Leaving Arequipa

26th July. Finally pulling ourselves away from Arequipa around noon on Saturday afternoon, we hadn’t anticipated the traffic, which took twice as long as it should have. Making our way towards the legendary Colca Canyon, we traversed some striking high-altitude plains stretched endlessly ahead. Dotted with grazing vicuñas and alpacas, their shadows cast in the sunlight. As we climbed, the air thinned and cooled. We reached the wind-whipped summit just as the sun began to dip, then descended a steep and winding road into shadowy valleys below. It was just dark when we rolled into Chivay, where we tucked ourselves into a quiet street corner for the night.

Viewing Colca Canyon

27th July. At first light, we were up and driving toward the canyon’s famed Mirador, the best place to spot the condors. But just 1Km from the lookout, we hit a checkpoint where they charge 70 soles per person entrance fee. Likely a response to the booming tourism—hundreds of thousands now visit the canyon each year. OK, I get it, but for us that’s $110 CND. More expensive than Machu Picchu. We gracefully declined and turned back and found ourselves a peaceful pull-off to make breakfast, sipping hot tea & coffee as the sun slowly spilled over the canyon walls while dozen of tour busses made their way to the mirador. Am sure it would have been both beautiful and busy.

The canyon itself is a jaw-dropping fissure—over 3,200 meters deep, it’s one of the deepest in the world, just not in vertical. But most of all, every side & surrounding hills have been painstakingly terraced by human hands, that started well before the Incas. These green steps still produce crops, an impressive legacy. It’s mind-blowing to imagine how long these communities have shaped and worked this land.

After breakfast, we retraced our drive and passed through a small town square buzzing with tourist energy. It seems this area is a real hotspot, where more buses unloaded streams of visitors, flooding the cobbled streets. We parked up, still on the lookout for a condor—we may not have seen one in the sky, but we were determined to find a condor ornament for the truck. That’s when the kids spotted a man offering photos with live birds: an Andean eagle and a magnificent 7kg (15lb) golden eagle. Getting that close to these powerful creatures more than made up for our missed condor sighting. And yes, we did find a new ornament to join our growing collection.

regal Raptors

The Road to Puno and a Quiet Farm Stay

Retracing a further 45 mins to get to the main road to Lake Titicaca we hung a left and headed East. Another rough road patchy, potholed, and layered with repair after repair, grooved from heavy trucks driving in the heat. As the sun set, we quickly found a place to camp. A little off the road, we pulled into a Bruce size spot beside a church that was under construction.

28 July. Although it’s dry season, I think of it more as winter. Nights are super cold as are the mornings until the sun climbs high. After a slow & leisurely start we hit the road around 10am making our way to a farm that was recommended just outside Puno. It was run by a nice man who had inherited the land from his parents & was in the process of building homestay accommodations. The energy was instantly calming. Of course one night rolled into two. There was just one other vehicle there, a lovely couple from Barcelona, travelling north in their sprinter type van.

Two days passed in a blink. Kids did art & have started back into the school books. Tim kept up with a little truck maintenance & I did a load of never ending laundry.

Looking on iOverlander, Tim found a 4-star hotel on the lakefront that welcomed campers. Initially I gulped at the $30 USD per night. But decided we should treat ourselves. Options were slim anyway—unless we wanted to park in a dusty, chaotic city lot.

The hotel welcomed us warmly, inviting us to enjoy the lounge, restaurant, and bar. Hot, clean showers were a deluxe bonus.

Aboard the Yavari: A Floating Legacy

28th July. Anchored just off the hotel’s shore, we spotted the Yavari, and the front desk kindly arranged a private tour with the captain for that afternoon. Here’s the wild part: a year ago in Whistler, I was doing a client’s hair when she told me about this boat on Lake Titicaca. Her mother’s best friend had bought it in a state of disrepair back in the 80’s & spent the past 30 years restoring it. That woman was Meriel Larkin, and this was the boat.

