Río Vilcabamba

This article covers the tributary of the Río Apurímac. Information on the tributary of the same name of the Río Urubamba can be found under Río Vilcabamba (Río Urubamba) .

Río Vilcabamba, Río Totora Oropesa, Rìo Oropesa
Río Vilcabamba near Mamara
Data
location	Peru
River system	Amazon
Drain over	Río Apurímac  → Río Ene  → Río Tambo  → Río Ucayali  → Amazon  → Atlantic
Headwaters	Northern flank of the Chancoaña , Cordillera Huanzo , Western Cordillera 14 ° 36 ′ 43 ″  S , 72 ° 28 ′ 18 ″  W
Source height	approx.  4900  m
muzzle	Río Apurímac Coordinates: 13 ° 38 ′ 32 "  S , 72 ° 24 ′ 2"  W 13 ° 38 ′ 32 "  S , 72 ° 24 ′ 2"  W.
Mouth height	approx.  2200  m
Height difference	approx. 2700 m
Bottom slope	approx. 17 ‰
length	approx. 157 km
Catchment area	approx. 3930 km²
Outflow A Eo : 3930 km²	MQ Mq	73 m³ / s 18.6 l / (s km²)
Left tributaries	Río Chuquibambilla, Río Sarconta
Right tributaries	Río Trapiche, Río Ñahuinlla
Flowing lakes	Laguna Huacullo, Laguna Puncco
Communities	Oropesa , Mamara , Turpay , San Antonio , Vilcabamba , Huayo Grande

The Río Vilcabamba is an approximately 157 km long left tributary of the Río Apurímac in the east of the administrative region Apurímac in south-central Peru .

River course

The Río Vilcabamba is fed by a glacier on the northern flank of the 5494  m high Chancoaña , the highest point in the Apurímac region . The headwaters lie in the Cordillera Huanzo , a mountain range of the Peruvian Western Cordillera . The Río Vilcabamba initially flows 10 km to the west. It flows through the two mountain lakes Laguna Huacullo and Laguna Puncco . Then the Río Vilcabamba turns north. It flows through the Andes highlands of the provinces Antabamba and Grau . The towns of Oropesa , Mamara , Turpay , San Antonio and Vilcabamba lie on the river . In the lower reaches of the Río Vilcabamba flows in a north-northeast direction and runs between the provinces of Abancay in the west and Cotabambas in the east. Finally, the Río Vilcabamba flows into the Río Apurímac at an altitude of about 2200  m .

Catchment area and hydrology

The catchment area of the Río Vilcabamba covers an area of ​​3930 km². This lies entirely within the Apurímac region. The catchment area borders on that of the Río Santo Tomás to the east and that of the Río Pachachaca to the west . The rivers flow into the Río Apurímac above and below the Río Vilcabamba. In the south, across the Cordillera Huanzo, which runs along the continental divide , lies the headwaters of the Río Cotahuasi , a source of the Río Ocoña that flows to the Pacific Ocean . The mean discharge of the Río Vilcabamba is 73 m³ / s.