We had an early start to this day because we had a four hour drive from Arequipa to the Colca Valley. We woke up a bit later than we should have so we barely had enough time to bolt down a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Omelet, chicken with red peppers, potato tortilla, tamale with chicken
Our tour company sub-contracted out our Colca Valley tour so we ended up being on a small bus with about 20 other people. It was the first time we were in a group for an extended period of time, since our city tours had either been private or with a group for just a few hours. It was nice to interact with others and we met a lot of nice people from different countries.
As we drove out of Arequipa, the landscape got much drier while the mountains and volcanoes in the distance got much clearer. Once we got into the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, however, we drove by multiple herds of alpacas, llamas, and vicunas grazing on little green bushes that manage to grow in the arid conditions. While all three types of animals are somewhat similar, we could see the differences between them. Vicunas look more delicate, with long, thin necks, and their brown fur is prized because of its softness. Alpacas and llamas look almost identical, but alpacas are slightly smaller and have fur on their faces, while llamas look more clean shaven.
Desert-like
Herd of vicunas
Volcano and a pair of vicunas
We stopped at a rest area midway through the drive to make a pit stop. We also had the opportunity to purchase either coca tea or chachacoma tea, which are good for altitude sickness. Since we were heading up into the mountains, and because we had brought coca leaves with us already, we decided to try out chachacama tea. It had a very floral and herbaceous flavor to it, and reminded me of juniper. We were relatively high up at this point, altitude wise, but Josh and I weren’t feeling any of the effects yet. The tea was tasty but we weren’t sure if it really had any healing properties to it.
Chachacoma tea
Native woman at the rest area with her alpaca who was giving Josh the hairy eyeball for taking her picture (he did give her a few soles for it afterward)
After we got back on the bus, we really started to climb higher into the mountains so our tour guide told us it was time to bust out the coca leaves. Josh and I purchased a package at the beginning of the bus ride, when we stopped at a convenience store to stock up on water and drinks. The package of coca leaves only cost us a few soles, and there was plenty to share with the people around us. To chew the leaves, we wrapped a small stack of about 5 leaves around a piece of thick black resin that is made from burning quinoa. The resin substance helps with the flavor of the coca, and activates its healing properties. We tucked the little packet of coca and resin in our cheeks and chewed softly. The coca is supposed to make your mouth slightly numb, and counteract the effects of altitude. While Josh and I experienced just a slight numbness, we really didn’t feel much from the coca. It got a bit uncomfortable after a while, and the taste wasn’t wonderful, so we spit it out after about half an hour. It wasn’t something either of us really enjoyed, and we never did chew more coca after that, though we continued to drink coca tea.
Package of coca leaves for chewing
We passed some more herds of animals, and our bus pulled over to the side of the road so that we could get out and take some pictures. When I climbed down the stairs of the bus, I almost pitched forward and fell. I thought maybe the coca leaves had affected me more than I originally thought, but I realized later that it was because the altitude had made me slightly lightheaded. It wasn’t too bad at this point, I was just more careful when we moved around.
Pretty scenery
Llama taking a drink
After we got back on the bus, we climbed even higher into the mountains. I was really feeling dizzy at this point, and at our next stop, we finally understood why. We had reached the highest point on our trip, which was over 4,900 meters above sea level. That’s over 16,000 feet! When we got off the bus here, Josh and I were REALLY feeling the effects of the altitude. It was a struggle to walk, and it felt like our feet were in lead boots. Our balance was off, and our heads were foggy. It was like our bodies were moving in slow motion, and there was nothing we could do to correct it. We quickly snapped a few pictures (we had really great views of the volcanoes here) and promptly returned to the bus.
Rock commemorating the altitude where we were
Stacks of stones that people leave behind to indicate they were there
Nice view
We really weren’t feeling well at this point, so we recharged our batteries by drinking some sweet orange Fanta soda (my favorite drink in foreign countries) and nibbling on some Lay’s potato chips. The sugar and the food helped settle our stomachs a bit, since we both had started feeling nauseous, but the headache and dizziness persisted. Fortunately it was all downhill from there, and by the time we reached Chivay, a small town along the way where we stopped for lunch, we were feeling much better.
