Richard Spruce Collection

Spruce's travels for 1855
Taken from Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes (1908)

March

15th : 6 am

17th : pm

25th : pm

29th

30th : pm

reached Iquitos

reached Natua, on the north bank of the Amazon a few miles above the mouth of the Río Ucayali

left Nauta

reached 'San Regis', old missionary town

reached Parinari, left late the next day

reached Urarinas

left the Amazon and entered the Río Huallaga .....and stopped at the village of Lagunas (La Laguna)

first view of the Andes....... the part seen is the "Serra de Curiayacu"

reached the town of Yurimaguas

Left Yurimaguas and continued up the Río Huallaga

passed the mouth of the Río Cainarache (Cainaiuche)

along a rapid where the river narrowed, passed some hot springs eminating from a black cliff

traversed the rapids of the Río Huallaga, called Yuracyacu (Yurac-yacu) and Curiyacu (Curi-yacu) where "water here bursts into foam over rocks"

reached Chasuta on banks of Río Huallaga

left for Shapaja (Chapaja), a short distance, but traversing many rapids

traversed the rapids of Esteroyacu (Estero-yacu), passed Shapaja

reached mouth of Río Mayo, ascended Río Mayo to Río Cumbasa, from where they portaged the heavily laden canoes to Juan Guerra

arrived in Tarapoto and established his residence there

left for Cerro Campana, arrived at village of Lamas (6 deg 5 mins South) the next day

reached Tabalosos on the upper Río Mayo

intensive collecting in the region of Cerro Campana and "Lirio Pampa"

Photographs courtesy of S. Knapp (The Natural History Museum, London)