Río Bijao, Upper & Lower, Nicaragua (click here for the Nicaragua table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III, IV- ; Flow: 300-600 cfs; Average Gradient: 8 m/km; Portages: a couple in the Upper; Length: 13 + 12 km; Time: 3 + 2.5 hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? Lower possible; Highlights: enjoying the fruits of catching the rain; Crux move: entering dam property

Put-In: El Carmen (572 m); Take-Out: La Ceiba (475 m) or San Martín dam (380 m)

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

The Río Bijao is a hard-to-catch creek on your way out to the Waslala-area runs. It passes through coffee and cattle-grazing areas but also some nice forest in the Lower part. The Upper is class III and is generally wide and shallow so needs more than borderline flows to be enjoyable. The most "interesting" part of the Upper, with some likely portages, is in the middle, starting with the big unclean "El Salto" drop. Soon after is a manky class IV rapid, with another rocky ledge appearing about 10 minutes later, followed by a tricky III+ deserving a scout. Later you will pass the El Triangulo hammock bridge before reaching the La Ceiba hammock bridge, marking the end of the Upper, in 2.5 to 3 hours.

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

Descent History: Nils Saubès and I ran this in October 2021, with 450 cfs at the PI.