Río Poxté, Middle, Guatemala (area: Petén; click here for the Guatemala table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III; Ave. Gradient: 4 m/km; Portages: yes; Length: 5 km; Time: 2 hours

Season: July to February; rafts? no; Highlights: nice scenery, animals; Crux move: spotting the crocodile rst

Water Quality: poor; Water Temperature: not noted

PI: farm bridge (199m); TO: San Rafael bridge (180m)

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

The Río Poxté is a small, low-gradient jungle stream hiding out in central Petén farmland. It is worth checking out if you are passing by it on your way to or from the Río Machaquilá; otherwise; it is pretty far out of the way. Most of the Río Poxté is unexplored to date, but the Middle section, though short, is likely the most interesting, since it has a bit more gradient than the rest.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater Guatemala guidebook.

Descent History: The Ducky Dynasty I tour group (Americans Mike Doktor, Skylar Doktor, Greg Gearheart, Jim Hardwick, Boris and Anthony Trgovcich, and I, plus Guatemalan Roberto Rodas) ran this first, in january 2014.

Flow Notes: The Río Poxté is a small stream with usually ~200 cfs in it during the rainy season. Hope for more. The gauge on the parallel Río Machaquilá should give a decent hint if there has been recent rain or not.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: Tikal Mayan ruins.