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

river photo

Class: III+; Ave. Gradient: 9 m/km; Portages: a low bridge in Upper; Length: 10 + 12 km; Time: 1.5 + 2.5 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? Lower; Highlights: nice canyon in Lower; Crux move: catching the water

Water Quality: decent; Water Temperature: medium

PI: Finca Candelaria (340m), or CA-2 bridge (250 m); TO: Rancho Marilandia

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

The Río Petacalapa is a scenic little creek that hides a very pretty canyon in its depths. When the water is up it off ers some nice options for intermediate boaters.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater Guatemala guidebook..

Descent History: The first known descent was in October 2006 by Bob Vranich, Maarten Bleijerveld, and me. We had 100 cfs at the PI.

Flow Notes: The Río Petacalapa needs recent rains to be runnable, and even then we have always found it a bit shallow. Use the Río Cabúz gauge to get an idea of trends. The Tapachula rain gauge, shown below, may give some clue to recent rainfall patterns.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Not much close by.