Our two weeks in Peru should have been longer had we known how vast the country was beforehand and how much beauty it has to offer. One of my favourites was the Colca Canyon, with Chivay as our base to explore the area. At 12,000ft above sea level, the small town is idyllic and if you are not yet acclimatised it certainly takes some getting used to, rushing to the shop or even walking takes some getting used to! Colca Canyon itself is one of the deepest in the world, at 10,730ft deep it is deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
This area of Peru is famous for the Andean Condor, and can be seen relatively close as they fly past the canyon walls. We were lucky enough to see one as it swooped past and then disappeared down into the depths of the canyon. Heading North from Chivay towards Cusco is the Palccoyo mountains, famously known as the Rainbow Mountains for their distinct look and different colours due to their mineralogical composition.
Finally, we reached Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu. It was long-awaited and did not disappoint. The misty, rolling clouds surrounding the peaks of nearby mountains gave the place a grandeur that we were not expecting. The dramatic features of the landscape was like nothing we had ever seen before, and felt out-of-this-world.
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