The Marañon, which means “Cashew”, is one of the principal tributaries of the Amazon. Its headwaters are in the high peaks of Cordillera Blanca and the Pasco watershed.

It is relatively easy getting to the put in for the Marañon. We chose to put on in the town of La Union in the Department of Huanuco with an elevation of 3200 meters. From Lima there are two good ways to get to La Union. The first is to follow the road to Huaraz and turn off at Pachacoto following the road past Pastoruri to the other side of the cordillera Blanca. Most of this road is paved and in good condition with bus service from Lima. The other way is through Huanuco and Chavinillo.

In La Union the put in is on a small, cold, unattractive tributary called the Rio Vizcara. We put on July 9, 2000 with a flow of 150 CFS. It is a one-day paddle of 25 KM to the confluence with the Marañon (elevation 3000 meters) where the combined flow is 800 CFS. Here there is a beautiful beach to camp with good trout fishing. Being just above town of Tingo Chica there is little firewood in this section so a stove is a good idea. This point could also serve as an alternative put in.

It is mostly flatwater for next 10 km downstream to town of Quivilla where you will find an old destroyed bridge signaling a 1 km portage past a sieve felled maelstrom. The trail on the left is very good making it an easy portage. Soon after putting back on the Rio Aco comes in on the left through a fissure in the massive canyon wall on river left. Approx 1 km below this there is another bridge that signals another 500 meter portage on the left. Although on a trail, the portage is more difficult as it involves lowering the boats back into the river. For the next two hours the river crashes through a canyon with class 3, 4 and 5 rapids and one portage. A good camp can be found at the beach formed by the confluence with Quebrada Sausa (Mamin) flowing down from Miraflores. Elevation is 2750 meters resulting a day drop of 250 meters in 20 KM.

Day 3

From camp it is only 1 hour to town of Chuquibamba. Here is the last opportunity to purchase any food and if you look around in town you can locate pasta, onions, garlic and carrots. For several Km’s below the bridge you will be passing gold dredges. A good camp can be found on the beach beside Quebrada Yanahuilca (elevation 2650 meters) which lies about 1 km upstream of the Rio Tantamayo confluence. Days drop 100 meters in 17 KM.

Day 4

River is now running 1000 CFS with cool green water. It is possible to paddle in a shorty. Just below camp and still above the Tantamayo confluence is a heavy 1-1/2 hour 300-meter long portage on river right. It is good boating for next hour and then there is a huge portage where the walls of the canyon come together and the river disappears in massive sieves. We called this one “Big Mama” and it took 3 long, tiring hours. At one point we got back in our boats and paddled through a tunnel in the rocks. Camps can be found just below the portage at elevation 2550 meters. Days drop 100 meters in 4 KM (almost all portaging)

Day 5

The morning starts off with a portage followed by class 5 rapids. Within 2 hours there is another massive portage. This one took 2-1/2 hours and involved carrying the boats high up a grass slope on river right, traversing the face and lowering them back to the river. The whitewater remains class 3-4 and 5 until the Quebrada Carpa enters on the right with 150-200 CFS of coffee colored water. Downstream a landslide blocks the river and requires a difficult portage right along the water on unstable sharp rocks. Below this the river has more class 5 rapids until camp was found on river left at 2435 meters. Days drop 115 meters in 7-1/2 KM.

Day 6

The first rapid out of camp is a portage on the right over razor sharp rocks. The lower part of the drop is a runnable class 5. The next two hours of boating are very good with the river entering a micro canyon with steep, vertical walls. At the end of the mini gorge the walls open up and you pass two-foot bridges. The boating is still very good until camp at 2275 meters, which lies just opposite the mouth of the Quebrada Molinoragra. Days drop 160 meters in 20 KM.

