Condors in Colca Canyon

Viewpoint Cruz de Condor in Colca Canyon is one of the most popular destinations in Peru. Condor is one of the largest birds on earth with wingspan up to 3 meters and more.  Many tourists visit Arequipa in order to visit the canyon, although the city itself  also worth a visit. Viewpoint can be reached by private car or as part of the tour. If you are going to take the tour then we recommend 2-day tour with an overnight stay in the canyon. It is more expensive but more convenient. Some travel companies offer an overnight stay at the Colca Lodge - it is a good option.

We went to viewpoint at 7 am and were among the first tourists. Condors appear when warm air rises from the bottom of the gorge. At 7am there were no condors and they began to fly only at at 8:30. Probably on the other day there will be warmer, so in any case it's better to come earlier.






At 8:30 the number of tourists increased dramatically as well as the number of condors. Before we saw a condor every 10 minutes and now 15 of them are flying over the heads.




If you want to make good pictures of condors then take at least 200mm lens. It was not easy to shot with our 105mm.

Since condors rise from the bottom of the canyon to the sky, it is better at first to go to the lower viewpoint (three circles) and then climb to the top. There is a high probability that the condors will sit on the rock near the top viewpoint to have a rest.










Price for visiting raised from year to year, in 2015 it was $25.


Getting there: only by car or as part of the tour. Independent travellers can use 4M-Express bus Arequipa - Chivay (http://www.4m-express.com) and then take a taxi to Cruz de Condor. These buses run from Arequipa, Puno and Cusco. There are 4-5 bus companies that have buses from Arequipa to Chivay, but you need to visit a bus station for information.