Río Grande de Matagalpa, Lower, Nicaragua (click here for the Nicaragua table of rivers)

Class: II/III? ; Flow: 800-6,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 1 m/km; Portages: flow-dependent bedrock rapids; Length: up to 450 km; Time: multi-day

Season: June to October ; rafts? yes; Highlights: remote multi-day; Crux move: finding the time

Put-In: Puente El Bopal (308 m); Take-Out: Bocana de Paiwás (130 m) or San Pedro del Norte (43 m)

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

The Río Grande de Matagalpa is the third of the main waterways into Nicaragua´s La Moskitia region. While roads, planes, and lower water levels mean that fewer cargo boats ply these waters than in the past, it still offers a way-off-the-beaten-path adventure for intrepid types. The longer Río Coco (page 265) is the more famous path for such adventures, and takes you through more virgin jungle. The Río Tuma (page 291), similar in character to the Matagalpa but with more rapids, a healthier watershed, and a slightly more direct route to the Caribbean, is another alternative. However, I am including this section in the book for completeness. A close look at Google Earth will show you that the flat water is broken up sporadically by bedrock rapids whose difficulty is likely to be flow-dependent.

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

Descent History: Mostly unknown. Daniel Shaneyfelt explored down to Puente La Laguna in 2008.