Colca Canyon and the road from Arequipa are a highlight of Andean landscape🏔️and wildlife🦙

Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon on Earth. Though it is not exactly close, it is a popular long day trip from Arequipa. I didn’t do that but decided to rent a car for an overnight trip to the canyon - best decision ever. I didn’t have to get up super early to join a tour and be tried throughout the day. And staying a night meant that I had the Canyon viewpoints to myself as all the tours, and the vendors as well, had already left. The road from Arequipa passes through some awesome sparse papa landscape and the Zona de Vicuñas and Zona de Alpacas🦙. Both domesticated lamas and alpacas as well as wild vicuñas are abundant and can easily be seen and photographed from the road. The landscape is wild and harsh. Stop at ⚑ Mirador de los Andes; in good weather you can see huge mountains in the distance all around. I didn’t because the clouds were so low, but this still made for an interesting and ver eerie stop. Upon reaching the Canyon, you get your ticket from the tourist office just after entering 📍Chivay. Here you can also fill up on petrol. And there are restaurants and a few hostels here. I had my lunch at 🥩 Sabores Andinos Colca Restaurant in 📍Yanque, though. A friendly little place that does not feel overrun with day-trippers. In the village you can also see 🕍 Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción, one of a collection of small colonial churches, few of which can be entered. From here you enter the real canyon. The road gets surprisingly bad, but the views get better and better. There are many viewpoints along the road through the canyon, I would say these are not to be missed: ⚑ Mirador de Antahuilque - nice views of the terrassed Inca fields ⚑ Mirador de Wayrac Punku ⚑ Mirador Cruz del Condor - THE viewpoint from where to see the condors 🦅 in the morning, it is also one of the deepest spots along the canyon And some of the best views can be had at my accommodation, 🏩 La Granja del Colca. I arrived late, but in time for some spectacular sunset views. But canyon views are not all. In the morning, conders🦅 soured so close it felt like you could touch them. And all the time there are cuddly dogs🐕, cats🐈 and even alpacas🦙, since this is also a working farm. Definitely one of the best places I have ever stayed at, La Granja del Colca itself is with the overnight trip! #peru #colcacanyon #realphoto #noai #travel #naturalwonders #myitinerary #independenttraveller