We arrived at our 7th stage of our beautiful circuit through Peru.

Colca Canyon – Puno Itinerary

On the program today:

• Cruz del Condor,
• a short hike in the Colca Canyon
• Long road to get closer to Lake Titicaca to Puno.
• Thus we will cross the Andean Cordillera with wonderful landscapes.
• We will pass by the picturesque village of Maca,
• Chivay,
• the Mirador de Volcanes,
• las Lagunillas
• and of course the beautiful Altiplano.

Itinerary in the Colca Canyon – Tour Map

Canyon del Colca – The Condor’s Cross

We wake up at 5 am in a wonderful setting in the heart of Colca Canyon at Granja del Colca hotel. The sunrise is simply extraordinary on these high mountains …

But soon, we must not waste time because we planned a departure at 6am for the Condor Cross located in the Colca Canyon.

When we arrive there, it is so early that we are almost the first. We can discuss with sweaters, sweaters, hats, scarves that unpack their merchandise. I really enjoyed these exchanges that ended with laughter when trying the costumes.

And then we wait, we wait … It takes a lot of patience to get to see a condor flying over the Colca Canyon. We saw only one but EL CONDOR PASA! So, we did not go “empty-handed”.

Canyon del Colca – Hike to the Salto del Cura

From the Condor Cross, take a short hike to “Salto del Cura”. I enjoyed it because it is without any difficulty or effort that we make this little excursion and the scenery is WAOUH!

Canyon del Colca – The village of Maca

In the late morning, we take the road with a stop in the village of Maca. Charming little village accustomed to welcome tourists and so with attractions a little formatted but I still enjoyed and played the game!

Crossing the Cordillera – Chivay to Puno

Arrival in Chivay at 14:00 and continuation for a long crossing of the mountain range. We pass by the pass of the “Mirador de Volcanes” (4 900 m) and continue to the passage of the pass Lagunillas (4 528 m) and arrive in the heart of the Altiplano! At the Lagunillas lake viewpoint.

The road is a real spectacle of desert landscapes, wild, changing colors, natural beauties that parade before our eyes with a few bonus herds of alpacas, llamas and sheep. Our route continues to lakes where we see flamingos … I find this picture unusual, right?

Arrival in Puno – Installation at our hotel

Arrive in Puno at 18:30 instead of 20:30 as expected and I am very very tired! But what a beautiful day! We say goodbye to Julio by slipping him a nice tip because he was great with us.

Installation at our hotel : Hostal Virgen de las Nieves Av Puerto – Puno

I booked on booking this hotel for its location (very close to the pier for the islands of Lake Titicaca) and for its unbeatable price (16 Euros a night with breakfast). Yes, the room was very small but it was clean, there was hot water and wifi. In addition the reception was great. I asked if we could leave them our big backpacks during the 2 days of visiting the islands of Lake Titicaca. No problem I was answered with a broad smile.

See the following article :

Day 8 – Lake Titicaca