Peru Project – Day 7

Young Explorers Blog – Day 7

After a night squeezed on the shelter’s floor, we awoke at 5 am to quickly pack and search for condors, in a V-shaped dry valley along the Illescas peninsula. Despite our 3-hour walk through the mountains, we only spotted a few condors in the far distance. Nevertheless, navigating our way to the next camp in the largest Peruvian desert under a scorching sun was an unforgettable experience. After a quick snack, we arrived at the sea lion “party spot,” a desolate, windy beach, where sea lions rest in packs. On our way to our next campsite, our expedition almost came to an end as our vehicle nearly tipped on its side as we came down a sand dune. However, the trip was well worth the journey; it allowed us to reach a beautiful and completely isolated beach. To our surprise, we found a nice wooden house overlooking this amazing area, which used to belong to a businessman and surfer, Fernando Paraud † (1969-2012). We settled in for the night and although there wasn’t enough water for us to shower, we all could sleep in proper (but full of sand) beds.