Majestic condors bring visitors to Peru's Colca Canyon

Condors with a wing span up to 10 feet glide through the mountain pass from both sides of Colca Canyon in the Highlands of Peru. We watch these gigantic birds put on a spectacular show from our perch on a rock wall rising up from the canyon.

Only later do we learn some interesting facts: Condors can live up to 150 years and, most surprisingly, they eat only dead animals, scavenging wherever they can.

We’re at a spot called Cruz del Condor or Condor’s Cross, a natural lookout on the edge of the canyon. At an elevation of 10,784 feet, it is an excellent place to watch condors soar gracefully on rising thermals formed when warm currents rise from the canyon floor. 

Looking down into the canyon

No one can predict exactly when or how many condors may perform their aerial show on any given day, but the largest crowds come to view the spectacle early in the morning when the majestic birds are hunting for food.

The valley offers stunning views of the Andean landscape. It’s a popular location for hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers, but what entices most people to this region is the opportunity to see the powerful Andean condors in flight.

We also marvel because it’s where the mighty Amazon River begins. Colca River starts high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and flows to the Pacific Ocean in stages, forming a scenic canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.  Snow-melt from the 16,800-foot high volcano Mismi is a distant source of the Amazon.

Terrace farming originated by the Incas is still practiced today.

Terraces built by Inca and pre-Inca cultures are still cultivated along the canyon walls, and the name Colca refers to small granaries built into the cliffs that were used as storage for potatoes, quinoa, and other crops grown on the terraces.

Walking along the canyon rim.

We take a short hike along the canyon’s rim. Looking at down into the valley and across the canyon we spot several backpackers trekking on the rugged, often barren trails.

This lupine resembles
our Texas bluebonnet.

But we walk easily among wildflowers on our overlook trail before returning to Colca Lodge, our hotel oasis where natural hot springs welcome us back to civility.

Peru is an increasingly popular destination for U.S. travelers.

The road to Cruz del Condor in Peru.

With bustling cities like Lima and  Arequipa, historic attractions such as Cusco and Machu Picchu, a varied geology that includes volcanoes and the Andes Mountain, native cultures of the Highlands region, an expanding culinary scene, and the enormous Amazon River, Peru is one of our favorite destinations in South America.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

 

New small-ship cruises for adventure travelers

International Expeditions has announced four new small-ship cruise offerings led by knowledgeable expedition leaders and guides, adding options in Ecuador, Cuba, Patagonia's Northern Archipelago and Raja Ampat for 2016.   “Each IE journey is carefully planned to let curious, adventurous travelers delve deep into nature, history and culture,” said Bill Robison, Director of Program Development. “The new small-ship cruises we are introducing allow our guests a chance to discover natural wonders in a really personal, authentic manner, while enjoying extraordinary accommodations aboard well-appointed yachts.”   Sunset on the Amazon International Expeditions' new 10-day Ecuador: Andes & Amazon tour combines boutique accommodations — including a 17th century hacienda — in the Andean countryside with a four-night cruise deep into the Amazon aboard the all-suite M/V Anakonda for a comprehensive immersion into nature! This active adventure allows for almost daily nature walks and boating excursions, along with opportunities to stroll through famed Quito, Otavalo and quaint villages. Trekking in the Amazon jungle   IE's 12-day Northern Archipelago & Chiloe Island tour was crafted to help travelers discover a seldom-visited region connecting the Andes and Pacific with daily excursions surveying volcanoes, forests and glacial lakes interspersed along the Andean foothills. From the temperate rainforests of Tepuhueico Park to the enormous, 30,000-year-old San Rafael Glacier, northern Patagonia blends extraordinary wildlife and natural beauty with the charming culture of the Chilotes. Under the guidance of local guides, guests discover distinct Chiloé Island, a small isle populated by scattered villages where homes, boats and the famed churches — a collective UNESCO World Heritage Site — are still built using the techniques taught by generations past. Serving as a delightful base for five nights is the family-owned Skorpios II.    The Square in Old Town Havana Travelers cruise from French-influenced Cienfuegos to Havana aboard the 48-guest Panorama or 46-guest Panorama II on IE's new 10-day Cuba Voyage, anchoring for four nights in Old Havana. In addition to a walking tour of 500-year-old Trinidad, along the way, guests stop on the remote western Guanahacibes Peninsula, venture into the Viñales Valley, and explore Cuba's Cayo Largo with a local naturalist. Other highlights of this people-to-people itinerary include learning about Cuban medicine, dance lessons, local choir and theater performances, pottery workshops, visits to museums, and calling on artists in their studios.   1950s vintage cars still attract attention in Cuba. The four isolated islands of Raja Ampat — Misoool, Salawati, Batanta, and Wiageo — are surrounded by over 1,500 small islands and cays, as well as the world's most biodiverse marine region. During International Expeditions' new 17-day Raja Ampat adventure, featuring a cruise aboard the nine-cabin WAOW, guests enjoy naturalist-guided snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding excursions among waters boasting more recorded fish, coral (75 percent of all known coral species) and mollusk species than anywhere else on Earth.   International Expeditions has specialized in small-group nature journeys to Earth’s most exhilarating destinations. A pioneer of environmentally responsible travel, IE is committed to preserving natural habitats and improving the welfare of the people and communities it visits.   International Expeditions has been named to Travel + Leisure's list of “World's Best” tour operators & safari outfitters seven times and to National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine's list of “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.”   Information courtesy of Emily Harley, International Expeditions. Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

