Urubamba River
About Urubamba River
The Urubamba River starts up in the Andes south-east of Cusco. It flows north for 725 km down the Urubamba Valley and into the Amazon before joining the Apurimac River to form the Ucayali River. The dangerous but passable white water rapids at the Pongo de Mainique canyon divides the river into upper and lower Urubamba.
The upper portion of the river is entirely within the region of Cusco, linking the various towns of the Sacred Valley and beyond. Some stretches of the river provide excellent conditions for river rafting and kayaking, and several tour operators in Cusco offer 1 or 2 day rafting and kayaking tours starting from various locations, including:
The upper portion of the river is entirely within the region of Cusco, linking the various towns of the Sacred Valley and beyond. Some stretches of the river provide excellent conditions for river rafting and kayaking, and several tour operators in Cusco offer 1 or 2 day rafting and kayaking tours starting from various locations, including:
- Huambutio - class II rapids
- Ollantaytambo – class III rapids (Dec-May)
- Quiquijana – Class III rapids (Dec-May)
- Chuquicahuana – Class III, IV and V rapids (Dec-May)
Payment Accepted:
Getting there:
To access the river, travelers must get themselves to one of the many towns it passes by including Pisac, Yucay, Huambutio, Quiquijana, Chuquicahuana, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Aguas callientes, and on to Sta. Teresa, Quillabamba, Kiteni and Tintinikiato.
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First To Review:
May 21, 2010
In 2009 I did a three weeks trip on different boats along the Urubamba river until it becomes the Amazon river. I started in Peru and got of in Leticia, Colombia. For me that was a real adventure. I did that by myself. Some days you sit on the river bank waiting for another boat to come but there are no timetables so it happens that you wait couple of days from boat to boat. Sometimes I could not shower for few days, sometimes the mosquitos were annoying, sometimes you sleep in villages or school... So many adventures. I really like the Pongo de Mainique, one part of the Urubamba river where you see right and left waterfalls and rapids... it's impressing but at the wrong time/season it can be deadly... I brought some little gifts I collected through the years at home and gave to some of the village kids - I will never forget these eyes full of happiness... It was one of the best experiences while traveling ever! In case you are inspired and wanna do this I highly recommend to speak some Spanish without it can be difficult.
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