Río Lempa, Ocotepeque Section, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III+ ; Flow: 400-2,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 5 m/km; Portages: none; Length: up to 22.5 km; Time: up to 3 hours

Season: June to October; rafts? yes; Highlights: some fun rapids at high water; Crux move: staying upright through rocky rapids

Put-In: San José bridge (835 m) or below; Take-Out: San Miguel bridge (725 m) or above

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

The Río Lempa near Ocotepeque offers shallow garden-variety class III/III+ though a broad and heavily farmed mountain valley. The Ocotepeque section is divided into three parts by the Concepción bridge (side road at 9 km) and the Vado Ancho bridge (main road at 15.5 km). The percentage of flat water increases the farther down you go. If you are lucky enough to catch high water, there are a decent amount of long fun rapids, most of them in the first section, and most of the rest in the last section.

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

Descent History: The Ríos Aventuras guys (El Salvador company) rafted this (and through the Upper Lempa section in El Salvador) in October 2003.