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

river photo

Class: IV- ; Flow: 300-2,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 6 m/km; Portages: wood, barbed wire, one gorge; Length: up to 64 km; Time: 1-2 days

Season: June to December; rafts? difficult; Highlights: lots of jungly class III; Crux move: supplying gas and shocks for the truck

Put-In: Paulaya (455 m) or below; Take-Out: La Zarca (160 m), Copén (65 m), or below

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

The Río Paulaya offers a way into La Moskitia with more rapids, more access, and more talanqueras than the Río Sico or Río Plátano. Farming (mostly cattle) in the area is chasing away the wildlife but pockets of vine-filled jungle remain. The river is mainly class III, but the distance from services along with the threat of in-water hazards and flooding easily put it in the class IV category. A rough mountain road runs parallel to the river giving many potential access points, however. You can choose to drive in and out from upstream (which has a bus some days), from downstream, or do the long shuttle.

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

Descent History: Jorge Salaverri (of La Moskitia Ecoaventuras) ran the Río Paulaya starting at Río Guayabo in 1992, with an government environmental agency group. I paddled the whole Río Paulaya to Champas in July 2017 with 400 cfs at the PI.