from: Dilwyn Jenkins: The
rough guide to Peru; Rough Guides, New York, London,
Delhi; 6th edition September 2006; www.roughguides.com
The trip down from Cusco to
the Amazon basin along the Urubamba river - civilization
damage
Traditionally the
home of the Matsiguenga and Piro Indians, the Río Urubamba
rolls down from the Inca's Sacred Valley [with Machu Picchu
aside] to the humid lower Andean slopes around the town of
Quillabamba, little more
than a pit stop, and at the end of the rail line from Cusco
(though due to a landslide this is likely to be out of
operation between Machu Picchu and Quillabamba for the
foreseeable future).
For the next eighty or so unnavigable kilometers, the
Urubamba is trailed by a dirt road to the small settlement
of
Kiteni, where it
meets with the tributary Río Kosrentni, then continues to
the smaller settlement of
Monte
Carmelo.
From here on, the easily navigable Río Kiteni becomes the
main means of transport, a smooth 3500km through the Amazon
Basin to the Atlantic, interrupted only by the impressive
Pongo de Mainique - whitewater
rapids, less than a day downstream, which are
generally too dangerous to pass in November and December.
Unlike the Manu Biosphere Reserve, most of the Urubamba has
been colonized as far as the
pongo, and much of it beyond has suffered
more or less permanent exploitation of one sort or another
for over a hundred years (rubber, cattle, oil and, more
recently, gas). Consequently, this isn't really the river
for experiencing pristine virgin forest, but it is
nevertheless an exciting and remote challenge and a genuine
example of what's going on in the Amazon today.
Tour operators in the
Urubamba valley
Far fewer tour companies operate in the Río Urubamba region
than do in Manu or Madre de Dios, but as the political
situation continues to improve, and entrepreneurial optimism
revives further around Cusco, it seems likely that more
(p.563)
adventure tours will become available in the lower Urubamba
and that the area will open up further to organized
river-rafting and forest-trekking (p.564).
Quillabamba
Take a bus or a colectivo
(combi) in Cusco to Quillabamba
Buses from Calle Huascar in Cusco terminate by the market
and Plaza Grau side of town (p.565); 2-3 buses per day (most
days) go via Ollantaytambo to Quillabamba, a trip of 12
hours, or 2-3 buses per week are going also via Calca Lares
to Quillabamba, a trip of 24 hours (p.568).
colectivos from Calle General Buendio, by the San Pedro
railway station in Cusco, or the plaza in Ollantaytambo,
terminate near the market in Quillabamba, as do trucks (best
picked up from the plaza in Ollantaytambo) (p.565).
Coming down the Urubamba
valley
Coming from Cusco, the initial section of road is a narrow
gravel track along precipitous cliffs, notoriously dangerous
in the rainy season, but after a few hours, having traveled
over the magical Abra Malaga - the main pass on this road -
the slow descent towards Chaullay starts.
From here on, you'll see jungle vegetation beginning to
cover the valley sides; the weather gets steadily warmer and
the plant life thickens as you gradually descend into the
Urubamba Valley (p.564).
The main town [Quillabamba] is a stiff climb from the river
and the train station, over a bridge then up a series of
steps, though the station is presently defunct due to a
landslide (p.565).
Quillabamba: market,
fountain statue, Sambaray beach, Siete Tinjas waterfall
A rapidly expanding market town, growing fat on profits from
coffee, tropical fruits, chocolate and, to a certain extent
perhaps, the proceeds of cocaine production, QUILLABAMBA is
the only Peruvian jungle town that's easily accessible by
road from Cusco, and the main attraction here for tourists
is a quick look at the selva.
Your first sight of the town, which tops a high cliff, is of
old tin roofs, adobe outskirts and coca leaves drying in the
gardens. It's a pleasant enough place to relax, and you can
get all the gear [luggage] you need for going deeper into
the jungle; the market sells all the necessities like
machetes, fish-hooks, food and hats. Just ten minutes' walk
from here, the Plaza de Armas with its shady fountain statue
of the town's little-known benefactor, Don Martín Pio
Concha, is the other major landmark.
Other than that, though about 4km away, the once attractive
river beach at Sambaray is a bit of a dump these days; much
nicer and quite a popular resort is the nearby waterfall
area of Siete Tinjas (p.564).
Accommodation in
Quillabamba
Hotel Cusco
Jirón Cusco 233, T. 084-281161 near Plaza Grau and the
market square
is somewhat run-down at present though it suffices.
Hostal Quillabamba
Avenida Prolongación Miguel Grau 590, T. 084-281369, very
close to the market
offers modern rooms that are comfortable, also has a car
park, swimming pool, hot water and a good restaurant
Hostal Señor de Torrechayoc
Avenida Grau 548, T. 084-281553
modern, clean rooms with or without bath
Hotel Don Carlos
Jirón Libertad 546, T. 084-281371
relatively luxurious, newish hotel just up from the Plaza de
Armas, coy, friendly and popular with Peruvians. Rooms are
smart and the place has a pleasant garden courtyard. It's
also a good place to make connections for organized (though
relatively costly) overland trips to Kiteni, and river trips
onwards from there.
