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

river photo

Class: IV-; Flow: 500-3,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 3 m/km; Portages: no; Length: up to 90 km; Time: up to 13 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? yes; Highlights: getting deep in the mountains; Crux move: bush camping and long shuttle

Put-In: Teupasenti (610 m) or El Olingo (515 m); Take-Out: San Antonio de Sahara (403 m) or Puente Jalán (370 m)

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

The Lower Río Jalán has the appropriate length and canyon scenery for a rewarding extended rafting trip, though the gradient, riverbed width, and flow are somewhat erratic and require trip planning. The nicest canyons occupy the middle 38 km of this section, and there is access at both ends, so fast paddlers could run them in one day (I spent 6 hours in this part without rushing; the shuttle would take almost as long). It would also make a nice overnight trip, though be warned that I did not spot any nice camps in this section, at least not until towards the end. Mostly the rapids here are class II to III-, the main exceptions being: a IV- entering a nice gorge of angled rock (at 0:15), a long III+/IV- (at 1:20), and a III+/IV- river-wide hole (at 2:30).

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

Descent History: I ran the Lower Río Jalán in September 2017, with 600 cfs at the PI.