To get back from Cabanaconde I had to decide between a local bus or a tour group. I decided to hitch a ride with a tour group to go back to Arequipa mostly because they stop at some hot springs and then for lunch, where the local bus would go straight through.
It turns out that hitching a ride with a tour group is not difficult. Down at Sangalle I met lots of tour guides and if they had space they were overly eager to negotiate a price. So after I hiked out and got some breakfast I met a small group who mostly slept going back to Arequipa.
There are several hot springs in the Chivay area, most of them very rustic. We stopped at Yanque. The hot springs are located down a steep gravel road that is probably not meant for a bus, but we made it.
The water is coming straight from under the volcano and it’s not filtered in any way. The pool at the extreme left was actually boiling (literally bubbling). Nobody dared to risk that, I had visions of 3rd degree burns! From there the water is piped into the next pool (so it’s a bit cooler) and then the next, and so on. To the left of the pools is the river, so you could go from the hot springs into the river to cool off.
This location actually had a zip line above it, but all you would get is a view of the hot springs.
Speaking of views, while waiting for the bus driver to finish his nap (did I mention this group slept a lot), we saw Mount Vesuvius erupt.
I believe this is actually Sabancaya, and apparently it does this several times per day, but I have never seen anything like this before. Some people in the group were a bit concerned for their safety.
The trip back to Arequipa was fairly uneventful after this. I think this region in Peru is my favorite. The landscape is so fantastic.