Río Guastatoya, Upper & Lower, Guatemala (area: Mid Río Motagua; click here for the Guatemala table of rivers)

Class: IV-, III; Ave. Gradient: 12 m/km; Portages: dams; Length: 24+11 km; Time: 2.5+1 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? Lower; Highlights: rafting option; Crux move: catching the water

Water Quality: poor, and worse in Lower; Water Temperature: not noted

PI: Las Cabezas (790 m); TO: Guastatoya (505m), or Finca San Juan (387m)

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

The Río Guastatoya is in the heart of Guatemala’s Dry Corridor. It provides a nice tour through the countryside and a good number of class III rapids and a few IVs. The river is not particularly remarkable except when it has enough water to run which is news in itself. The town of Guastatoya (also known as El Progreso) is the capital of the El Progreso department and is the dividing point between the Upper and the Lower runs.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater Guatemala guidebook.

Descent History: I ran this once, solo, in September 2008.

Flow Notes: There is some hope for you if the Gualán gauge (Río Motagua) is close to 3.0.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: The Guastatoya water park.