Day 1

This was again another very early start with being picked up between 3 and 3.30, this meant we had to be up at 2.40 to make sure everything was ready. All these early starts are starting to have an affect on our sleeping pattern. Once we got picked up we had a 3 hour journey to where we were having breakfast. We were both hoping to get some more sleep on the bus but this was not meant to be with Peru roads not being the smoothest and the same to be said about the driver. By the time we got to breakfast we were both starving at this point. We have been treated very well when it comes to food on tours so far this trip and that has come to an end. The breakfast was small and simple and to be honest we expected this as the tour was relatively cheap for all it includes. This means for once we might actually eat our snacks on the trip we bought them for.

After breakfast we had a short drive to a view point called Cruz del Condor, where we would hope to see some condors (largest bird in South America). We were not dissappointed, we saw several condors one flying really close to us and made us discover we could not be wildlife photographers, as we got a photo of it coming towards us but when it came close we didn't take any photos as we were just so amazed by it. The general views of the canyon from the view point was also spectacular which got us excited for the days ahead. After taking plenty of photos and standing by the wrong bus with another couple on our trip we got on our bus to go to the point where we would start the trek. We had chosen to do the 3 day and 2 nights tour as it's alot easier and we were recommended to do it instead of the 2 day 1 night trip by another traveller. This meant there's a lot less walking per day, which was good for us as Rachel's legs still ached from Macchu picchu and the scenery was amazing so could help but stop to take more pictures. In the end we hiked about 4 hours till we had lunch at what turned out to be our hotel for the night. This made us very happy as walking in the midday heat was really a challenge and already confirmed to us that we made the right decision doing the 3 day not the 2 day tour. After lunch we had some free time and there was only one thing we wanted to do and that was sleep so we went and took a short nap in our little mud hut. Then we showered and got ready for an informational talk and dinner. We then played some cards before Rachel headed to bed and Josh did some star gazing before also going to bed, because like I said earlier, our sleeping pattern isn't great.

Day 2:

Thankfully on the second day we didn't have such an early start with breakfast being served at 7. We had pancakes for breakfast which was very much a pleasant surprise considering the food from the first day. We then set off for around 8. We were very much looking forward to today as there was only 4 hours of walking and then we were to spend the rest of the day at our hostel in a oasis which had a swimming pool. Straight from the off it was hot with the sun on our backs but thankfully there was a cool breeze which the first day was lacking. There was also plenty of stops to get lots of information about the villages, scenery and the wildlife. The 4 hour walk seemed to go relatively quickly with the stops for information and photos. We got to our hostel by 12.30 where we had an hour to relax before lunch where we both could not to wait to get in the pool as it was starting to get really hot by that time. The pool was so nice and refreshing and was exactly what we both needed to refresh. After lunch we just relaxed with writing the blog, reading and playing some more cards till we had dinner. We went to bed soon after dinner as we needed to be walking by 4am the next day as we were going up the mountain and needed to do it before it got to hot.

Day 3
Under strict instructions we were leaving at 4:20am, we left at 4:50am with another guide and another group because our guide was nowhere to be seen. Slightly annoying, especially since today was a race against the sun, get out the canyon before the sun hits. In the first picture you can see a zig zag line up the side of the canyon - yep that’s the route we were taking. With all the loose stones and fine dust it made it difficult to walk up such step stretches. We were told it would take three hours which we found very unlikely, but we made good progress, and in the end did actually end up doing it under 3 hours. Even without the heat from the sun it was a very difficult and windy trek up to the top. Once we reached the top it was a short walk to the village for a much needed breakfast. We stopped at a couple of view points on the way to the hot springs, which we a definite highlight of the day, and for sure helped out our aching muscles. Then it was back on the bus to another small town for lunch before heading back to Arequipa.