Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Peru La Convención Province Pongo de Mainique

Pongo de Mainique

A paradisical gorge with rapids, waterfalls, and wildlife whose raw beauty is the stuff of CGI movies.

La Convención Province, Peru

Added By
Max Cortesi
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Pongo de Mainique.   Max Cortesi / Atlas Obscura User
Pongo de Mainique.   Asier Solana Bermejo/cc by-sa 2.0
People in a canoe above the Pongo de Mainique (1916).   Internet Archive Book Images/public domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Many bombastic claims circulate about Pongo de Mainique. It has a reputation as the most dangerous rapids in South America, and is said to have some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. It's also viewed as a highly spiritually charged location and is English comedian and travel writer Michael Palin’s favorite places in the whole wide world.

First of all, as the name may not be familiar to everyone, Pongo de Mainique is used to refer indistinctly to both a gorge in the Vilcabamba mountain range and the rapids of the Urubamba River that are formed in this gorge. It would make sense to think of Pongo de Mainique as an area including both the canyon and rapids. This is the exact place where the Andes and the Amazon basin meet.

Pongo de Mainique may or may not be the most dangerous rapids in South America, but it is certainly dangerous. (Ranking rapids according to the danger they represent is doable, but it entails a certain degree of subjectivity and falsifiability.) The rapids are only navigable between May and October, and even at that time, you need experienced boatmen with extensive knowledge of Pongo de Mainique. Prior to tackling the rapids, it is customary for boats to make a quick stop at a makeshift landing and let the passengers off the boat to pray for a successful passage.

The area is as beautiful as it is daunting. The six square miles of forest around Pongo de Mainique have indeed an “extraordinarily high” level of biodiversity. Whether you’re ascending or descending the rapids, you are unlikely to see any fauna, as you’ll be busy holding onto the boat for dear life. There is, however, a clear sense that the forest changes at the entrance of Pongo de Mainique. The river narrows and the shore seem to struggle to contain the vegetation, which overflows on the water.

As for the claim to mysticism, it goes back to the Incas, to whom Pongo de Mainique was a holy place. Inhabitants of villages up and downstream maintain that their long-gone ancestors believed the huge vortices created by the strong currents and the boulders were a portal to another dimension. In more recent years, these beliefs have been revived by new age spiritual seekers.

And finally, Michael Palin. In a 2006 piece in The Guardian, Palin mentioned Pongo de Mainique as his favorite place in the world, remarking that, “It really is like being in an antediluvian paradise.” And if this is the time for name dropping, Werner Herzog shot some dramatic scenes of Fitzcarraldo at Pongo de Mainique.

Pongo de Mainique is difficult to reach and even more difficult to get through, but its raw beauty is the stuff that you see in CGI movies.

Related Tags

Nature Rivers Water

Know Before You Go

It is possible to organize an all-inclusive tour to Pongo de Mainique. For those that prefer a DIY approach, going upstream, head to Atalaya and get a boat to Sepahua. In Sepahua, you may have to wait several days before a boat goes on to Nuevo Mundo. From there, hitch a ride to Ivochote. This ride will take you through Pongo de Mainique. Going downstream, start from Ivochote and follow the reverse order. Only attempt this between May and October.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges

Discover Inca Wonders.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Max Cortesi

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

December 3, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=le-ADAAAQBAJ&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=Pongo+de+Mainique+%2B+Smithsonian+Institution&source=bl&ots=qX07pjWGV1&sig=E6qgEcGgb3q4WepPmyX5mHEEjjE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXyLHEhYTfAhXEMd8KHcLWDeIQ6AEwC3oECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=Pongo%20de%20Mainique%20%2B%20Smithsonian%20Institution&f=false
  • https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/jan/08/observerescapesection5
Pongo de Mainique
La Convención Province
Peru
-12.24821, -72.823853

Nearby Places

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Machu Picchu Discovery Plaques

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Huayna Picchu

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Machu Picchu Discovery Plaques

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Huayna Picchu

Aguas Calientes, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Related Places

  • A swimmer floats in the pool formed by the 30-foot crack in the riverbed.

    Homosassa, Florida

    The Crack on the Chassahowitzka River

    A hidden paradise in one of Florida’s most unique rivers.

  • Three Sisters Springs is the only place in the United States where visitors can legally interact with wild manatees.

    Crystal River, Florida

    Three Sisters Springs

    This natural spring is the winter home to the largest gathering of manatees in the world.

  • Arnside Bore

    Arnside, England

    Arnside Bore

    This rare aquatic phenomenon is one of the more accessible tidal bores in Morecambe Bay.

  • New Delhi, India

    Yamuna Ghat

    Ancient traditions and surreal birdwatching come into sharp relief along one of the world's most polluted rivers.

  • Lonely tree reflected in turquoise blue water.

    Lijiang, China

    Blue Moon Valley

    A bright turquoise river cascades beautifully down stepped terraces in southern China.

  • Sculptured rocks.

    Hebron, New Hampshire

    Sculptured Rocks

    This narrow canyon has been carved by the river over thousands of years into spectacular and curious forms.

  • Moon over the Chambal River.

    Jajepura, India

    Chambal River

    An ancient curse kept humans from living on the water, and now it's brimming with rare wildlife and is one of the most pristine rivers in India.

  • Parc des Chutes de Montauban.

    Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, Québec

    Les Chutes du $5

    The falls were named for the mistaken idea that they were the ones pictured on the Canadian $5 bill.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.