Mirador Cruz del Cóndor

Come here early in the morning cuz once the condors will fly up, from the bottom of the canyon, they will not return. They are flying up every morning when the hot air is rising. So be in time, otherwise you have to wait till the next morning. It is an extraordinary experience to see and hear this huge birds around your head. Thank you🤩

Get dropped off a wee bit before the lookout and take a walk along the trail to mirador cruz del condor. Stunning views of the mountains across the canyon are well worth the visit, even if the birdies don't make an appearance. Luckily, we did indeed see a couple of gigantic condors rise on the updraft and dissappear as specks in the skies. Mirador Cruz del Condor is jam packed with tourists in the morning. With three (presumably overheated) humans in condor suits, local handicrafts for sale, and a slew of tourbusses parked on the road, it is certainly an interesting experience.

July and August are the best time to see condors. We went end of October and saw 3 young ones that soared around for maybe 20 min starting at 8:30.

Saw one condor at 09:20 and one at 10:15. You can be lucky and see many, or be unlucky and see none. Went there last Friday aswell and saw none. The entrance is valid for 3 days, make sure to get the tickets from your guide if you went with a tour, so you can re enter on another day

We arrived later than all the tour buses (late morning) and whilst we did see three condors I’m sure there would have been more earlier in the morning. For us, we appreciated many less people, which gave us a chance to really take in the spectacular views.

Incredible views down into Colca Canyon. Several viewpoints connected by paths with an excellent chance to see condors (and other birds) riding thermals just a few metres away. Unfortunately plagued by local weirdos wearing full-body condor costumes but otherwise a good visit on the way to trek the canyon.

Visited in 2005 The Colca Canyon is located off the Colca River in southern Peru, located about 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of about 1000 – 2000 m (3300 – 6600 ft) (whereas bottom is at cca 2000 m and edges are at 3000 – 4000 metres above the sea level), it is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Its length is about 70 kilometres (43 mi). The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with pre-Inca rooted inhabitants, and towns founded in Spanish colonial times, still inhabited by people of the Collagua and the Cabana cultures. The local people maintain their ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces, called abdenes. We visited Yanque - unspoiled history. See the picture below of the hawk. The canyon is home to the Condor bird. The condors can be seen at close range as they fly past the canyon walls, and are a popular attraction. The Andean Condor typically lives about 60–70 years, and has a wingspan of about 2.1–2.7 metres (7–9 ft). A lady in our tour asked if the Condors eat insects - the guide said No - they eat donkeys.... a memory of how large these birds are - perhaps the second largest species in the world. A truly memorable visit.

Excellent viewpoint to see the Condors