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

river photo

Class: IV; Ave. Gradient: 12 m/km; Portages: not usually; Length: 17 km; Time: 2.5 hours

Season: June to early November; rafts? yes; Highlights: fun rapids; Crux move: safety talk

Water Quality: decent; Water Temperature: not noted

PI: CA-2 bridge (285 m); TO: confluence Río San Cristóbal (75 m)

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

The Lower Río Pantaleón offers some nice rapids for kayaks and sometimes even for rafts. The scenery is a continuation of the Upper, with mostly wide jungly river banks amid a sugarcane-growing area, and also some shallow volcanic gorges.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater Guatemala guidebook.

Descent History: I got on this in November 2009, with about 700 cfs at the CA-2 bridge.

Flow Notes: Pantaléon flows come and go through the rainy season. The nearby Río Achiguate gauge, when working, hints to relative water levels, but I have not correlated the flow.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Sipicate beach, Antigua town.