You will undoubtedly have heard of the Amazon River but have you heard of Mismi? Mismi is a mountain peak located in the Andes mountain range near Arequipa, Peru, about 160km west of Lake Titicaca, and was recently identified as the most distant source of the Amazon River. It is also one of the highest points near the Colca Canyon. Whilst the river does not flow directly into the Amazon, it does flow into Qarwasanta and Apachita, and then the Apurimac River which eventually joins the Marañon River to reach the Amazon River itself.
In 1982, Jean-Michel Cousteau led an $11 million expedition to discover the origins of the Amazon River. Cousteau’s expedition culminated in a six-hour television documentary entitled “Cousteau’s Amazon”. Support bases were established in Cusco, Arequipa and Caylloma to discover the original source of the infamous river. Up until 1982, the source had baffled scientists and explorers alike, and many sites had been put forward before this discovery.
In 2001, it was again verified by the National Geographic Society as the glacial source and satellite mapping has since confirmed this fact. While Cousteau’s expedition was not the first to name the source, it was certainly the most high-profile.
Mismi Mountain, thanks to these high-profile discoveries, is becoming a popular destination for trekkers and mountain climbers looking to visit remote destinations. But it can also be reached by a 4×4 wheels drive from Yanque on a full day excursion.
What begins as a trickle of water off of the cliff high in the Peruvian Andes turns into the largest river in the world, the mighty Amazon. Until recently the Nile was thought to be the longest river in the world, this confirmation of the origin may also make the Amazon the longest as well as the largest. It definitely goes without saying that this is an exciting discovery for Peru and in particular, tourism in the area.
