Río Lempa, Callejones Canyon, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III+ ; Flow: 75-1,500 cfs; Average Gradient: 6 m/km; Portages: none; Length: 13.5 km; Time: 2 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? yes; Highlights: the Callejones Canyon; Crux move: illegal immigration

Put-In: Finca La Vega Grande (883 m); Take-Out: San José bridge (835 m)

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

The run on the headwaters of the Río Lempa is one of the most dramatic class III runs in Mayan Whitewater-land, passing through the deep and narrow Callejones Canyon. This gorge is almost unbroken for 8 km. The scenery and nature may remind you of the Southwestern USA. You can hike into the gorge on the Honduras side, or, if you are more daring, start on the Río Olopa on the Guatemala side, (There would no one to check your passport on the river as you cross the border, so you must deal with that separately; see Logistics. If you prefer to return to Guatemala by water instead of by land, see the Río Copán description, page 95.)

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

Descent History: I first ran the Callejones Canyon, hiking in, in September 2007, with 1,000 cfs.