Río Mocal, Middle & Lower, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

river photo

Class: IV+, III; Flow: 500-2,500 cfs; Average Gradient: 6 m/km; Portages: perhaps, in Middle; Length: 11 + 13 km; Time: 1-4 hours

Season: June to November; rafts? Lower; Highlights: big creek flows; Crux move: Tixila gorge, and driving there

Put-In: Los Reales (250 m) or El Limón (170 m); Take-Out: Río Mocal bridge (125 m) or on the Río Lempa at Puente Integración (110 m)

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

The Río Mocal is too remote to make the short list on a Honduras tour, but those checking out the border goods on the El Salvador side should consider making the trip. The Middle and Lower sections are mostly satisfying class II and III, with the added attraction of bigger water than most other rivers in the region and, in the Middle section, the striking IV/IV+ Tixila gorge.

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

Descent History: I ran the Mocal (from the Gorges down to La Virtud) in June 2005 (150 to 1,300 cfs), the Lower bits in August 2018 (1,800 cfs).