in search of the Andean Condor

After two days exploring Arequipa we leave early in the morning to drive through the Patapampa Pass, which reaches a height of 4,910 meters before dropping down onto the Peruvian Altiplano (high plain) with an elevation ranging from 3,700 - 4,000m above sea-level. This vast plain, that stretches into Bolivia, is home to Vicuña; a wild relative of the Alpaca and Llama.

A family of Vicuña on the Altiplano against the backdrop of the El Misti stratovolcano


Vicuña wool is the finest and softest animal fibre in the world at roughly 12-13 microns in diameter; finer than cashmere and merino wool. It is also extremely rare since Vicuña can only be sheared once every two to three years through a protected communal gathering process requiring a massive human chain to corral them. Consequently a sweater made from Vicuña wool will likely set you back about £5,000!

The Imata Stone Forest


We continue our five-hour journey by road before dropping further, into the Colca Valley, to our lodge near the small town of Chivay. Chivay sits at an elevation of a “mere” 3,635 metres but it is certainly high enough to really feel the shortness of breath that comes with the oxygen-thin atmosphere. Birds can be found seeking nectar in the plants and flowers of the lodge alongside resident Alpacas and Llamas.

A Black-throated Flowerpiercer


Giant Hummingbird

A handsome grey and black Alpaca


Another early start follows the next day as we travel to Cruz del Condor on the rim of the Colca Canyon, which here is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the USA. Here the rising sun gradually warms up the cliffs to create the thermals that allow the largest (heaviest) flying birds on earth, the Andean Condors, to soar up from their roosts.

Colca Canyon

From a photography perspective the thermals make it difficult to get a sharp shot of these magnificent birds since they are mostly shrouded in a heat haze when flying below us but thankfully the haze is less noticeable in the shots taken with the birds above the canyon rim.

A juvenile Andean Condor waits for the thermals to build 
(if you look carefully you can see the heat-haze behind the bird)

An adult Andean Condor

We leave the rim and head back to our lodge and I have another boyhood dream ticked off of my list.



 

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