Utcubamba River, Amazonas

With the increase in tourism to this spectacular region, it has now become viable to offer full and half-day rafting tours on the lovely Utcubamba River (Utkhupampa in Quechua), beginning and ending in Chachapoyas.

It is a 45-minute drive from the city to the entry point, which is just after the turning to Lamud and Karajia.

From here, rafters spend an hour and a half in the water, negotiating Level II & III rapids. There is one rocky section which requires portage. 

The exit point is the tiny riverside village of Churuja.

An alternative itinerary begins further downstream, at the village of Agua Musha (not far above the turning to Gocta Lodge at Cocahuayco) and ends in Pedro Ruiz Gallo. The rapids in this section are Level III - V.

This could be extended to a two-day expedition, with a night in Churuja, if you wanted to combine with a hike to Gocta Falls in the morning of the first day, followed by a hike to Yumbilla Falls in the afternoon of the second day.