Today we drive from Arequipa to the Colca Valley with Liliana and a driver. We leave Arequipa and on the way out of town stop for Gatorade and coca leaves, as we will reach an altitude of over 16,000 feet today and will need all the help we can get! We drive through a national park that is a refuge for vicunyas, established to help ensure that the vicunya population continues to thrive. We stop and eagerly take lots of pictures of the vicunyas and alpacas, not realizing that before the day is over we will have seen tons of them! We also see lots of cactus, which surprises me a little, as I thought they preferred hot climates. There is one cactus that looks like a small ottoman and Liliana tells us it's called a mother-in-law's seat! It is quite cold and windy. We stop to look at birds, including Andean geese and beautiful Puna Teals, ducks with bright blue beaks. We arrive at Patapampa, which literally means 'high flat place'. This is the spot that is over 16,000 feet. From here we have views of the mountains Chachani, Misti and Pichu Pichu. There are literally thousands of apachetas here--rocks stacked by travelers to give thanks. Of course, we each make one, too. When in Rome! We stop in the town of Chivay for lunch. I have alpaca spaghetti, and Andrea has an alpaca burger, so we are continuing our Peruvian food theme! After lunch we start descending into the Colca Valley. (although it's hard to call anything sitting at 14,000 feet a 'valley'). The scenery is beautiful, alternately flat and prairie-like and mountainous and green. There are many terraces throughout the valley, and Liliana explains that they are from pre-Incan times. The people in this part of the country were captured by the Incas. So, while I was giving the Incas credit last year for coming up with the brilliant idea of farming in the mountains using terraces, apparently they got the idea from their captives! As we approach the Colca Lodge, where we will spend the next two nights, the road gets rough and winding. Eventually we are able to look down on the Lodge, and it is gorgeous. When we arrive we check in and quickly change into our bathing suits. We go soak in one of the four pools outside the lodge that are fed from the hot springs. The water is warm and heavenly, and as luck would have it, the Lodge has a bar at the pools that makes divine pisco sours! Siting in a hot mineral bath, looking at breath-taking scenery, with a pisco sour in hand-- Priceless! There are a few others at the pools, mostly Italians, and it's just a great way to mingle! The Lodge is isolated from any town, so we have no choice but to eat at the Lodge restaurant. The good news is that the food is wonderful and so is the atmosphere. We have aji de galina and wine for dinner, followed by dessert. Then, stuffed, we return to our room and read for a while. We have an early start tomorrow.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.