Río Bombaná, upper & lower, Chiapas, Mexico (area: north central; click here for the Chiapas table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV; Ave. Gradient: 25 m/km; Portages: a few; Length: 4 + 8 km; Time: 2:00 + 3:30

Season: July to November; Rafts? no; Highlights: cave source, roadside, runnable dam; Crux move: none

Water Quality: good; Water Temperature: cool

PI: Puente Agua Clara (elev: 940 m)/4th bridge; TO: 3rd bridge/Santana

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

The Río Bombaná is a pretty creek hiding out in the canyonlands north of Tuxtla Gutierrez. It provides 2 short runs (not joining) with fun funky drops and trivial shuttles.

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

Flow Notes: There is no online gauge. Generally the more water the better on these runs, though the Bombaná struggles a bit to have good water. The best months are September and October. Note that there is a dam in between the upper and lower sections. However, the reservoir is tiny and so flow in the lower is not affected much. Below I show the Tuxtla rain gauge, which can give some clues about recent rainfall patterns.

Accommodations: There are basic hotels in Chicoasén and Soyalo.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Not many in this area.