Our adventure
will start in Arequipa, Peru. After a day warming up on the Chili
River and preparing for our first expedition, we'll leave Arequipa
and travel via bus to the mountain town of Cotahuasi.
The Rio Cotahausi flows through the deepest canyon on earth, serving
up continuous class III-IV whitewater, fantastic scenery, Inca history,
and great beaches for camping. To run the Cotahuasi, we'll spend
a day hiking (donkeys carry our gear) into the Canyon, passing 400
foot Sipia Falls, before camping at the put-in over 10,000 feet
below the canyon's rim. We'll spend the next four days paddling
non-stop class III-IV whitewater, camping each night in the midst
of Inca ruins. Alpine desert weather, awe-inspiring scenery, and
classic whitewater combine to make this self-support kayak expedition
a life-defining experience.
After experiencing the Cotahuasi River, we will begin our journey
to the Apurimac River. After a rest day back in Arequipa, we'll
travel via bus to Cuzco, the oldest city in South America and location
of the ancient Inca capital. We'll spend a day exploring Cuzco,
before making a short drive through the Andean mountain range to
the Apurimac put-in.
The Apurimac River is the true source of the Amazon, one of the
mightiest rivers on the planet. The name translates as "the
Speaker of the Gods", in the native Quechua language. The scenery
is so mind blowing that it is hard to concentrate on the class III-IV
whitewater. We'll spend three days paddling through stunning rock
gorges in the midst of a 3000 meter deep canyon, sleeping each night
on sandy beaches. We are fairly certain that you will never want
to leave this place.
This Wet Planet expedition will be led by legendary kayakers and
instructors Andy
Round and Gian
Marco Vellutino.
Andy has led kayaking expeditions all over the world and recently
returned from leading these and other rivers in Peru, saying that
he has never paddled better multi-day rivers anywhere! After a trip
down the Apurimac last Fall, Andy had this to say, "I think
this is possibly the most beautiful river I've ever run." That's
saying a lot: Andy has paddled from the Everest base camp, has 30
first descents, and has led kayak expeditions in countries all over
the world.
Gian Marco lives in Peru and is the owner of Cusipata Viajes y
Turismo. This amazing paddler actually completed the first descent
of the Cotahuasi River in 1994, and Gian Marco and his brothers
easily know the rivers of Peru better than any other paddlers alive.
To see images from our Peru Trip, visit
our Peru
Photo Gallery!
Check out this year's Peru Itinerary (itinerary
subject to change due to conditions beyond our control):
-
Oct 5th: Fly to Lima and then on to Arequipa.
-
Oct 6th: Run the Rio Chili, a great warm up
and training run.
-
Oct 7th: Depart for the town of Cotahuasi
and hike to the Rio Cotahuasi put in. Hiking past spectacular
400 foot Sepia falls.
-
Oct 8th, 9th and 10th: Kayak the Rio Cotahuasi
through the deepest canyon on earth.
-
Oct 11th: Finish paddling the Cotahuasi,
drive from the take out to Arequipa.
-
Oct 12th: Sight seeing and resting in the
Colonial city of Arequipa, then travel to the Beautiful city
of Cuzco.
-
Oct 13th: Sight seeing in Cuzco.
-
Oct 14th: Travel to the Apurimac River and
put in.
-
Oct 15th and 16th: Paddle the Apurimac. On
the Afternoon of the 16th return to Cuzco for a celebratory
dinner.
-
End of trip: Fly to Lima from Cuzco or continue
your travels and adventures; Cuzco is the gateway to Machu Pichu.
While a visit to Machu Picchu is not part of the Wet Planet
trip, we can easily put you in touch with the best guides for
visiting these legendary and sacred ruins and help you plan
your trip there.
For more information on our Peru Trip or to make reservations:
contact
us now, or download a printable version of our Peru Info Sheet
and Packing List. |