Day 7

Whitewater starts right off the bat with a bid rapid and continues for an hour through 4+ rapids. The pace of the river slackens to flatwater as it enters a huge walled canyon for 4-5 km. At the confluence of the Quebrada Tamiajalian the river goes nuts with several km’s of class 5 rapids. Everything is runnable but is difficult and dangerous. Quebrada Pagay enters on the right and this signals a change to class 4 for the raining section down to the bridge and the Rio Putchka which enters on river left with 250 CFS of warm water. Below this the river mellows out for the remaining three hours to camp at 2000 meters. Days drop 275 meters in 30 KM.

Day 8

Huge paddling day. Nine hours on the river with only short breaks. The Rio Tantamayo from Pomobamba brought in 500 CFS bumping the flow up to over 2500 CFS. There is good whitewater mixed with flatwater in both open and boxed in canyons. Camp is at 1770 meters. Days drop 230 meters in 90 KM.

Day 9

The 15 KM stretch to the bridge and Rio Rupac is good and fast taking only 1-1/2 hours. From here it is 10 km or another hour to where the canyon opened and haciendas can be seen along river where a very dirty colored river enters on the right. A nice rest spot is at the Rio Actuy that enters very clear on the left one hour downstream. The river is wide here but moves swiftly and 45 minutes later the Rio Cajas flows in dirty on the right. An hour later the Rio Mayas flows in on the left and signals the beginning of a heavy big water section that drops over 100′ until it mellows out by San Pedro. In 2 km there is another heavy section of whitewater where the left wall is vertical hard rock. There is a mandatory 100-meter portage on the right and then big water action continues for another hour until a great camp is found under fruit groves of Matibamba at 1420 meters. Days drop 310 meters in ??? KM. The river is now around 3500 CFS.

Day 10

Within 1 KM from camp is the biggest whitewater of the trip. Huge rapids continue below Mogon for 2 hours (or 20 KM) until things mellow out. The final 25 KM to Chagual are on swift moving water with one more good rapid just above takeout at Chagual. From here the best way to get out is to fly to small airplane from Chagual to Trujillo but you will not be able carry your boat. Another option is the bus to Huamuchuco but we were unlike enough to arrive on Tuesday when there is no service. The road is absolutely deplorable but we hitched a ride in a slow moving truck from the mine to Huamachuco arriving 17 hours later. The same truck carried our boats and us to Trujillo where we arrived an additional 12 hours later.

Access is relatively easy via a 21 hour bus ride from Lima to the Town of Chacapoyas or from Tarapoto on a 12 hour bus/car ride. The major bus line serving the area is Movil Tours whose Lima terminal is at Av. Paseo de la Republica 749 (phone 332-0004) or Chacapoyas terminal at Jr. Libertad 1084 (phone 044-778545). A one way bus ticket from Lima to Chacapoyas cost 70 soles in June of 2002.

The ideal time to run the river is from May to October when flows average less than 500 CFS. The water source is rain and even though this time of year is the dry season, there exist many periods where several days of precipitation fall in a short time frame. High water in the canyon would be suicidal and wet rocks would make the already difficult portages epic. Even minor amounts of precipitation change the color of the river from a tannic black to a chocolate brown. If you sense rain in the forecast do not enter this canyon.

The put in is easy to reach from Chacapoyas (elevation 2335 meters) by following a 10 km descent on the winding road to Mendoza. Immediately upon leaving Chacapoyas you will descent into the Quebrada Santa Lucia and views will begin to appear of the Sonches River far below. After crossing several smaller Quebradas you will finally come to  a point where a side road can be taken to the river’s edge. This lies just below Quebrada Opielel at 1865 meters.

This point is obvious as a tube descends from the opposing mountain delivering pulverized coal from the highlands.

The first km of boating is incredibly steep with over 50 meters of drop in first 800 meters for a gradient exceeding 60 m/km or 300 FPM. We had only three short portages in this section on our first descent in May of 2002. After the steep pitch the river mellows to class 4 and enters the bowels of the canyon. Day 1 ends with a huge landslide entering from river right at Quebrada Pana. Cliff walls on the left make the right side the only option for a portage and the final 150 meters must be run as the right wall cliffs out. A good camp can be found below on river right.

