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

river photo

Class: III; Flow: 1,200-6,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 3 m/km; Portages: no; Length: up to 33.5 km; Time: up to 5 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? yes; Highlights: easy access, surfing; Crux move: choosing a side

Put-In: Caridad (150 m); Take-Out: El Amatillo (42 m)

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

The Lower Río Goascorán forms the border between Honduras and El Salvador. Despite seeing plenty of fishermen and a bit of trash in the bushes, it has a remote feel with nice tropical forest scenery. This low-gradient river stays in the class III range and offers some good surfing waves when the water is up. There are rapids throughout the run, though they are more spaced out as you descend. The best surfing is in the middle of the run, including a wonderful big wave train (at 4,000 cfs anyway) just past halfway. In the lower parts, you may see colorfully adorned black-bellied whistling ducks.

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

Descent History: I ran this solo in June 2017.