Río Paxilhá, middle, Chiapas, Mexico (area: Palenque; click here for the Chiapas table of rivers)

river photo

Class: II; Ave. Gradient: 2 m/km; Portages: maybe 1; Length: 4 km; Time: 1 hour

Season: June to January; rafts? no; Highlights: quick and easy; Crux Move: 1 real rapid (IV-)

Water Quality: good; Water Temperature: cold

PI: highway bridge (elev.: 360m); TO: dirt road-side

Description: (click here for general notes about my descriptions)

The middle Paxhilhá is a section of beginner whitewater just upstream from the famous Agua Azul Falls. It has its moments but there is nothing special to recommend it except that it is a quick paddle with an easy shuttle and probably right on your way if you are travelling through the Palenque area.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater: Chiapas & Belize guidebook.

Flow Notes: There is a streamflow gauge downstream on the Río Tulijá, linked to below. Only a fraction of that flow is from the Paxilhá, though. The flow is more likely to be low than high. My impressions are with 300 cfs in the creek. Below I also show historical flows at the Tulijá gauge.

click here for the height graph

Accommodations: Palenque town is the area's main tourist center, with many hotels and campgrounds.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: This area has many natural and cultural tourist attractions, including the Falls downstream, the nearby Misol-Há waterfall, and the Mayan ruins at Palenque being the biggest ones.