I was fascinated with hearing the story, so when stepping aboard the Yavari, it all came full circle. The captain, who was also our tour guide, and engineer, cleaner and maintenance man, has worked on the boat for the past 37 years. He knows every square inch and he keeps her gleaming, brass work polished to a mirror shine. Normally a 45-minute tour, ours stretched to two full hours. His passion was contagious, especially when we told him we had heard of the boat from a friend of Meriel’s.

The British Steamship

He shared the vessel’s rich history: Commissioned by the Peruvian government, she was built in 1862 in England, taken to bits and shipped to South America. In an epic logistical feat it was carried in thousands of pieces, by mule, up the Andes to Lake Titicaca, 12,500 feet above sea level, the world’s highest navigable waterway.

She was reconstructed and for more than a century plied her trade up and down the lake, but by 1985 she was a sad rotting hulk—until she was found by Meriel Larken, who led the quest to restore and preserve the ship. The oldest single screw iron passenger ship in the world, this nautical and engineering jewel is now a Peruvian tourist attraction & museum.

The Ship, The Lady & The Lake, was written by Meriel, with a foreword by HRH Prince Philip, chronicling its story. English comedian & world traveller, Michael Palin visited and mentioned the Yavari in his own travel book. At one point, Meriel, the captain & team even retraced the ship’s original trek by foot—a testament to their dedication. I believe Meriel, now in her late 80’s is no longer able to travel to Peru and visit her beloved boat.

That night, we left the kids in the truck and sat in the hotel bar, sipping drinks and chatting with a nice Englishman and his daughter by the fire. The next day, we did the must-do tourist thing: a boat trip to the Uros Islands.

Touring the Uros Floating Islands

29th July. The islands of Uros are entirely manmade, woven from totora reeds harvested from the lake. Entire communities used to live on these floating platforms—houses, schools, even churches—though today, the experience leans heavily into tourist showmanship. Still, it’s the kind of thing you can’t skip when visiting Titicaca, even if it’s a total tourist trap.

It was neat to experience the soft & soggy islands that moved underfoot. But that was about as far as my interest went.

Markets & Chicken Foot soup in Puno

Back on land, wandering the market stalls from the dock, I found a little old lady with teeth the colour of Tim’s soup, sitting knitting beautiful sweaters. Five minutes later I was the proud owner of one of her masterpieces. An alpaca wool sweater cost me just $35 CDN. Beautifully knit on a circular needle in a record 5hrs. It’s so light & warm.

The rest of the afternoon, we wandered the Puno market, sprawling along the train tracks and crisscrossing side streets, laid out like a city of departments. We stopped for lunch at a local hole-in-the-wall where there was no menu—just one set meal: a bowl of green soup with a chicken foot floating in it, followed by chicken, hand-cut fries, and lettuce leaf as garnish. All for 10 soles per person. Simple, hearty, and surprisingly delicious—except the chicken foot.

On the way back to the hotel, we enjoyed ice cream in the sun. The kids hung out in the truck while Tim and I once again found comfort in the hotel bar, sipping hot drinks by the fire. It felt incredibly civilized—a rare moment of indulgence on the road.

Last night was very cold, possibly -5C, in the morning the sun took its time to rise. Tim & I spent a good four hours washing & scrubbing the truck. She needed us to scrub away the salt, sand, and grime from the coast. The hotel staff even brought us a pressure washer. Staying here was definitely money well spent.

unbeatable customer service

30th July. Our time here at the hotel felt like a mini vacation. The staff made us feel very welcome. We took a liberty in giving Bruce a good scrub before leaving. Thinking we’re better to beg for forgiveness rather than ask permission. When a staff member approached us my first thought was oh no, time to start begging – when he asked if we would like the use of a pressure washer! Next thing we know, he’s walking up with a one to make our job easier. Hows that for unbeatable customer service!

Aug 1st. For me, visiting the Yavari & enjoying civilized relaxing evenings in the hotel bar was the real highlight. Sometimes it’s nice to just slow down and enjoy where we are.

Next stop, the long way round to Rainbow Mountain with a stolen peek into The Red Valley.