Hostal Convención
[Jirón] Pio Concha 212, T. 084-281093
is a basic but quaint place with a communal bathroom and no
hot water. It's also the base for the Yoyato Club Tourism
Adventure run by Sr. Rosas (May-Sept), who takes
tour groups to Sambaray,
the Pongo de Mainique [waterfall] or Espíritu Pampa (p.565).
Eating in Quillabamba
Restaurant Los Amantes
along the first block of Jirón Cusco
inexpensive little restaurant, serving decent set meals
including the usual
estofado
de res [stewed venison],
caldo de gallina (hen soup) or chicken and
chips dishes.
Restaurant La Estrella
along the first block of Jirón Cusco
inexpensive little restaurant, serving decent set meals
including the usual
estofado
de res [stewed venison],
caldo de gallina (hen soup) or chicken and
chips dishes.
Restaurant Don Cebas
Jirón Espinar 235, on the Plaza de Armas
serving snacks and drinks
Bar-restaurant Peña La Taverna
close by the Restaurant Don Cebas at Jirón Espinar 235, on
the Plaza de Armas
offering good cool drinks and usually decent chicken and
rice; it's downbeat and pleasant.
Restaurant El Bucaro
on the third block of Grau, just off the Plaza de Armas
is a spit-and-sawdust place with a nice, very jungle
frontier-like atmosphere and very cheap set meals.
Heladeria
Jirón España 207, on the corner of the Plaza de Armas and
Libertad
is a popular, cool place to while away an hour or two, with
good snacks and wonderful ice creams.
Chifa El Oriental
[Jirón] Libertad 375 on the other side of the Plaza de Armas
serving surprisingly good Chinese meals.
Snack-restaurant Punto-y-coma
[Jirón] Libertad 501, over the road from the Heladeria
is very popular for its tasty and cheap set lunches.
Tourist information of
Quillabamba
Banks
-- Banco de Credito on [Jirón] Libertad for changing dollars
and travelers' cheques
-- Banco Continental, on the first block of Jirón España
-- cambistas on the street outside
-- change in the better hotels.
Telephone calls
-- at Telefónica del Perú, [Jirón] Bolognesi 237-249
-- or there's a smaller company at Jirón Cusco 242 (p.565).
From Quillabamba back to
Cusco
Heading back to Cusco, the Hidalgo bus leaves Quillabamba
from the market area several times a week, as do the bus
companies Turismo Ampay and the less reliable Carhuamayo;
trucks (from block 5 of [Jirón] San Martín) are more
frequent, but slower, and there are currently no trains
(p.566).
Kiteni and the Pongo de Mainique waterfall
Take a bus or truck for
Kiteni
To get to Kiteni, buses (the Alto Urubamba service) and
colectivos (trucks start at $3; faster estate cars up to $10
per person) [or combis?] leave [from Quillabamba] from
[Jirón] Ricardo Palma, close to the Plaza Grau, every day
from 8am to 10am. The road does go beyond Kiteni these days,
as far as Monte Carmelo (almost to the Pongo de Mainique),
though this frontier is constantly moving - trucks sometimes
go on the Cumpire and Tinta at the very end of the road,
which keeps more or less to the course of the Urubamba, but
these little settlements offer nothing much for the
independent traveler (p.566).
Little Kiteni mule town
By the time you reach KITENI, five to eight hours deeper
into the jungle, the Río Urubamba is quite wide and, with
the forest all around, the valley is hotter, more exotic and
much greener than before. Still a small
poblado [village],
until over twenty-five years ago Kiteni was a small
Matsiguenga [tribe] Indian village. With its ramshackle
cluster of buildings, all wooden except for the schoolhouse
and the clinic (where you can get yellow fever shots if you
haven't already done so), it is still a one-street town,
with more mules than cars (p.565).
Accommodation in Kiteni
On arrival, trucks and buses stop at a chain across the dirt
track. Here you have to register with the
guardia [police]
in their office on the right before walking into the town.
About 100m straight down the road, at the other end of town
is the basic dormitory-type hostel, the
Hotel Kiteni - a
friendly place, attractively situated beside the bubbling
Río Kosrentni, and serving good set meals; there are no
locks on doors so don't leave your valuables lying around.
Next to the
Hotel Kiteni
there's an
oroya
(stand-up cable car) for people to pull themselves across
the river; a ten-minute stroll on the far bank takes you to
an
albergue
[hostel] that has been officially closed for several years
but still occasionally rents out a few rooms for trips
organized in advance by agencies or groups from Cusco; it
offers seclusion, an English-speaking staff, and excellent
food for only a few dollars a night (p.566).
