Day 3: The Condor Hike

Our original plan for Day 3 was an all day rigorous excursion through the mountains of south of Saimapata to a nest of Condors had been discovered two years ago. But once again, our eyes bit off more than our feet could chew.



Luckily for us, our tour guide offered the lazy gringo version of the Condor hike, which consisted of nice drive to a waterfall for lunch and then a leisurely stroll up a mountain to the condor viewing plateau. To say the least, the view was gorgeous. Green parrots flew through the bright blue sky overhead and vast views of voluptuous valleys surrounded us.

Javier, our guide, cautioned us that because we were taking the lazy gringo path, we might not see many Condors and if we did they’d likely be from far away. We were hoping to see a glimpse one of these ancient birds. This Andean Condor is considered sacred in Bolivia and even has a place on the national seal of Bolivia akin to the bald eagle for Americans.

After reaching the plateau best suited for viewing the Condors, we began to lose hope that we would see one of these Andean aviators. Finally, we were excited to see one Condor come into view two mountain peaks away. George and Ben started snapping photos like paparazzi at a Britney Spears sighting. After a few minutes and dozens of photos of a bird that was little more than a black speck in the distance, we were satisfied that we could declare victory and head back down the mountain. As we started to pack up our gear, our guide Javier starting shouting and pointing towards that sky as a giant condor soared over our mountain peak maybe twenty feet overhead. The paparazzi of Ben and George were again whipped into a frenzy and expletives of excitement were shouted in both Spanish and English. As Ben turned his video camera towards Joe to get his opinion on the experience, a second Condor, even closer than the first, swooped up from below our mountain directly over Joe’s shoulder. Another round of photos and expletives ensued. At this juncture the flood gates of Condors was flung opened and for the next half hour over a dozen Condors circled our mountain plateau. From our vantage point, we could even distinguish the older Condors marked by white feathers on the top of their 8 to 10 feet long wings.



What made the experience seem all the more surreal and unique was that our Bolivian guide was at times even more excited than we were and declared that he had never witnessed such a display of Condors over his numerous hikes to the region. We hiked back down the mountain in a state of euphoria and a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature.