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

Class: III (V) ; Flow: 100-800 cfs; Average Gradient: 7 m/km; Portages: yes, 3 x V; Length: 13-14 km; Time: 3 hours

Season: July to January after heavy rains; rafts? no; Highlights: creeky class III with easy shuttle; Crux move: portaging

Put-In: Tomalá (103 m) or Río Tomalá (100 m); Take-Out: Jutiapa (15 m)

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

The Río Papaloteca drains the east end of the Cordillera Nombre de Dios. It is not a big river, but when the water is up, it offers a lot of class III fun. Three straightforward portages are involved, including a very long and convoluted series of chutes and technical drops named "Chutes and Ladders" by the Ríos Honduras guys. Their normal PI was at Tomalá (or Corralitos on Google Maps) where the river is also called Río Corralitos or Río Zambunango (the river stays close to the road with moderate gradient for 5 km further so on a higher water day you might explore a higher PI). There is an alternate PI on a side stream called the Río Tomalá (1 km longer and a bit less gradient) which sometimes has more water (though rarely enough). The class V's are below the confluence of these two streams.

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

Descent History: Kent Forte may have been the first to run this, likely with other Ríos Honduras guys, in the mid-1990s. Flow Notes: The Papaloteca needs good rains. The rain gauge at Balfate is somewhat useful for identifying those. Logistics: The TO is at the Jutiapa bridge a few blocks from the north coast highway. The Río Tomalá PI is 7.7 km south of Jutiapa. The Tomalá PI is 600 m off the highway turning 4.7 km further up at Tomalá. A RR road connects Tomalá and Jutiapa on an old railroad grade but may not always be in good shape.