Río Aguná, Upper & Lower, Guatemala (area: Pacific Escuintla; click here for the Guatemala table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV, III+; Ave. Gradient: 21 m/km Upper, 8 m/km Lower; Portages: yes; Length: 19, 12 km; Time: 4, 2 hours

Season: June to early November; rafts? no; Highlights: continuous creeking; Crux move: watching for wood/vines

Water Quality: decent; Water Temperature: not needed

PI: Finca La Recompensa (610 m); TO: La Plancha/Concepción Buena Vista (205 m) or Xayá (105 m)

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

The Río Aguná is the “real deal” in coastal creeking. It is narrow, jungly, continuous, and downright gorgeous. There are also dams and wood to negotiate. In the Lower section the gradient eases quite a bit

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater Guatemala guidebook.

Descent History: I ran this once, in October 2008.

Flow Notes: Extra heavy rains are needed for this creek to come up. You would hope to see at least 250 cfs at the CA-2 bridge (km 97.4). The Cenizas gauge can give you a hint to recent rain.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Atitlán Lake, Sipicate beach.