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APURÍMAC RIVER RAFTING, THE BLACK GRANITE CANYON: 3D2N

apurimac river rafting

Apurimac River Rafting

Overview

Enjoy three days on one of the tributaries of the Amazon River and one of the 10 best rivers in the world! The Apurímac River, whose Quechua native name means “Great Speaker of God” begins in the high mountains of the Andes in the Department of Arequipa in the snow peak called Mismi, at an altitude of 5500 meters, and flows down the eastern slopes of the Andes from the south to the north of Peru. The river joins the Urubamba River, another main source of the Amazon, and together they become the Ucayali River. Further north, the Marañon River joins in, and by the time the water reaches Iquitos in the north of Peru, it is called the Amazon River.

Class : I, II, III, IV, V
Difficulty: all experience rafting

itinerary

DAY 1 – Nayhua to River camp

We will pick you up at 8:00am to begin our APURIMAC CANYON drive to the river. After leaving the valley of Cusco we will continue southeast for about 4 hours until we arrive at the town of Pakaritampu, a legendary place and the origin of the Incas. Along the way we will drive trough two different ecosystems, the Andean scrub brush vegetation and the Andean grasslands, both have a richness of bird and plant life. We are likely to see finches, eagles, Andean gulls and Andean Lapwings. There will be spectacular views of the snowcapped peaks along the Andes Mountain range, where we will see our highest pass at 3855 meters. From APURIMAC CANYON we will descend into the canyon itself and the gorge of the Apurímac River “Great Speaker of God”. Our spectacular drive takes us past a succession of small valleys and charming villages. From the town of Nayhua at 2600 meters, it is a 15-minute walk to the river where we prepare for the river trip.

We practice all the safety skills and maneuvers as we start with some class I and II rapids. Later we will run some class III, IV rapids with incredible views of the canyon for about 2 hours. We arrive at camp in time for a well-deserved happy hour followed by dinner in a beautiful fireside setting, under the spectacular southern sky, with constellations beyond your imagination.

DAY 2 – River camp to valle de la rocas camp

Amid incredible views of the Apurimac River we begin the day with a power breakfast. Our “Safety Kayak” guide, who will accompany us on this section, joins us here. After orientation and equipment preparation, we are ready for the water and the class I, II, III, IV rapids ahead. Our first thrill is a technical rapid called “Submarine” and many other class IV will follow. All along the river there we will see Andean vegetation, typical fauna and flora of the unique ecosystems. There are beautiful waterfalls with crystal clear water cascading into the river of the APURIMAC CANYON. Further along is a class V rapid “Cramps”. Today we will have one portage that is only available for the river guides and some technical rapids that will challenge us and put to good use all our skills and experience. Our picnic lunch spot today will be one of the riverside beaches. The rest of the afternoon has easy class I, II rapids for a couple of hours. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the river and a fun opportunity for some body surfing and rafting games. At camp we will hike to a small waterfall nearby and along the way there will be some wildlife to observe. There will be time at the end of the day for relaxing and mingling.

DAY 3 – Valle de las rocas to Wallpachaca

Today we will have a long morning as we pass several bridges and see part of the Santo Thomas River. With some additional preparation, we will be ready to run challenging class I, II, III, IV rapids, some with pools and drops, that include “Other Right” rapid and the “Three Condors” rapid. These rapids have great volumes of water, excellent waves and incredible views of this canyon. The gorge is getting visibly deeper as we descend the river and the vegetation and geology change along the way. We will see some species of flora and fauna from the Andean semidry forest and granite canyon walls as we go deeper. We will stop at a nice spot for lunch and to rest. Later in the day we will end up at Wallpachaca Bridge

Includes

We Provide and Include: Itinerary transport roundtrip from Cusco-Licensed,C;P;R,SWISS WATER RESCUE COURSES Bilingual, history and naturalist Tour Guides-All Itinerary Meals, including vegetarian & snacks, Safety orientation and River Equipment , optional activities-First Aid kit and Oxygen-Tour specific Sleeping bags, air mattresses and Expedition grade tents-Dining tent, Cook & Services.Satelite phone.We Provide SAFETY Cataraft Cargo,Safety Kayak

Note

For adjusting to tour altitude, we suggest one day tours like the Sacred Valley hikes, One day River Rafting before the Apurímac River and the City Tour of Cusco hike. As Guides we offer 100% Gauranteed Information, for your sensibilities – about the best specific hotel rooms and services around Peru, like extra windows and other amenities.

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