Day two

starts with meandering flatwater but as the walls of the canyon begin to tighten the gradient really takes off. A several hour portage is reached which involves slugging boats up and over boulders and eventually up a cliff face. The portage ends with a mandatory seal launch off a limestone cliff ledge and a difficult to scout class 5 rapid. A beautiful camp can be found below this point on river right.

Day 3 starts like day two with some meandering flat water but quickly reaches a gut wrenching 3-1/2 hour portage which involves hauling boats up cliff faces into the jungle and back down to the river several times. After the portage the Rio Yurumarca enters and the final 5 km of the trip are excellent class 4 rapids with no portages and everything is boat scoutable.

At Tingobamba (1550 meters) the waters of the Sonches join the larger Rio Utcubamba. From here a road can be followed back to Chacapoyas or the river can be followed downstream to Pedro Ruiz. (see section on Rio Utcubamba)

The upper Mantaro is not an exciting river opportunity due to poor water quality from the numerous industrial sites and population centers.

The lower Mantaro (Pampas to Canaire 144km) is a much more viable river trip and these notes are from Richard (Harry) Pethigal who made the first descent in October 2001. Richard owns and operates a restaurant bar on the Coast of Brazil part of the year and spends the rest of the year in Peru boating and teaching paarapente.

The Mantaro was quite an amazing place with a canyon similar to Cotahuasi (3,200m) at its deepest spot but not as vertical as the Colca. The River has a big water feel (around 30,000cfs).The only drawback is the water quality which is very murky with weird chemical smells from the mines 120 km upstream. The smell lasted the first 40 kms then cleaned up with the many effluents. The gradient wasn’t much with 350m drop in first 44km, 100m in next 10km, and 450m in final 100km but with the large volume it provides for lots of big water action. The second section is the mightiest. The majority of the 100m drop seems to be concentrated in the last 5 km( a very nice section with two solid class V’s and many class IV’s). The beginning and end of the first section had box canyons with minimal escape routes.The first we portaged although it may have been runnable and this involved 1-1/2 days hiking with mules. At the second box canyon (8 km) I said goodbye to my friends since they didn’t want to go into this one either. I traded my kayak for the cataraft and took off alone. The box canyon had 100m vertical walls 20 m apart. I had to scout 4 rapids by doing technical climbs and had to run one class IV blindly. The only class V during this section I managed to eddy out right side before the exit hole (called jaws, very big) and portaged a semi-dry waterfall on the right side. After this 8 Km section the canyon opened up a bit and scouts were possible on the Rocks. Nice beaches everywhere but not too many with clean water (since you can’t even cook with the river water without filtering first).
On the fourth day after leaving the Canadians I passed the first village. 10 kms downstream I rowed around a bend in the river and startled 6 sendero soldiers on the beach. They pointed their guns nervously at me, called me over to the beach, grabbed me, and tied my hands behind my back all the while asking me how many of us there were. It took 3 hours before they believed that I was alone then they untied me and strip-searched me. After organizing my stuff we went hiking two hours into the jungle arriving at their base-camp. It had camouflaged netting, solar panels, radios, and appeared to be well equipped. I talked to their superiors who said that they were going to confiscate all my equipment and send me hiking to Canaire (next town 4 days walk through jungle). I invented that I was a journalist and that I would be willing and able to write a story about their situation. After making some radio calls they decided to let me keep my equipment (except my compass and monocular) and the next afternoon they let me go. They wrote a page for me about their current situation and let me take fotos. 3 hours later I arrived in Canaire.

