The 'Urubamba River' (''Rio Urumamba'') is a river in
Peru. A partially navigable headwater of the
Amazon River, it rises in the
Andes to the south-east of
Cuzco near the
Puno Region border, where it is called the 'Vilcanota River' (''Rio Vilcanota''). In the
Sacred Valley, between
Písac and
Ollantaytambo, it is also called the 'Wilcamayu' (sacred river). It flows north-north-west for 724 kilometers before coalescing with the lower
Apurímac River to form the
Ucayali River.
The Urubamba is divided into 'Upper Urubamba' and 'Lower Urubamba', the dividing feature being the
Pongo de Mainique, an infamous
whitewater canyon.
John Walter Gregory, the British geologist, drowned in the river on
2 June 1932 while on a geological expedition to the Andes.
Upper Urubamba

The Urubamba River (December 1999).
The 'Upper Urubamba' (''Alto Urubamba'') valley features a high population and extensive irrigation works. A number of ruins of the
Inca Empire lie in the valley, including the Incan city of
Machu Picchu.
Lower Urubamba
The 'Lower Urubamba' (''Bajo Urubamba'') is relatively undeveloped and features a significant indigenous population consisting of the Campa tribes, principally the
Machiguenga (Matsigenka) and
Ashaninka. The economy is based on forestry and the nearby
Camisea Gas Project. The main settlement in the region is the town of
Sepahua.