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It dawned on us that such large animals would not be stupid enough to be hunting those smaller creatures hiding from the rain. Yet here we were – humans! The most intelligent species, wearing shorts and t-shirts in pouring rain on top of the mountain getting soaked and blown by the wind.

My tenacious personality persevered, giving a thumb and a huge smile – the largest I could muster; when to my utter surprise a small van pulls to the side of the road….

The morning brought a heavy dehydrated head and my dry lips from a night beneath a fan as it struggled to keep us cool. I could barely move and the thought of a 18km trek by foot to see condors (we had made a pact the night before with Raul) was far from appealing. A cold shower, 2 coffees, breakfast and several glasses of faux orange juice later I felt nearly human.

The hostel managers had spent some time calling a few friends and tour guides about getting to the condors at Parque National Quebrada del Conorita – they has been worried we may get lost – however to my relief it would only be a 40 minute walk from the bus stop. Suddenly the day trip seemed much more appealing. http://www.quebradacondorito.com.ar/

The day’s heat started early, by 10am the sun was pounding on our backs as we navigated the city’s grid. We packed our bags with fruit, pastries and sweets – typical Argentina. The mini bus terminal would lead us on our next adventure AR$38 one-way – ticket in hand awaiting a bus that goes in one hour.

The road to the national Park was long winding and took us up and down the hills to the West of Cordoba. The two-hour journey would drop us on a remote corner of the highway, 2km from the Condor viewing spot.

As we climbed the final incline the bus stopped at a restaurant for a pee break. On climbing from the vehicle we saw above us 2 condors obviously hunting against a grey skyline. The restaurant played host to a Condor museum, showing the true size of these incredible birds. To our sheer dismay as we went to board the bus for the final leg of the journey we heard several taps on the roof – the heaven’s were about to open.

Read more and follow the journey