Canyon Country

If one travels far enough north in Chile, they eventually run into Peru. No worries, no matter what the average Chilean on the street may tell you, Peru is a lovely country. Peru's downside - a lot of other gringos have also figured that out. I reentered the "gringo trail" (last seen in Uyuni) in Arequipa, Peru. Arequipa, "La Cuidad Blanca" is named this because of the white volcanic rock used to make the colonial city. It is Peru's second largest city and considered one of its most beautiful. The city's Plaza del Armas is contains a massive cathedral as well as archways entraping the square. From the back of the plaza, one can see the peak of Volcan Misti. Arequipa also is home to a colonial Dominican monistary that once housed Europe's richest nuns sent to live in the closed off and amazing world within the walls of Santa Catalina.

While Arequipa is amazing, its main attraction lies 6 hours outside the city. The worlds two deepest canyons are within the area. Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons are an amazing adventure. Cotahuasi is a little deeper but Colca is a little more accessable. Of course, when I first arrived I was told by many people it was impossible to go to the Canyons without a guide... bullshit. I took a bus to Cabanaconde in Colca with three Belgian friends I met at my hostel in Arequipa: Thijs, Tobias, and Lander. We got a map in Cabanaconde and with our daybags we hiked down the canyon 1300 meters, up the other side 1000 meters, back down, and eventually back up a cliff like 1300 meters. This was all in a couple of days of course.

The big draw of the canyon is to catch a glimpse of the andean condor. The canyon is one of the best and easiest places to view the magestic bird.