Cruz del Cóndor is the famous viewpoint on the lip of the Colca Canyon, forty minutes east of Cabanaconde by road. Andean condors nest on the cliffs below, and in the early morning, as the sun warms the canyon walls, they ride the rising thermals up past the viewpoint — often within metres of where you are standing. On a good day you see eight or ten birds at once, gliding without a wingbeat, the largest land birds in the world.
Tour buses arrive around 8 a.m. and the viewing is best between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. After that the thermals stabilise, the condors disperse, and the place empties out. If you are based in Cabanaconde you can come earlier (catch the 6 a.m. bus to Chivay and ask to be let off at the cross) and have it largely to yourself. The view of the canyon — 1,200 metres deep here, with the Hualca Hualca volcano in the background — is itself worth the trip.