Río Cangrejal, Top to Bottom, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV/V ; Flow: 150-3,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 11 m/km; Portages: sometimes; Length: up to 18 km; Time: your choice

Season: July to February; rafts? yes; Highlights: awesome granite rapids; Crux move: adjusting to the day's flow

Put-In: Río Viejo (266 m) or lower; Take-Out: roadside (60 m) or above

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

Superlatives do not do the Río Cangrejal justice. It is simply world class granite goodness, with lots of classic boulder gardens, fun water slides, and boofs. There are also treacherous ledges and undercuts so never take this river lightly. Its day-to-day flow variations are particularly abrupt, and with a unique assortment and arrangement of boulders, even small changes in flow can mean significant changes in the river features. Each run is a new run on the Río Cangrejal.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater El Salvador, Honduras, & Nicaragua guidebook.

Descent History: Locals have run parts of the Río Cangrejal in inner tubes for decades. The first paddlers to run the big rapids were from Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center who guided for Ríos Honduras in their first 1991-1992 season. The first group to run the Lower was Dick Eustis and Pepe Herrero, in a raft. The first on the middle parts were the kayakers Tim Brown, Zsolt Estergomy and Jonathan Derkson. Other kayakers joined in with them afterwards on the RíoViejo section. Ríos Honduras also pioneered commercial rafting here.