Río Jalapa, Nicaragua (click here for the Nicaragua table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III ; Flow: 100-800 cfs; Average Gradient: 4 m/km; Portages: wood and talanqueras; Length: up to 22 km; Time: 3-5 hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? no; Highlights: ; Crux move:

Put-In: San Judas bridge (610 m) or Musulí (574 m); Take-Out: El Jícaro (513 m)

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

The Río Jalapa (also known as Río El Jícaro) is a shallow sandy creek with a few interesting rapids and decent forest scenery but way too many talanqueras in its upper parts and too much shallow sand in the lower parts. You avoid most of the talanqueras and wood issues if you start halfway at the Musulí access. From there (2-3 hours total) you will pass a couple IIIs, and likely a nasty wood strainer, in the first hour down to the RL Natosa access (recognized by well-worn trails and a rocky rapid just below). About 7 minutes below this rapid is a little gorge (possibly with trapped logs), and about an hour later is another rocky gorge. The El Jícaro bridge is 25 minutes down from this last rapid. The town of El Jícaro, before the bridge but well hidden on RR, offers other access; e.g., the end of "3ra Ave noreste."

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

Descent History: I ran this in October 2019, with 100 cfs at the PI.