Back from Kiteni to
Quillabamba
The last transport (mostly combis) from Kiteni to
Quillabamba generally leaves at 3-3.30pm daily (a 6hr trip)
(p.566).
Waterfall Pongo de Mainique
Kiteni's main draw - beyond its small jungle-settlement
atmosphere - is as a staging point for the awe-inspiring
Pongo de Mainique, possibly the most dangerous 2km of
(barely) navigable river in the entire Amazonian system,
made famous by Michael Palin in his TV travel documentary.
The road from Quillabamba towards the Pongo passes through
Kiteni but ends a few hours further on at the village of
Ivochote. Traveling down
the river, just before you reach the
pongo there's a
community at
San Idriato.
The people here, known as the Israelites, founded their
village around a biblical sect; the men leave their hair
long and, like Rastas, they twist it up under expandable
peaked caps. Not far from San Idriato there's a basic
tourist lodge, again now out of general use, right at the
mouth of the rapids - a wonderful spot. Across the Urubamba
from
San Idriato
the small community of
Shinguriato,
upstream from the Río Yuyato mouth, is the official entrance
to the
pongo
itself.
The dangerous Urubamba
river rapids of Pongo de Mainique - rafting
You'll have heard a lot about the Pongo de Mainique before
you get there - from the boatmen, the local Machiguenga
Indians, colonos and the Israelites. The rapids are
dangerous at any time of year, and virtually impossible to
pass during the rainy season (Nov-Jan). As you get nearer,
you can see a forested mountain range [chain of mountains]
directly in front of you; the river speeds up, and as you
get closer, it's possible to make out the great cut made
through the range over the millennia by the powerful
Urubamba.
Then, before you realize, the craft is (p.566)
whisked into a long canyon with soaring rocky cliffs on
either side: gigantic volcanic boulders look like wet
monsters of molten steel; imaginary stone faces can be seen
shimmering under cascades; and the danger of the pongo slips
by almost unnoticed as the walls of the canyon will absorb
all your attention. The main hazard is actually a drop of
about 2m, which is seen and then crossed in a split second.
Now and then boats are overturned at this dangerous drop,
usually those that try the run in the rainy season -
although even then natives somehow manage to come upstream
in small, non-motorized dugouts.
Beyond the pongo the river is much gentler, but on all major
curves as far down as the Camisea tributary (about 2 days on
a raft) there is whitewater (p.567).
Settlements along this stretch are few and far between -
mostly native villages, settlements of colonos or missions
(p.568).
Nearby accommodation
Hostal La Casa de los Ugarte
just downstream on the west bank
Tourist Lodge at the Mission and Machiguenga Indian village
of Timpia
upmarket [high level]
Hostal Pongo de Mainique
in the village of Ivochote, located at the end of the road
from Quillabamba and Kiteni (p.566).
Further going
The way back from the Pongo
rapids to Kiteni - or further down to Sepahua
If your boat is going straight back through the
pongo to Kiteni, you'll
have to make a quick choice about whether to try your luck
going downstream or return to the relative safety and luxury
of town. If you decide to go further [down the river], the
next significant settlement is
SEPAHUA; between here and the
pongo there are just a
few Machiguenga missions and a presently empty, massive oil-
and gas-exploration camp near the village of Nuevo Mundo
["New World"].
Sepahua: Sepahua has
a few places to stay, including the
Hostal Sepahua and the
Hostal Vanessa, a
few shops and bars, and a runway with fairly regular flights
to Satipo (for the road connection with Lima). However, the
settlement is a good two or three days downstream by
motorized canoe from the
pongo
(depending on the type and size of motor), or four to five
days on a raft: to be dropped off in between could mean
waiting a week on the riverbank for another boat or raft to
hitch with. To be on the safe side, you'll need food for at
least ten days if you're going to do this.
From Sepahua to Atalaya -
and to Pucallpa or Satipo-Lima
From Sepahua, it's another couple of days downstream to
ATALAYA, where the Río Urubamba meets the Río Tambo to form
the [Río] Ucayali [for Pucallpa]. Run mainly by local
Ashaninka Indian leaders (following successful development
and land-titling projects), it's a small and relatively
isolated jungle town with a reputation for lawlessness. For
a place to stay here, try the
Hotel Denis or the cheaper but less
pleasant
Hostal d'Souza.
For moving on, there are weekly flights to Satipo, Pucallpa,
and less frequently, to Lima; information on these can be
obtained from the TANS office near the airport. By boat,
it's another few days from here to Pucallpa, and at least
five or six more to Iquitos. To get to Lima, you can catch a
boat (generally daily) for a day's travel along the Río
Tambo to Puerto Ocopa [Ocopa port], after which it's a few
hours along a dirt road to Satipo, then ten to twelve hours
by a new, surfaced road to Lima, via La Merced and Tarma;
several buses daily cover this route, plus there are
colectivos between Satipo and La Merced (p.568).