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

river photo

(photo by Herminio Zuniga & courtesy of La Moskitia Ecoaventuras)

Class: III+ ; Flow: 200-1,200 cfs; Average Gradient: 1.6 m/km; Portages: yes; Length: 127 km; Time: 3-5 days

Season: June to January; rafts? yes; Highlights: raft expedition amidst verdant jungle; Crux move: the pick up and drive out

Put-In: Puente La Balsa (220 m); Take-Out: Sico (18 m)

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

The Río Sico (also known as Río Tinto or Río Negro) is on the western border of the La Moskitia region, offering the attractive combination of a long jungle trip, rapids, and straightforward logistics. This run is still impressive despite the recent encroachment by farmers that has greatly diminished the wilderness aspect of the trip. For those that had seen it previously in all its glory, the Río Sico is the poster child for "paradise lost."

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

Descent History: Jorge Salaverri first rafted this in 1991, with Japanese social workers.