Río Cospa, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV+ ; Flow: 150-400 cfs; Average Gradient: 27 m/km; Portages: at least one; Length: 9 + 11 km; Time: 2.5 + 1.5 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? no; Highlights: continuous creeking; Crux move: creeking continuously

Put-In: Río Blanco confluence (764 m) or La Haciendita (692 m); Take-Out: Puente Higuito (475 m)

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

The Río Cospa is a super fun and super continuous creek that does not run very often. Starting at the lower La Haciendita PI, the river is mostly continuous class III with some IV, requiring a few scouts and at least one portage over 90 minutes down to the Lower Río Higuito (with an additional 11 km/90 minute runout to the Puente Higuito, see page 116). If you try it starting 2 km higher at the confluence with the Río Blanco, expect steeper rapids and for it to take at least an hour longer with plenty of scouting.

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

Descent History: George Pratsinak explored this in September 2005.