It takes about 4-5 hours to get from Arequipa to Chivay, the gateway to Colca Canyon, including stops to buy cocoa leaves and water. The highest point on the way to Chivay is 4800m, a 2500m altitude gain, so preventing altitude sickness is a must. Coca leaves are chewed with a catalyser made of ash, and tastes like strong black tea. Coca caramels are also available, which deliver the benefits of the coca in a weaker, more sweet version.
The trip to Chivay involves passing through the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca, which is a wildlife reserve protecting the herds of vicunas and guanacos. This national park is almost the opposite to what I have seen in Chile, where guanacos are abundant and you may never see a vicuna. Here, vicunas are abundant, and guanacos rare. Both are protected and special permits are needed to harvest their wool.
I have aquired 4 travelling companions, a couple from Madrid and a couple from Paris, who are travelling in the same van until tomorrow afternoon, when they move on to Puno, and I stay another night in Chivay. Below is a view of Chivay as we head down into the town.
This afternoon two of us make a visit to the hot springs just outside Chivay (down to 3300m!), which is set up much the same way as Hanmer Springs in the South Island in New Zealand – ie one pool outside for the screaming kids, one indoor pool and another outdoor pool for the adults who can walk that far. The air is cold, the sun is vicious (UV rating of 14), and the water temperature is 39 degrees celsius. A very pleasant way to spent an afternoon in Chivay.
