August 15th, 2015

We spend the night in Pedro Ruiz at a charming little hotel called Amazonense on the main street of the city.  For those with the time and money though I really do recommend going up to the Posada de Cuispes and staying in this quite forgotten village with a lovely family like I did last time I was here.  Still for those looking to save some money at 15 soles for a single room and 30 for a twin (shared bathrooms)  Amazonense is a great option to have.

We wake up early the next morning only to find Rob has quickly grown sicker, apparently also succumbing to the parasite Bethan had gotten in the jungle in Tarapoto.  Luckily he saw it coming and we bought antibiotics before leaving Pedro Ruiz, still, he angrily concedes that he’s in no shape to hike to a bunch of waterfalls today, and they are running short on time, so waiting for him to get healthy isn’t really an option.

So that’s why it’s just me and Bethan stepping out onto the main road and hailing a Mototaxi to take us up to Cuispes (10-12 soles) where we’re let off after a ride up a rough dirt road full of stunning mountain scenery in the tiny plaza de armas of this charming little village.  (For the Record Yumbilla can also be accessed from a little town called porvenir now, but you don’t pass as many waterfalls or get as close to the main tiers of Yumbilla on that trail.  I believe it is cheaper though and a little easier walking.)

I find Jarvik stepping out of the Posada and he seems to remember me and is kind enough to make some phone calls for us and organize a guide to take us up to Yumbilla falls, among others, oh among many others, including a moto taxi to skip the first 10 kilometres of uphill or so.  We wait around for half an hour for the guide to arrive and I talk with Jarvik about where I’ve been and how things have been in Cuispes.  Tourism is growing there, but very slowly, leaving this place still a largely undiscovered wonderland.

We meet Alfonso our guide for the day and climb into his moto taxi heading still further up into the mountains past farms and a few smiling locals.  Reaching the end of the road we climb out of the moto taxi and our guide unlocks the door leading us into the thick cloud forest and the trail, which is quite a bit improved since I was last here.

It’s still hard walking, but less hard than it was six months ago and as we wander up and down the hilly trail pausing at a few small caves and listening to the constant birdcalls that surround us.  It doesn’t take too long for me to be out of breath and sweating, so the shack resting area constructed just above the canopy provides a welcome respite of a few minutes.

We keep going through the most significant section of uphill on a trail which isn’t exactly flat but not too bad overall.  Still it’s enough to make me thrilled to get to the first waterfall, which the path leads us behind and under, allowing me a refreshing head washing station before we continue onwards.

The next waterfall, Cascada Cristal, comes very quickly and I once again pass up on actually swimming deciding to save it for the way back, instead just rinsing my face again and continuing onwards towards the big prize for the day.

The first glimpses are tantalizing if incomplete as the trail rounds a corner and in the distance Yumbilla in all of it’s 895 meter glory cascades down the cliffside which is speckled with tenacious plants living off the mist of the falls on the cliffs.hhhh

We all continue on ahead, me bringing up the rear, as we cross the river between some of Yumbilla’s four tiers before climbing up higher towards the two largest tiers and the most impressive view.  It’s another hard climb and Bethan and our guide beat me to it, but it’s okay because I beat her to it by 6 months.  Plus it let’s me grab a photo or two of them from a distance with the tumbling water in the background.

As I get there and we soak in the incredible beauty of the falls I can’t help but notice how much less water is falling.  We’re in the driest season of the year now in this part of Peru and it shows, though does little to reduce the spectacle of Yumbilla falls, after all with the tallest waterfalls it’s rarely the amount of water, more the distance it’s actually falling.

I’m pretty exhausted and happy to sit and watch the falls from a distance until Bethan asks me the question.  “Aren’t you going to try to get in, no doubt thinking back to our first day together back in Pucon Chile and the frigid waters of Ojos de Caburga.  However she does make a good point, and I’m breaking one of my most important travel rules.  When it comes to waterfalls, it’s always worth it!  (Remember that Travellers!)

Today it’s especially true since I couldn’t reach the base of the falls with the higher water levels back in February, so while I got soaked by the mists, I’ve yet to really be one with this incredible wonder of Peru.

So I cross the stream below the falls and follow it up the other side, clambering up the rough hewn boulders and sadly thinking of how much Rob would have enjoyed this.  Hopefully one day he’ll be back in Peru. The only feasible path takes me off to the right and above the base of the falls but I make it to the cliff face and from there it’s a simple matter of sliding down some huge boulders and navigating the icy mists until I can get under the actual base of the falls.

I manage it after  few close calls and the rush is well worth it, icy daggers plummeting hundreds of meters into my skull and entire body, soaking me as I struggle not to slip and fall.  At this time of year there’s not much of a pool for swimming, just some rocks and the massive cliffside to balance on as the water tries to drive you down.  It’s truly incredible and thankfully Bethan photographed it all.  See if you can spot me in this first photo.

And now here’s the rest.

Eventually the cold and my waiting friends get the best of me, so I climb back up to my path bath and retrieve my walking stick, delaying just a few moments to climb onto one of the biggest boulders and pose for a few more photos where I’m more visible, only in the mists of the falls.

Then it’s back to my friends where we pose for a few more photos including one where I’m planning to add Rob into it, before heading back along the trail.

In the past six months the people of Cuispes have extended the trail and built a branch which leads down to the bottom tier of Yumbilla, but my leg is killing me and we decide it’s better to go to Pabellon falls and leave this one for next time, besides we don’t dare leave Rob alone with his thoughts for too long.  The world could end after all.

We hike back this time pausing at both waterfalls for me to get in and swim briefly, each time the cool jungle mountain waters are incredibly refreshing and make the hike back much easier than the hike there.

Eventually we emerge to the road where our moto taxi is still parked but we’re not done, heading down a narrow rutted path on our right towards the last falls of the day, Pabellon falls some 450 meters tall and only 25 minutes or so from the road, all be it on a rougher and less manicured trail.

We get there easily enough and here I find the difference in water levels much more extreme, Pabellon where I spent an entire day writing back in February has been reduced to a few narrow streams and a rain like effect dripping down through the thick moss which lives off the water.  That said, it’s incredibly tranquil and still very beautiful, so much so that Bethan says it’s her favourite part of the day.  Personally I think she’s crazy but then again she didn’t get into the wondrous Yumbilla falls properly, so what does she know.

After relaxing near the falls for almost 40 minutes we head back along the trail climbing back up to the road and taking the moto taxi back to Cuispes, where we find the administration office still closed so we pay the entry fee of 10 soles each to Jarvik and also pay our drive 60 soles.  30 for guiding, 20 for the moto taxi up and down, and another ten for him to drop us off at our hotel down in Pedro Ruiz.

He does this efficiently and wishes us well as he returns to Cuispes and we find Rob feeling a little bit better and head across the street for a delicious dinner before catching our night bus to Chiclayo on the Peruvian coast with Civa Bus Company (35 Soles.)