Río Corostic (aka Chich), Chiapas, Mexico (area: Palenque; click here for the Chiapas table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV+; Ave. Gradient: 10 m/km; Portages: none; Length: 16 to 26 km; Time: 5 to 7 hours

Season: mid-June to December; rafts? no; Highlights: quality rapids, & a 35-footer on the Sactamá; Crux Move: technical rapids in middle

Water Quality: so-so; Water Temperature: cold

PI: San Ignacio (Río Cantelá, elev.: 860m) or San Antonio Las Palomas (Río Sactamá, elev.: 850m); TO: Mebatón or Chich

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

The Río Corostic serves up a full-course meal of tasty rapids. You've got short falls, high falls, long and technical, and chutes to shoot. And you'll be one of the first to savor them.

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 the flow here is from the Corostic, though. Below I also show historical flows at the Tulijá gauge.

click here for the height graph

Accommodations: there are a couple basic hotels in Bachajón.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Agua Azul Falls and Palenque.