Río Blanco, Chiapas, Mexico (area: Comitán; click here for the Chiapas table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III; Ave. Gradient: 9 m/km; Portages: none; Length: 18 or 31 km; Time: 3 to 6 hours

Season: mid-June to November; rafts? no; Highlights: not really; Crux Move:

Water Quality: decent; Water Temperature: medium

PI: San Caralampio bridge (elev.: 911m); TO: La Grandeza Rio Blanco

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

The Río Blanco is an obscure little river in the warm dry middle Grijalva valley. If you're in San Cristóbal and heading to Comitán, then it's kind of on your way, and if the water's up you might give it a shot. Otherwise the whitewater and sights are just so-so.

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

Flow Notes: There is a gauge conveniently located near the TO; I have not verified its accuracy. My impressions are with 350 cfs at the TO. Here I also show historical data from INEGI:

click here for the height graph

Accommodations: Comitán has many hotels. Teopisca, closer to the PI, also has one or two.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: The El Chiflón waterfall on the way out to Comitán.