Yumbilla Falls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yumbilla Falls |
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Bottom section of the waterfalls
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 Location in Peru
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| Location | Amazonas Region, Peru |
| Coordinates | 5°55′11.64″S 77°54′04.32″W / 5.9199000°S 77.9012000°W |
| Type | Tiered |
| Total height | 895.5 m (2,938 ft) |
| Number of drops | 4 |
| World height ranking | 5 |
Yumbilla Falls is a huge waterfall located in the northern Peruvian region of Amazonas. It is near a town called Cuispes. This waterfall is considered the fifth tallest in the world! People around the world started to know about it in late 2007. This was after a special survey by the Geographical Institute of Peru (IGN).
Contents
What Makes Yumbilla Falls Special?
Yumbilla Falls is 895.5 m (2,938 ft) high. That's almost a kilometer straight down! The very top of the waterfall is 2,723.6 m (8,936 ft) above sea level. The bottom is at 1,828.1 m (5,998 ft).
Experts measured its height using special laser tools in 2007. This area is part of the Eastern Peruvian Andes mountains. It's specifically in a mountain area called Cerro Panhuayco.
Yumbilla is a "tiered" waterfall. This means it falls in several steps or sections. It has four or five different drops. The water that forms the waterfall comes from a cave. This cave is known as "Caverna San Francisco."
Weather at Yumbilla Falls
The average temperature in the area is about 22 °C (72 °F). It has a rainy season that lasts from December to April. During this time, you can expect more rain.
Plants and Animals
The area around Yumbilla Falls is covered with a special kind of mountain forest. It's called a montane forest.
Amazing Plants
You can find many interesting plants here. These include bromeliads and different types of orchids. Some common orchids are Epidendrum secundum and Oncidium scansor. There are also palms like Ceroxylon parvifrons. You might see Andean alders (Alnus acuminata) and tall tree ferns (Cyathea spp.).
Cool Animals
Many unique animals live near the waterfall. You might spot colorful birds like the Andean cock-of-the-rock. Another special bird is the marvellous spatuletail hummingbird. Mammals living here include the spectacled bear. You could also see the yellow-tailed woolly monkey.
Visiting Yumbilla Falls
If you want to visit Yumbilla Falls, you can start from Chachapoyas. This is the main city in the Amazonas region. It takes about 75 to 85 minutes to drive from Chachapoyas to Cuispes. The road between Pedro Ruiz and Cuispes is a dirt road.
You can take public transportation like buses or shared taxis to Pedro Ruiz. From Pedro Ruiz to Cuispes, it's about a 10-kilometer (6-mile) ride. This takes about 30 minutes by "mototaxis" (small, three-wheeled taxis).
Once you are in Cuispes, it takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to reach Yumbilla waterfall. You can walk or ride a mule for about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). It's a good idea to hire a local guide to help you find your way.
The main things to do in this area are hiking and watching for wildlife. There are also other waterfalls nearby. Two notable ones are Pabellón, which is 400 meters (1,312 feet) high, and Chinata, which is 580 meters (1,903 feet) high. Both are very close, within 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) in a straight line.
See also
In Spanish: Catarata Yumbilla para niños
