The location of sources of the Urubamba River, 860 kms. long, are a subject of controversy. The river's traditional birthplace is said to be 4,200 m.a.s.l. in the Vilcanota watershed near the valley between Cusco and Puno. This is being questioned today because the Urubamba's longest tributary, the Salca River, arises at the higher altitude, passes through Lake Sabinacocha and empties on the right bank of the Vilcanota - Urubamba. At the end of its long journey thorough the department of Cusco and the jungle, the Urubamba flows into the Apurimac-Tambo to form the Ucayali and later the Amazon.
Few rivers in the world can offer as many attractions and as much diversity as the Vilcanota - Urubamba. Its waters are navigable from an altitude of 4,200 m.a.s.l. and do not present any insurmountable difficulties over a more than 200 km. course running more than 2,700 m.a.s.l. through populated areas. There is an extraordinarily difficult stretch where the river drops about 2,000 m. in less than 100 kms. In its course through the upper jungle it is swift-flowing and choppy, but smoothes out when it begins its Amazonic meandering. It is an ideal river from the point of view of technical navigation, with alternatives for paddling at high altitudes, challenges for the most experienced kayakers and relaxed runs through the middle of the jungle.
But the Urubamba is not only a kayaker's delight. Its course runs through one of the most interesting areas in the world, from the point of view of history, archaeology, culture and handcrafts. Cusco, cradle of the Inca civilization and of the immense empire destroyed by the Spaniards, offers something new at every turn: pre-Columbian ruins; colonial constructions; highland and lowland peasant communities with century-old traditions; important folklore festivals; costumes and customs; proof of man's extraordinary capacity to adapt to his environment for agricultural production (terraced fields); war or religious practices (Machu Picchu).
The river is the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. From the river the traveler can view thousands of sites, passing by the foot of Pisac and almost being able to reach out and touch the massive fortifications at Ollantaytambo. While the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu gets more and more crowded every day, the river and its risks lead directly to the foot of the citadel on an unequaled course of adventure and excitement. After crossing the warm valleys and plantations of La Convención, the Urubamba penetrates the jungle. These lands were the final refuge of the Inca and his followers as well as the home of Amazon tribes, who allied with the climate, the jungle and its insects and diseases, had successfully defended themselves for centuries from Inca and Spanish domination.
It is not known if the Sacred Valley of the Incas was navigated during pre-Columbian times. There was probably no need to. Aside from traditional canoe traffic on the lower part of the river then called the Vilcamayo or Santa Ana, missionaries were the first to try to travel downriver by boat into the jungle. The first was Father Ramon Bousquet, who 1806 left from Echarate and went downriver as far as the Ucayali. In 1846, the Peruvian Francisco Carrasco and the Frenchman De Castelnau made the same trip. The expedition led by Peruvian Samanez Ocampo is an interesting one. In 1884, they descended part of the Apurimac, the Ene, the Tambo, and the Ucayali, returning to ply the Ucayali and the Urubamba as far as Coribeni. In the last few years, expeditions have multiplied beyond count. Kayak and raft trips through the Sacred Valley are now a relatively common circuit for tourists.
Among the first was probably Laszlo Berty, who was the technician for the expedition that ran the Urubamba (first the Sacred Valley and then later below Chaullay) in the rainy season in 1977 (according to Tom Jackson in "South American Explorer's Club Magazine").
In May 1981, the "First Kayak Expedition in the Upper Amazon" navigated the Vilcanota/Urubamba, beginning on the Salca River at Lake Sabinacocha and ending below Pongo de Mainique (account of South African Tim Biggs). In July of the same year, the Polish expedition "CanoAndes '79" (Andrzej Pietowsky and Piotr Chmielinski) ran the Vilcanota River to Ollantaytambo.
© CanoAndes 1981
© Embajada del Viajero S.A. 1981
Lima, Peru
