THE GREAT URUBAMBA RIVER/RAFTING CLASS I & II
The great Urubamba River in Peru is a partially navigable headwater of the Amazon River. It rises in the Andes to the southeast of Cusco, near the border of the Puno region, in a place called “La Raya Pass”, which at 4338 meters, it lies between the snowcapped Chimboya that rises to 5489 meters and the Mosaya snow peak, at 5400 meters. Here, at its origin, it is called the sacred Vilcanota River. Another main source of water for this sacred river is the snowcapped mountain Ausangate that rises to 6384 meters. As it flows in the Sacred Valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo the river is called the Willcamayu or “Sacred River of the Incas”. It flows north-northeast for about 724 kilometers before joining the great Apurimac River to form the Ucayali River. Together they join the Marañon River and the Napo River to form the Great Amazon River near Iquitos in the norht part of Perú.
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Vilcanota River: Piñipampa section
We begin at 8:30 in the morning, driving south of Cusco for about one hour to the beginning of our section. Along the way we have impressive views of the snow-capped Ausangate Mountain, which rises to 6384 meters and is one of the main sources of water for this river. After passing several quaint Andean villages and the remarkable Inca ruins of Pikillacta, we will arrive at Piñipampa, our put-in point. After the safety instructions and equipment preparation, we begin rafting class I rapids for the first section. Later, in the canyon of Piñipampa with spectacular views of the Vilcanota Mountains range, we will run some class I and class II rapids then some flat sections at the end. The rapids are nice and easy with few rocks and several small waves. We will float for about an hour and a half and we will cover a distance of 8 kilometers.
While on the river we will see part of the ancient suspension bridge of the Incas, and flora and fauna typical of the Andean forest. Along the canyon there are different species of Bromeliads and Spanish moss, “epiphytes” or “air plants”, and some birds such as the Rufous Collared Sparrow, Andean Gulls and varieties of Hummingbirds. After this incredible journey we will change in to dry clothes and enjoy hot drinks. Our drive back to Cuzco is 45 minutes and we will arrive there at about 1 pm.
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