GPS Track Details
Difficulty: 4/5 - Hard
Track length: 7.79 Kilometers
Total Ascent: 247 Meters
Total Descent: 646 Meters

D-4.2  Lambunuma-pass – Tumianuma

Distance          7.70 km

Time                3.00 hours

Altitude          1515m - 2100m

Ascent             190m

Descent           590m

Rating             Hard  4/5

Start                Vilcabamba tourist office

End                  Tumianuma

Since we save ourselves most of the climb with a short taxi-ride, we get an exciting trek and superb views at low cost of energy. From the Lambunuma-pass this trek follows an exposed ridge in the southern part of the Mandango massif with superb views to PN Podocarpus, the Palmira-valley (Quinara) and Vilcabamba valley. After just a short climb, the trek is mostly downhill to the village of Tumianuma.

Route: With a short taxi ride from Vilcabamba town to the trailhead, 300 meters before the Lambunuma-pass, we can save ourselves 400 altitude meters. The trailhead, as well as the first part of the trail, is marked with blue spray markers of the Hostería Izhcayluma trail-system. ( http://www.izhcayluma.com/en/ )  Watch out, in order not to miss the markers, since there are not many. The trailhead itself is marked with blue arrows at the curb and is easily missed. After 20 minutes mostly uphill, you pass a concrete cattle watering tank. Continue uphill along and onto the ridge. There is one spot on the ridge which is quite exposed, but if you don’t suffer of fear of heights, it shouldn’t pose a problem. 20 minutes after the cattle water tank, you reach the lookout at 2100m, which also marks the highest point of this trek. From here you get impressive 360° views. 200 meters after the lookout we leave the Izhcayluma-trail. Instead of following the ridge further, we watch out for a faint trail branching off to the left and gently descending on the left-flank of the ridge. Soon we reach another ridge dropping west-southwest. 40 minutes after the lookout, we reach a tiny forest with cactuses and bearded trees. From this forest we continue for another 40 minutes along this ridge to a cattle fence. At this point it gets a bit tricky. A steep drop with confusing cattle-trails crisscrossing, makes it difficult, to find the ideal trail. The aim is getting to the distinct trail veering to the right (north) at the bottom of this steep flank. For 20 minutes, this trail contours and zigzags down to a riverbed, where you have to cross another cattle-fence. After 20 minutes, the (mostly dry) riverbed joins another river-trail coming in from the right. This trail is the Vilcabamba-Tumianuma connection as described in the D-4.1 trek. Five minutes after the junction, you get to an irrigation-canal and a road. Cross the canal road and continue along the riverbed, which you have to cross shortly after. (Normally there is very little water). Across the river, you get onto a gravelroad, which intersects some minutes later with the Quinara-Tumianuma road at a concrete bridge. Turn right at the bridge, from there its 500 meters to the center of Tumianuma. From Tumianuma get a bus or shared taxi (1$ per person) back to Vilcabamba. Normally there is a scheduled bus at 12 O’clock midday.

 The hiker with excess energy could still connect to hike D-5.0 the old road from Tumianuma to Linderos, another 9.5 kilometers. 

 

 

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