Town of Chivay below
After lunch, which was a buffet at a local restaurant called Zacarias, we were dropped off at our respective hotels. Most of the people in our group were staying at various hotels in the town of Yanque. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous after seeing a few of the hotels people were getting dropped off at, and I grew more and more apprehensive as we moved away from the center of town. Most of the places seemed pretty rustic, and I was not happy to be so far away from everything. We were the last stop, along with a handful of other people, and we seemed to go a long way out of town, up some mountains and around some narrow bends. All of a sudden, we saw some beautiful grounds down in the valley below us, and our tour guide announced that it was the Colca Lodge, where we were staying. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, as the buildings were beautiful, the grounds well kept, and we had hot spring pools at our disposable, plus spa facilities.
After we checked in, we were taken to our room, which was actually a little bungalow attached to a long row of bungalows that faced the river. Our view was breathtaking, and we could hear the water running downstream. It was incredibly soothing, and while Josh ran to the main building to send a few emails, I sat on the little terrace in front of our bungalow and just took in the scene.
Row of bungalows
Picture perfect view out the window of our bungalow
After Josh got back, we took a little hike along the river, on the side opposite the hotel. There was a small bridge that we walked across, then we hiked through some tall grass and down onto the rocky riverbed.
Crossing the river
View of the river and the spa buildings
View of the river and the surrounding valley
When we grew tired of hiking, we went to check out the spa facilities. It was quite nice, with lots of massage rooms that had views of the river, as well as private jacuzzi tubs that also overlooked the river. Prices were pretty steep though, even for NYC, so we decided to pass. Instead, we went back to our room, changed into our bathing suits, and went to the hot spring pools. There were 4 or 5 small pools altogether, and we decided to join a group of Belgians who seemed to be having a good time. The water was warm, not super hot, and we just sat in the pool for a few hours until the sun went down. The air outside cooled significantly so we kept warm by sitting near the source of the springs, which was really hot. We ended up having the pool to ourselves when the Belgians left, so we just sat there looking up at the stars. We thought we saw the Southern Cross, but it turns out you can’t see it now from Peru. Too bad. It was an absolutely gorgeous setting though, and we felt calm and relaxed.
Watching the sunset from the hot spring pool
After sunset
Moon shot
When our fingers and toes got way too wrinkled, we headed back to our room and showered before going to dinner. Since we were basically in the middle of nowhere, we had to eat at the hotel restaurant. Apparently dinner was included in our stay, though no one told us beforehand. We weren’t hungry, probably due to the altitude, but we were feeling great after the relaxing soak in the hot springs. Although it was a long morning, with the four hour drive from Arequipa to the Colca Valley and our first bout of altitude sickness, our day ended on a very positive note. It turned out to be the only down time that we would have until the very end of our trip, and we definitely enjoyed every minute of it.
Do you remember the name of the company that you booked this tour with, btw?
My bf and I are doing a very similar Peru trip next month, and I’m enjoying your blog! Esp all of the food posts – very helpful 🙂
We used a travel agent friend of ours in the US to book our trip and she arranged all of our tours with Condor Travel: http://www.condortravel.com/. They were ok overall, though there were some hiccups at the end of our trip (they forgot to pick us up at an airport in Puno). They did seem to be a pretty popular company, with lots of guests in each city. The hotels they chose were just ok. For me, the main issue was that they were way too tourist focused. i.e. We couldn’t get a straight answer when we asked where the locals would dine. There were really nice aspects though too: We did not have a tour group that we traveled with though in many cities we met up with other travelers for city tours, MP tour etc. There were no arranged meals (which we preferred). Overall our trip was amazing, though that’s probably mostly because Peru is just an amazing place 🙂
After we returned from our trip, a friend of ours started his own tourism company in Peru. We’ve recommended it to several people (instead of Condor) and the reviews have been amazing. His name is Dave Rottblatt and his company is SA Luxury Expeditions: http://www.saluxuryexpeditions.com. Shoot him an email and let him know you’re readers of our blog. He’s super nice and will answer any questions you have about going to Peru (he currently lives there).