Santa River

The Santa River (Spanish: Río Santa) is a river in the South American Andes mountain range in the Ancash Region of northwest central Peru.

River Course

The lake Quñuqqucha, at an altitude of 4,050 m above sea level and at 10°07′42″S 77°16′59″W / 10.12833°S 77.28306°W / -10.12833; -77.28306, is considered the headwaters of the Santa River. Quñuqqucha itself is fed by small streams from the Cordillera Negra in the west and the snowcapped Cordillera Blanca in the east. The main tributary of the lake is the river Tuku which has its source in the lake Tuku (9°56′40″S 77°11′44″W / 9.94444°S 77.19556°W / -9.94444; -77.19556) about 5,000 m above sea level at one of the glacier tongues of the mountain Tuku.

The Santa River emerges from the lake Quñuqqucha and for 200 km runs in a northerly direction between the Cordillera Negra in the west and the Cordillera Blanca in the east, forming the fertile Callejón de Huaylas. At 2,000 m above sea level the river changes its course to a westerly direction, squeezing through the narrow gorge of Cañon del Pato ("duck's canyon") before it finally breaks through the coastal ridges.