Huacamaillo Waterfall

Huacamaillo is a fall of about forty metres into a wide pool in the Cumbaza valley behind Tarapoto, and the reason people go is the walk rather than the waterfall. From San Antonio the trail follows the river upstream through forest and smallholdings and crosses it repeatedly - usually seven or eight times, wading, sometimes thigh deep, on slippery cobbles - so everyone finishes wet regardless of the weather. It takes around two hours each way. The pool at the fall is deep enough to swim in and is the point of the trip on a hot day, and the valley is good for birds and butterflies along the way. Because the route depends entirely on river level, it becomes dangerous fast in the rains: crossings that are knee deep in the morning can be impassable after an afternoon storm upstream, and people do get stranded on the far side.

What you actually see

• The fall - about forty metres into a deep swimming pool.
• The crossings - seven or eight wades of the same river each way.
• The Cumbaza valley - forest, smallholdings, butterflies and birds.
• The walk - roughly two hours each way, and the real attraction.

When to go

May to September when the river is lower. Start early. Five to six hours return including time at the pool. Guides from San Antonio know the crossings.

Honest expectations

The river crossings are the hazard - levels rise quickly with upstream rain and walkers have been stranded or swept. Slippery cobbles cause falls. You will be wet all day. No facilities on the trail.

Nearby

Tarapoto is south-east; Lamas is over the hills to the north-west.