I must share with you the wonderful place that we had the pleasure of staying at during our time in the Colca Valley.

Colca Lodge Spa & Hot Springs.

Situated in the midst of the valley at 3250m above sea level and alongside the Colca River, the lodge is surrounded by green agricultural terraces, trees and blue skies.

Each of the rooms are heated by the natural thermal springs that are steaming in various locations along the Colca River.

Small streams of hot water are channeled throughout the grounds. I believe they flow under each room warming up hot stones, which in turn keep the rooms all cosy and warm (more information can be found here). At night it gets pretty chilly up at this altitude and this natural heat source is absolutely perfect.

It’s also very eco friendly, which runs alongside many other ecological aspects of the lodge like recycling in all rooms, limited outdoor electrical lighting, using local materials (stone, wood and straw) in construction, and only replacing towels and bedding when absolutely necessary during your stay.

The rooms themselves are situated in small blocks with lovely cobbled stone pathways running alongside them.

They are ‘inspired by the old Pre-Inca structures‘ (colca-lodge.com) but, in fact, they reminded me of little old English cottages, all in rows with stone walls around each one.

The bedrooms are rustic in style and so welcoming;

wood floors and beams, crisp white sheets and toasty warm blankets, rain head showers and the floors are always delightfully warm!

The best part is the view from the window.

Isn’t that a stunning view to wake up to?

Thick fluffy bath robes are supplied for the spa and also for those wishing to take a trip to the hot pools. (They even have hoods so you can snuggle right inside!)

These pools are also supplied by the natural hot springs and are a delight to relax in, day or night.

Rain or shine!

By day you can enjoy the views of the nature around you, and by night marvel in the deep black, starlit skies above you.

All while sitting inside a giant stone bath. It’s amazing.

I would love one in my garden!

From the pools you can see the spa, which also shares similar views of the surroundings whilst you enjoy a treatment.

Beautiful.

If the spa doesn’t take your fancy then maybe a walk around the grounds….

There are many areas to explore.

 

Beautiful gardens full of flower beds….

…and wildlife!

 

There’s a walk down to the river so you can see the crystal clear waters up close…

…and clamber over the silvery grey rocks.

There are also stone terraces to sit, eat and drink on and once again take in those amazing views.

I even found alpacas hidden in the stone pathways.

Can you see them?

Speaking of alpacas, the lodge also has an alpaca farm on the other side of the river which holds two breeds of alpacas and even llamas too.

These are the Suri Alpaca

Don’t they look fantastic with their long hair!

The ones with the shorter hair are the Huacaya Alpaca.

These alpacas are so beautiful, I just love their little faces.

There is also a museum at the farm which gives lots of information about the alpacas and llamas themselves so that you can learn all about them.

There is even a display of the different wools, both straight from the animal and then also woven into different colours and designs. Everyone just loves feeling the different grades of sumptuously soft alpaca wool.

Another hut on the same site has information on the condors of the area, so you can swot up on all your knowledge before you go to visit them. There is even an outline of a condor to show how huge they are compared to other large birds, or even yourself!

The alpacas were in their feeding pens when we visited so we saw them much closer than if they had been out roaming in their larger enclosures.

We also discovered the greenhouse where the lodge grows many of the herbs and plants used in their restaurant. It smelled wonderful when we poked our heads inside!

We even found a swing too! It was one of those old fashioned rope swings tied to a tree branch which reminded me of being a child, so of course I had to have a go!!

After all your explorations, you might need a cup of tea…or something stronger!

 

You can stop in the bar/lounge area and rest in one of their comfortable sofas, perhaps by the fire, and relax. Then if it’s the right time you can pop downstairs to the restaurant for a scrumptious lunch or dinner. Take a look at the delicious meal we had here.

The staff will see to your every need and between them they speak a number of different languages, not just Spanish and English. If you need any information about the lodge itself or even recommendations regarding the valley, all you need to do is ask.

They do have wi-fi in the lounge (not in the rooms) but it slows down when it’s busy so don’t expect to be properly connected 24/7. But then why would you need to be?!

The lodge is such a wonderful place to stay and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. A peaceful and perfect way to de-stress, slow down and escape the faster pace of city living.

Sometimes you need a place where you can just enjoy what nature has to offer and completely switch off. Although somewhere that still has a few of those little luxuries that you don’t quite want to leave behind!!