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

river photo

Class: IV, III ; Flow: 400-3,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 11 m/km Upper, 3 m/km Lower; Portages: possibly in Upper; Length: 7+15 km; Time: 1.5+2 hrs

Season: June to October ; rafts? challenging; Highlights: bedrock rapids in Upper, novice run Lower; Crux move: border protocols

Put-In: Los Jobitos (157 m) or Vado Ancho (82 m); Take-Out: Valle de Torres (40 m)

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

The Río Guasaule runs along the Nicaragua-Honduras border near the Pacific coast, and offers fun and technical rapids through granite bedrock in the Upper section, and a more mundane experience in the Lower section. The Upper's granite rapids are varied and pretty, and you will likely scout a few times looking for the best route through the boulders. The Lower is mostly class II with a few IIIs, and is fairly wide except when passing through some interesting basalt formations. Rafting is possible the whole way with good water, though it may require some portaging around a few of the rockier rapids in the Upper section.

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

Descent History: I ran this in October 2019, with 2,500 cfs at the PI.