Travel

Peru: Condors, Nasca Lines and sandboarding

Colca Valley

Colca Canyon

PRETTY much since we had been in Peru there had been very few free days. After the Inca Trail I was exhausted and just needed sleep but with just only one full day to explore Cuzco and shop, it was time to move on once again.

This time we flew to Arequipa and the following day we had a four hour bus journey to the Colca Valley.
Here we stayed in a small hotel among the hills and snow-capped mountains. It seems to be a recurring theme with Peru. But just when you think you have seen enough hills and mountains, another bit of scenery comes along and takes your breath away.

Our drive through the Colca Valley was another picturesque journey. We drove high up into the Andes and reached our highest point of the whole trip at almost 5,000 metres above sea level. It was just so pretty.
During our time here a big news story was breaking about a Peruvian couple who had gone into the valley without a guide and got lost for more than two weeks. The girl was found wandering alone before we had arrived and her partner was rescued three days later, on the day we were condor watching. It just shows you how huge this part of Peru is and is also another reason why people are advised not to wander into the national park without a guide or knowledge of the area.

Late afternoon we visited the local hot springs. I have never been anywhere like this before so I guess I was expecting to find hot water springs sat among the mountains. But instead it was just a big, heated outdoor pool. Bit disappointing really, although we did have the backdrop of the mountains around us and that was quite special.

Either way it was nice to sit back and unwind in the warm water with a cocktail for a few hours. It was bizarre. It’s like we were in a regular pool bar with bottles of beer and drinks – except we were surrounded by mountains instead of a beach.

The next day was another ridiculous start at 6.00am. We were off for some early morning Condor watching as they would all be out hunting for food.

A condor is a type of vulture that was highly respected by the Incas. Their wingspan is huge and they are impressive birds to watch.

Most of us were sceptical about how many of these birds we would actually see, but within just a few minutes of waiting, up to 20 condors of various colours and sizes were circling the air above us. It seemed as if they were putting on a show as they came close to the edge of the cliff where hundreds of tourists and birdwatchers were perched with their cameras. They were loving the attention they were getting.

Colca Valley in Peru
Views of the snowcapped mountains in the Colca Valley

Nasca

I MUST admit I knew very little about the Nazca Lines before we got here. I had heard a lot about the myths and theories surrounding them but I had done very little research myself to find out more.

The lines are part of ancient signs that are said to have religious significance. Some of the lines resemble a hummingbird, spider, monkey, fish and shark, among other things. They cover 500 square km of ground and anthropologists are still trying to figure out how they were created, what they mean or why they were made. No-one can drive or walk along the area with the lines so the best place to see them all clearly is from the sky.

It is said the best time for a flight is early morning or late afternoon to reduce shadows over the lines so we were booked onto an early morning flight.

Nasca is a small, desert town in Peru with very little else to see and do apart from the lines. Its desert is one of the driest on Earth and the lack of wind and rain has helped preserve the lines.

And after a 10 hour overnight bus, with no breakfast and very little sleep, sitting in a plane swirling around the lines, going up down and around, left me feeling slightly light headed.

With nothing to do in the area, and finally being back in the hot, hot heat, all I wanted to do was spend the afternoon swimming and lying by the hotel pool. Getting a chance to do nothing was great.

Huacachina

STAYING in the desert we headed to the oasis of Huacachina for some sandboarding and dune buggy fun. This quiet town which has just a population of 200 was heaving because of the holidays, with tourists enjoying the oasis and taking boat rides on the water.

We were here just for the afternoon so we took a dune buggy up into the heart of the sand dunes. I was expecting a nice little drive up along the sand, but it was more like a rollercoaster.

Arriving at a huge dune we were handed a board, told to lie down on it and were then pushed off. It was that simple, but I went flying down every dune and I loved it.

It was exhausting trying to walk on the hot sand up a dune but I survived without injury.
Despite sand getting everywhere and sticking to my sunscreen, sandboarding in this part of Peru was so much fun. It is definitely something I would like to try again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *