World Kanno Travel Blog: Arequipa and Colca Canyon... Peru's Secret Gem and Hidden Grander Canyon in the Andes

Peruvian coffee on arrival

When traveling long distance within a country, it’s always more convenient to take a domestic flight if the airfare is inexpensive or time is hard pressed, but when I have the time, I always try to travel by land (or sea). I suspect Peru is one of those places that travelers fly into Lima and high tail it to Cuzco so they can hike Machu Picchu. If you go by bus, it’s an over twenty hours journey. I decided to slow roll along the southern coast a few days and then turn east for a stop in the Andean city of Arequipa, which stands at over 2300 meters.

Arequipa's new town

Arequipa is a city of about a million, but still not commonly known outside of Peru. The old city is absolutely beautiful; Spanish architecture, colonial layout, with the grand plaza, cobble streets, churches, fountains, and a population of mostly indigenous Quechua speaking Peruvians. So, it’s no wonder that the city’s Quechua name translates to, “Yes, stay here”.

Plaza de Armas

Quechua folks selling crafts

old town at night

my hostel

bread with face toy???

the younger hipper generation

the Incan dew rag

The climate is absolutely perfecto in winter. Cloudless skies make the temperature during the daytime hover around 20 Celsius, and a brisk evening of about 7 C, which is a good reason to invest in a locally, beautifully made alpaca coat or pancho.

clear skies by Jesus

Surrounding the city are three titanic volcanic mountains, which hold enormous significance to the indigenous people. Misti, Pikchu Pikchu, and Chachani all arrogantly stand over 5,600 meters in height. They were formed relatively recent in geological terms, when the Nazca plate collided with the South American plate forty-five million years ago.

If you ever been around mountains, you understand their power when being in their presence. It’s no surprise why these mountains were worshiped as gods. And it is that very reason, the indigenous cultures before Spanish colonization and enslavement give tribute in the form of human sacrifice.

Pikchu Pikchu

While in the city, explore, get lost and explore some more. And don't sleep on the museums. I had the chance to tour a very special museum that houses one of those human sacrifices atop the mountain. She was given the name Juanita who was about fourteen at the time of her death. It was common in times of distress that the gods needed to be appeased with human sacrifice. So it was custom to gift the gods the most beautiful children of the community. The custom is horrifying by today’s standards, but at that time, it was an honor for one’s family to have your child sacrificed to the gods. What is simply mind blowing is the fact that the community’s high priests were able to journey up to the peak of these 6000 meter icy mountains where the temperature was well below freezing and the oxygen level so low that only those that were in the best physical shape and endurance could reach the summit. Once there and ceremonies concluded, the child would be sedated. At that time, a blow to the temple would kill her. Her body adorned with the best llama wool, jewelry, and a miniature doll of herself. She would be left there on the icy peak and ultimately frozen in time as a gift to the gods.

Misti Mountain where Juanita's body was found

It was only by chance that her body was found nearly five hundred years later in the mid nineties due to a volcanic eruption that caused part of the glacier to melt. Today she is housed in a temperature controlled box in the museum just as she was found in the ice some twenty-five years earlier.

Juanita

Once you have taken in the old town and the museums, one has an entire backyard of outdoor adventure to take advantage of. Had I not slowed rolled my way toward Cuzco, I would not have discovered what the area had to offer. Just by word of mouth, I learned about Colca Canyon. The canyon is twice the depth of the Grand Canyon at about 4100 meter deep. Getting there is easy by bus. Lots of tours will pick you up in Arequipa and guide you through the area for a once in a lifetime experience. I didn’t have the time to do a full long hike, because I needed to save my legs for Machu Picchu, but a bus tour of the area is a nice alternative.

early morning ride to Colca Canyon

Leaving the hotel at 3 am, you will arrive to the canyon four hours later with the morning sun’s arrival. The views are spectacular. Thousands of years of terraces dot the canyon’s side. The angle in which the sun pierces over and through the mountains creates a spectacle that is truly amazing.

beautifully crafted agriculture terraces

The best site to view the canyon is from the Mirador del Condor. The view is about as close to condors one can have in the wild. From these cliffs, condors with a ten foot wingspan glide over the expanse of the canyon in what feels like a spiritual ritual. The Incan worshiped these birds because of their size and the fact they flew higher than any other birds. It is believed that they are the messengers to the gods when one dies, because they feed on the dead and soar to the heavens.