There are two choices for a put-in with the first being at 1,450m elevation and the second at 1,190. The takeout is 500m at Canaire. From Canaire it is a 4hr taxi boat ride to San Francisco where you can find buses to Ayacucho (12 hour ride). The first 50 kms of the descent was arid, cactus (typical Peruvian dessert canyon), the next 35kms was a transition from desert to jungle and the last 65 kms is dense jungle mountains. Biting insects are not much of a problem with a few small biting Flies (nothing like Apurimac) during the day but nothing at night. If you take away the bad water quality and the chance of senderos stealing your navigation equipment (maybe even your boats), this would be one of the classic class IV/V canyon runs of the world. If someone is going to take her on I would recommend the second put-in because of easy access (road crosses river heading from Huancayo to Surcubamba or Huachocolpa. The first put-in is near Pampas (bus from Huancayo) and has a 5 hr mule ride into the canyon and a wicked box canyon that has yet to be run. Supposedly a Hungarian kayaker went in a few years ago and two days later came walking back after losing his boat.

The Mayo is formed by several small creeks that drop from the eastern slopes of the Andes and winds as a flat-water river about 150 km to the City of Moyobamba. About 10 km. SE of Moyobamba the river begins to drop from 850 m to 250 m where it joins the Huallaga. The flow varies from 1,000 CFS in the driest months (July, August and September) to over 6,000 CFS in the wettest season (February-May). The top section has about 30 km of Class III in dry seasons and IV – V in rainy seasons. The center section is 160 km. of III-V and can only be run at very low levels. The lower section has 15 -20 km (depending on put in) of Class III rapids and can be run year round.

To run the top section the easiest put-in is in the Port at Moyobamba or neighboring town of Marona and after about 10 km. of flat water begins about 40 Km. of rapids, Class III in dry seasons and IV – V in the rainy seasons. An alternative put-in is at the bridge over the Gera River on the Highway to Tarapoto about 15 k. by road from Moyobamba. The river flows through small canyons that compress the water and forms large standing waves at high water. Most of the rapids are short and readable from the water, at High water there are a couple that require scouting. The take-out for this section is at the bridge at Britannia where there is a dirt road that connects to the Tarapoto-Moyobamba Highway

This section is runnable only in very low water, found usually in July, August and September. It is a 4-5 day trip and is the most interesting section with Class III, IV and V rapids. Shortly after the put-in at Britannia the river flows N away from the Highway. After about 10 km. of Class III you come to a possible beach campsite on river right. After passing this beach the river enters a canyon with few good campsites for another 10 km. In this section there are two falls runnable in Kayak. The fist falls in Dinosauro a 10-foot drop that can be portaged on river right. After Dinosauro is the last possible take out and requires climbing steep walls to a trail (8 KM.) that will take you back to Highway at La Huarpia. After passing the next rapid the river curves left in a Class IV rapid called Jacob’s Ladder and then curves right in a Class V rapid followed by a Class V falls that can be portaged river right. After the second falls the river enters a 3 km. closed canyon with sheer walls that has no opportunity for scouting until the last rapid that can be scouted at river right. The river enters a 3 Km. long valley with an excellent campsite river left about 500 m. before the rapids begin again. After the valley the river is Class III-IV and passes through virgin jungle, rapids in this section are easily scoutable. The distance from the valley to the first possible take-out is about 60 Km. and requires a camp. On the last day you will pass some Lamista Indian villages and easy class III rapids arriving at the town of Pinto Recodo where there is road access. You can also continue another 10 km. to the bridge at Shanao where the Tarapoto-Moyobamba Highway crosses the Mayo.

The lower Mayo is run commercially and is easy Class III rapids all year. The Put-in can be done at Pinto Recodo or at the bridge at Shanao. The take out is at Maceda 15 km. from the bridge. After Maceda the river offers few rapids until it enters the Huallaga River.

The river can be thought of as an upper stretch and a lower stretch all of which is bordered by roads for easy access that also permits the river to be run in day stretches with car camping. It is difficult to say what the best season is but local boater Al Twiss suggest the month of May. Later in the year the flow of the river becomes too low for many stretches while earlier in the year (Feb/March/April) the high flows can be dangerous.

The upper reaches of the river consist of mostly meandering flatwater until a dam is reached below the town of Chacapoyas. The dam is located at 1650 meters and in the 4.5 km stretch below the river drops 150 meters with impressive class 5+ boating all the way to the tunnel Alcatarila.From the tunnel to Puente Progresso is an easier class 5 stretch which turns to flatwater except for one class 6 monstrosity just above Tingobamba.  Greg Moore and Joel Hathorn put on somewhere in this stretch in late October of 1997 after 1-1/2 days of torrential rain (caused by the abnormally current shift of “El Niño”). Greg recalls the run as being a full adrenaline rush. Both boaters got trashed in big holes and then bailed out to lick their wounds and seek alternative plans. The flow was estimated at 2000 CFS, which Greg describes as, big enough to form monster holes but not big enough to wash them out.

From the confluence of the Rio Sonches (1550 meters) to the village of Churuja there is an 11km stretch where the river mellows to class 3 with one portage and some nice beaches for camping..

From Churuja to Pedro Ruiz ithere is a 10 km class 4+ stretch at high water.  the  Pedro Ruiz is a crossroads town located on the Chiclayo-Tarpoto main highway at elevation 1250 meters.

From here the lower stretch of the river begins with the river turning in a north west direction and continuing on its descent to El Milagro on banks of Marañon River 85 km away. En route the river and road pass villages of Bagua Grande and Bagua Chica. The second village lies at 420 meters.

Immediately below Pedro Ruiz is a stretch of class 4+ whitewater which turns to class 5+ and 6 at km marker 290. From here to village of Asadero the river makes its final furious plunge before mellowing to class 4 with an occasional class 5. I saw this boiling chasm from a bus window during the high water days of early June in a “El Nino” year and was more than impressed.

If you do not wish to boat all the way to the Marañon River you take out anywhere along the road which follows the river the whole way. An obvious spot to take out is Bagua Grande

The upper stretch of the river can be viewed on Chacapoyas map 1358 and 1359. The lower stretch can be viewed on map 1259 and 1159.

What makes the Pozuzo so special is the emerald green warm water and the local character of the valley (Valle Chontabomba). Austrians and Prussians settled the valley a few generations ago. Many of the local people still speak a dialect of German and maintain the characteristic blonde hair and blue eyes. Their homes and barns are built in a distinct European style and local cuisine includes such dishes as Trucha mit Kartofel, (trout with potatoes), and Schnitzel mit salat. The valley is well known for its abundance of curative plants such as Uña de Gato, Sangre de Grado and Valeriana. Food and fruit are abundant with some notable “must try” examples being the local coffee, yucca and friend plantains, local sausages and Naranjito (a citrus drink made from a vine crop resembling a tomato).

The first boat-able section lies 20 KM below the town of Oxapampa. The put in is at the bridge in the town of Huancabamba. During the first descent we started on June 25, 2000 with approximately 700 CFS. This first stretch of river starts drops roughly 150 KM in 12 KM and starts out as class 2 and progresses to 5+. After 12 KM the river Mallanpampa enters on river left at a place the locals call Tingo. Here the flow doubles to 1200 CFS. Unlike most rivers in Peru the Pozuzo does not have good topo maps available so gradient and distances are best calculated using the cars odometer and watch altimeter.

Day 2

From the Rio Mallapampa confluence it is 10 KM to the swinging bridge below the town of San Pedro. One can make an easy exit here or continue another 5 KM below town to a mandatory exit at the entrance to the National Park Yamachaga-Chemillén. This 15 KM class 4-5 day stretch finishes at what I would guess to be 1350 meters so the section drops 225 meter in 15 KM or averages 15 m/km (75 FPM).

There is no gate at the entrance to the park, only a sign. Immediately below this point all development stops and the river plunges into Quebrada Honda, a boiling cauldron of fury that continues to the National Park exit 14.5 KM downstream. The whole section through the park is a portage, which is best done in an automobile as the road to Pozuzo parallels the river a few hundred feet above the vertical walled canyon. In passing Quebrada Honda one gets fleeting glimpses of the river some 200 meters below. Some of the drops look run-able while others are out of the question. The thick jungle and vertical walls make running this section or even scouting it an epic adventure.

Day 3

The put in for section three is 17 KM above the town of Pozuzo. At the northern exit of the Park is a national park sign and beside this sign there is a road down to an abandoned office building. Park at the office building and follow the footpath down to a bridge over a side stream. Since the jungle is so thick we put in on the side stream and boated some ultra low volume waterfalls until we reached a mandatory portage down to the Pozuzo River. Here the river is literally squirting out of Quebrada Honda and has a big pushy feel. The run is class 4+ (5-) until the takeout at the swimming club 14 KM downstream. This section of river is roughly 2000 CFS and drops 15 to 20 m/KM over it entire length. With the warm water and incredible play spots this may be the single best “day run” in Peru. The run takes roughly 4 hours.

Day 4

Another option on Day 3 is to pass the swim club and paddle right into the town of Pozuzo which is only a few KM below the bridge. In town it is worth mentioning the Restruante Tipico, which has great food and fresh fruit juices. Several KM below town the Rio Santa Cruz enters on the left and once again doubles the volume of the river to an estimated 3500 CFS. Here there is a good beach for camping. From this point on the trip becomes a self-supported venture. After 2-1/2 hours of boating the terraced hillsides of the valley give way to a jungle character. From here the river really takes on a “Big water feel”. Many small tributaries bump the flow up to over 5000 CFS. The river crashes through rock walls scoured by the rains with incredible high water marks. This section of river along with the previous day would make for a spectacular rafting trip. Sightings of unforgettable birds such as Macaws and Peru’s national bird, “gallito de la rocka” along with cascading orchids make the infrequent mellow sections equally as exciting. After another 2-1/2 hours of boating a view of a massive and distinct “tepui” become visible on river right. A tepui is a jungle-coated mountain that stands alone in relation to its surroundings. At this point we made camp on a nice beach on river right approx 50 KM below town of Pozuzo.

Day 5

The morning starts out with another 1-1/2 hours of big water boating. The walls are still formed by housed sized rocks creating huge waves and phenomenal play spots. After passing under a foot bridge called Puente Pozuzo a tributary comes in on the left signaling the end to the whitewater. The mountains on both sides of the river quickly drop to nothing and the heat becomes oppressive. At this point be on the lookout for the first sign of a “Pecky Pecky”, or small river taxi. This zone is called Codo de Pozuzo (elbow of Pozuzo) and represents a radical 180-degree turn in the direction of the river. The area, although not serviced by roads, is connected to the rest of the world by boat. On our first descent we found a small dugout, motorized canoe leaving for the road crossing at Puente Constitucion some 50 KM or 3-1/2 hours downstream. We were on a boat with three government workers who were visiting the region to inoculate the local people against the recent rabies epidemic. In addition to rabies, the river, at this point, housed rays, which inflict a severe sting to people walking in the water. Gergons are large snakes which force people to walk through the jungle in tall rubber boats and to carry a machete. It is 2-1/2 hours to Porto Mayo at the confluence of the Rio Pachieta and another hour downstream to Puente Constitucion.

From Puente Constitucion there are two choices to return to Lima. The first is to seek transportation to Pucallpa which lies deep in the heart of the Peruvian jungle and from there fly or bus it back to Lima via Tingo Maria and Huanuco. The other option is to look for transportation to Villarica. Although it lies less than 180 KM away the road to Villarica takes at least 9-12 hours in a four wheel drive vehicle. We were able to find a ride for 150 soles ($ 40) in a Toyota pickup for four people and boats. The road to Bermudez is good but deteriorates substantially afterwards with dozens of river crossings and giant mud bogs. From Villarica there is regular service into La Merced and onwards to Lima. Recommended route is through Pucallpa.