It is a long road that awaits us for this 7th day in Peru. We will head to the Lake Titicaca taking theroute next: Cabanaconde - Colca Canyon - Croix du Condor - Maca - Chivay - Lagunillas pass and lake - Puno
Canyon del Colca - La Croix du Condor
Departure at 6 a.m. for the Condor's Cross located in the colca canyon. Arrived there, we are almost the first. We can discuss with the sellers of sweaters, hats, scarves who unpack their merchandise. I really enjoyed these exchanges which ended with laughter when we tried on the costumes.
It takes a lot of patience to get to see a condor in flight over Colca Canyon. We only saw one but EL CONDOR PASA! Thus, we did not leave "empty-handed".
Canyon del Colca - Hike to Salto del Cura
From the Condor's Cross, starts a small hike that goes to " Salto del Cura". I really enjoyed it because it is without any difficulty or effort that we make this little excursion and the landscapes are WOW !!!
MACA Village
At the end of the morning, we take the road again with a stop in the village of Cat. Charming little village used to welcoming tourists and therefore with somewhat formatted attractions but I still enjoyed and played the game!
Our route Canyon del Colca - Puno
Arrive at Chivay at 14:00 p.m. and continuation for a long stage crossing the cordillera. We go back through the col du « Viewpoint of Volcanes»(4 m) and continue until the passage of the Lagunillas pass (4 m) and arrive at the heart ofAltiplano ! to Lagunillas lake viewpoint. The road is a real spectacle of desert landscapes, wild, changing colors, natural beauties that pass before our eyes with as a bonus a few herds of alpacas, llamas and sheep. Our road continues towards lakes where we see flamingos… I find this unusual image, right?
Arrival in Puno at 18 p.m. instead of 30 p.m. as planned and I am CREVEE !!! but what a beautiful day! We say goodbye to Julio with a nice tip because he was great with us.
Cheap hotel in Puno
Installation in our hotel: “Hostal Virgen de las Nieves ” Av Del Puerto, Puno, T +51 51 369565
https://www.booking.com/hotel/pe/hostal-virgen-de-las-nieves.fr
I booked this hotel on booking for its location (very close to the pier for the islands of Lake Titicaca) and for its unbeatable price (16 Euros per night with breakfast). Admittedly, the room was very small but it was clean, there was hot water and wifi. In addition, the welcome was great. I asked if we could leave our big backpacks for them during the 2 days of visiting the islands of Lake Titicaca. No problem I was told with a broad smile.
See on the following article how to book the excursion on Lake Titicaca:
Classes available every day from Nine AM to Twelve midday.
First of all a big thank you for this blog, very interesting !! and very complete !!
we are a couple and we are planning to go to Peru alone in April
the circuit is practically done, planes, buses etc…. but we would like to have the address of the agency if it is possible to do the colca canyon, because renting a car seems complicated to us, and by very long bus !!
again a big thank you to you !!
Hello,
I'm glad if my story can help you. Regarding the local agency in the Colca region, it is Thomas Montaigne's agency that we had chosen: PEROU VOYAGE.
Here is his phone: (0051) 974 211 440 and his email: contact@perou-voyages.com
Have a good trip!
Hello, this is not the first time that I read good ideas on your blog. But this is the first time that I ask you. We are leaving for 1 month in Latin America in 1 month (2 weeks in Peru and 2 in Colombia). I would like to do exactly the same as you for the Canyon del Colca part. I was planning to sleep in this hotel but I just wondered how it is possible to go there. Could you tell me how you organized this part of your trip? I see it was with a private driver but it was he who defined the route? How much was per person the cost of your trip between Arequipa and Puno? Without accommodation and entry to the natural park? I got a quote from an agency but it was overpriced so I abandoned the project and I was planning to go with a group and take the classic route but I'm not happy .. so if your solution is financially viable I would much prefer. In advance, thank you for your answer.