Huallaga River, river in central and northern Peru. It rises in the Andes mountains just south of Cerro de Pasco and descends north-northeastward past Huánuco and Tingo María. The Huallaga carves a valley between the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Azul and emerges into the Amazon River basin to join the Marañón River downstream from Lagunas. The Huallaga is estimated to be 700 miles (1,100 km) long but is mostly unnavigable.