Río Vilcabamba (Río Urubamba)

Río Vilcabamba Río Chucuito, Río Ccayara
Inca ruins Vitcos; in the background the river valley of the Río Vilcabamba
Data
location	Peru
River system	Amazon
Drain over	Río Urubamba  → Río Ucayali  → Amazon  → Atlantic Ocean
Headwaters	Northern flank of the Cordillera Vilcabamba 13 ° 12 ′ 33 ″  S , 72 ° 57 ′ 35 ″  W
Source height	approx.  3950  m
muzzle	Río Urubamba Coordinates: 13 ° 0 ′ 26 "  S , 72 ° 38 ′ 50"  W 13 ° 0 ′ 26 "  S , 72 ° 38 ′ 50"  W.
Mouth height	approx.  1125  m
Height difference	approx. 2825 m
Bottom slope	approx. 51 ‰
length	approx. 55 km
Catchment area	approx. 825 km²
Right tributaries	Cayara, Marampampa
Communities	Ccayara, Huancalle, Pucyura , Lucma , Oyara

The Río Vilcabamba is a 55 km long left tributary of the Río Urubamba in the Andes in south-central Peru . It runs within the province of La Convención of the Cusco region .

River course

The Río Vilcabamba rises on the northern flank of the Cordillera Vilcabamba at an altitude of about 3950  m . It flows initially 20 km to the north, then to the east. For the first few kilometers, the river is also called Río Chucuito and Río Ccayara. The Río Vilcabamba passes the hamlet of Ccayara. At river kilometer 43 is the Huancacalle settlement, at river kilometer 40 Pucyura and at river kilometer 37 the village of Lucma on the river bank. The archaeological site of Vitcos is located on a hill above the right bank of the river . At river kilometer 24, the village of Oyara is on the northern bank of the river. The Río Vilcabamba finally flows into the Río Urubamba 16 km south of the provincial capital Quillabamba at an altitude of about 1125  m . The river flows through the Vilcabamba district . In the lower 23 kilometers, the Santa Teresa district is on the southern right bank of the river. Regional road 100 runs along the course of the river.

Catchment area

The catchment area of the Río Vilcabamba covers an area of ​​about 825 km² and lies within the districts of Vilcabamba and Santa Teresa. It borders in the southeast on that of the Río Cacsara , in the south on that of the Río Apurímac , in the west on that of the Río Cushireni , in the north on that of the Río Cirialo and in the northeast on that of the Río Chuyapi. In the south of the catchment area rise the mountains Nevado Choquetacarpo ( 5512  m ) and Nevado Sacsarayoc with the summit Pumasillo ( 5994  m ).