Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cañón de Torotoro & El Vergel
Three kilometers from Torotoro, the ground suddenly drops away into an immense and
spectacularly beautiful canyon, more than 250m deep. From the
mirador
(viewpoint) at
the top you can gaze along it, watching vultures wheeling. The cliffside here is also home
to the rare
paraba frente roja
(Red-fronted macaw), which you have a good chance of
seeing, or at least hearing.
From here, following the diminishing canyon along to the left, you come to a flight of
800 stairs that lead down to El Vergel (also called Huacasenq'a, meaning 'cow's nostrils'
in Quechua), which always has water and is filled with incongruous moss, vines and other
tropical vegetation. At the bottom a crystal-clear river tumbles down through cascades and
waterfalls, forming idyllic swimming pools.
CANYON
Batea Q'ocha Rock Paintings
Above the third bend of the Río Torotoro, 1.5km downstream from the village, are several
panels of ancient rock paintings collectively called Batea Q'ocha because the pools below
them resemble troughs for pounding laundry. The paintings were executed in red pigments
and depict anthropomorphic and geometric designs as well as fanciful representations of
serpents, turtles and other creatures.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Gruta de Umajalanta
The Río Umajalanta, which disappears beneath a layer of limestone approximately 22m
thick, has formed the impressive Umajalanta Cavern, of which 4.5km of passages have
been explored.
The exciting descent is moderately physical and you must expect to get both wet and
dirty; there are several parts where you need to crawl and wriggle to get through and a
couple of short roped descents. Make sure you have good nonslip shoes on.
Inside are some spectacular stalagmite and stalactite formations, as well as a resident
population of vampire bats that have produced an impressively large pile of steaming
guano over the years. You eventually descend to an underground lake and river, which is
populated by small white, completely blind, catfish. The ascent from here is fairly easy, as
it takes a more direct route.
The 8km one-way walk to the cavern entrance takes two hours from the village, with
plenty of dinosaur footprints to inspect on the way.
There are numerous other caverns in the area, most of which are virtually unexplored.
CAVE
Llama Chaqui
RUINS