 

Driving through Peru highlands to Colca Canyon

Jarenta plant is 100 years old
and hard as a rock.

As we continue our day-long drive to Colca Canyon in southern Peru, we ascend higher than 18,000 feet—and the effects of lower oxygen levels are definitely taking effect. When I complain of a headache, our local guide Bernice checks my palms to see of my blood vessels are turning dark. Reassured that this will pass (it does as soon as we start our descent), she points out flora including the jarenta plant, an extremely hard, large green plant resembling a rock. This plant is about 100 years old, growing very slowly in the harsh climate of this high altitude.

We pass the “under rocks,” the oldest rocks in the Andes, as well as the caldera of a volcano. Eventually we start descending, driving on a series of “switchback” roads. There’s a fair amount of traffic as we approach Chivay, largest town in the province, on the upper Colca River at the bottom of the canyon.



The land is terraced in order to grow crops on the sloping hills.

In the 15^th century, long before a group of Polish rafters descended to the river on the canyon floor in 1981 bringing it to the world’s attention, the Inca and pre-Inca cultures had developed the area agriculturally with an incredibly complex network of irrigation channels and terraces. These agricultural terraces cover the hillsides even today. Every three to four levels create different micro-climates with specific characteristics for growing crops.  The same terraces are still cultivated on this rugged terrain by the Incas just as their ancestors did.



The market in Chivay provides goods and services for local people.

We stop to walk through the Chivay market, a sort of supermarket or outdoor mall. Held once or twice a week, people come to buy everything from fresh produce to cooking oil, dish soap, brooms, clothes and shoes---even to get a haircut. The women are dressed in colorful skirts, blouses, and jackets—it looks ceremonial, but it’s what they wear every day.  We also take a peek in the church, since that’s the most important building in any of the Highland communities. Soon we’re on our way to beautiful, but remote, Colca Lodge, Spa & Hot Springs where we’ll spend two nights.  

Majestic Andean condors ride the thermals between the canyon walls.

The next morning we rise early and drive to Colca Canyon where we hope to see gigantic Andean condors soaring on the thermal air masses that develop between the 10,000-high canyon walls. Almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, Colca Canyon’s grandeur comes from rock towers that go on for miles, thermal springs, and giant birds like the condors sailing overhead.



We hiked along the rim of the canyon.

Larry soothes his muscles in
one of the hot springs at
Colca Canyon Lodge and Spa.

With each excursion we appreciate the area’s charm and uniqueness even more: Alpacas, llamas and herds of wild vicuñas populate the terrain, while Incan ruins, quaint Franciscan churches and small indigenous towns perched on canyon rims reveal the history of Peru. We spy overnight hikers on a ledge on the opposite canyon wall but are grateful that we can return to our lodge after our own modest hike and a relaxing soak in the hot springs there.

 Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier