Sabancaya Volcano

— Traveling from Arequipa to the Colca Canyon was very exciting. Not only were we able to see the famous condors in flight, we also climbed very high during our journey. In fact, it was the only place all throughout Peru where we felt the effects of high altitude. We had planned to acclimatize ourselves slowly all the way to Lake Titicaca in Puno and also Machu Picchu, and that paid off. No sickness, no headaches, nothing. However, on this particular journey, when we got to the Mirador de los Andes — altitude 16,109 ft (4,910 m) — there was nothing that could have prevented a little light headedness. That did not prevent us from enjoying the beautiful view of several volcanoes in that area. Sabancaya is still an active volcano and is located about 43 miles (70 km) northwest of Arequipa, the White City. This area where the Sabancaya volcano is located is known as the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes.