Kayak Guide to Whitewater of Peru
Flowing off the Northern flank of the sacred Nevado Auzangate 6372 meters (21,076 feet) is the Rio Paucartambo (also called Mapacho). After meandering through 80 + km of relative flatwater the river passes through the colonial town of Paucartambo at 3000 meters of elevation. From here begins one of Peru’s premier whitewater kayak trips and [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | 1 Comment »
Colonel P.H Fawcett was the first to run Tambopata River in 1911. His craft was a raft made of lashed logs. Tales of this incredible explorer can be found in a hard to find autobiography called “Exploration Fawcett”. This same individual made the first descent of the nearby Rio Tuichi in Bolivia during the same [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 3, Rivers in Cuzco Region | No Comments »
Somewhere around Ollantaytambo the Vilccanota river changes names to Urubamba. The railroad from Cuzco to Machu Pichu follows the river and the milage posts are used to reference location. The stretch of river known as the Urubamba should be thought of as two distinct sections. The first stretch is from Ollantaytambo (km 68 to Aguas [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | Comments Off
The Vilcanota River is a fun day trip during high water visits to Cuzco. The river is most fun from late November to April when the Apurimac and Urubamba are too high. Access to the river is easy with the paved road from Cuzco to Sicuani following it the whole way. There is daily bus [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 4, Rivers in Cuzco Region | No Comments »
The Ausangate is a fun day run in the Cuzco area that can be combined with the Vilcanota. Access is easy via the paved road between Cuzco and Sicuani. You will cross the river 13 KM past Cusipata and the turn off is nearby at the town of Checacupe. Follow the side road up the [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 4, Rivers in Cuzco Region | No Comments »
Well known as the source of the Amazon, the mighty Apurimac makes its boldest statement in the bowels of the Acombamba Abyss. It is here that the river makes its final plunge to the jungles below. Starting in the highlands of Arequipa the river flows in a northwest direction forming the borders of the department [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | 6 Comments »
The Black Canyon presents a multi-day “warm up” for the action that lies downstream. The traditional Black Canyon run is a three day 60 km stretch beginning at Nayhua (elevation 2400 meters and finishing Puente Haulpachaca elevation 2275 meters). Puente Hualpachaca is also the put-in for the popular, class 4-5, commercial 3 day raft trip. [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | No Comments »
Apurimac means “the voice of God” in Quechua and has been an important part of the Andean landscape for centuries. There is a 2-3 day stretch of whitewater on the Apurimac that has become a popular raft trip for visitors to Cuzco. It is a classic trip that is run from May to October. The [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 4, Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | 1 Comment »
The Rio Yanatile starts in the highlands of Cuzco and cascades off the eastern flank of the cordillera into the steamy jungles below. The run was first attempted in April of 1995 by a group of three kayakers. In November of 2001 I was joined by another group of four kayakers and together we ventured [...]
Posted on January 16th, 2009 by kurt
Filed under: Class 5, Rivers in Cuzco Region | No Comments »
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