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

river photo

Class: IV+ ; Flow: 150-800 cfs; Average Gradient: 11 m/km; Portages: yes; Length: 14 (+13) km; Time: 4-5 (+1.5) hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? no; Highlights: awesome creeking; Crux move: having your shit together

Put-In: Waslala (350 m); Take-Out: confluence Río Yaosca (200 m) or Yaosca Abajo (170 m)

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

The Río Waslala is one of Nicaragua's kayaking gems, with a lot of great creeky rapids and scenery. The word waslala is an indigenous word for silver, but believe me, the river is gold. However, finding the right water level that is not too low for the first shallow stretch, but not too high for the narrows down below, is a finer line than normal.

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

Descent History: Nils Saubès and I ran this in October 2021--the first day with high water down to El Ciprés, the second day (several days later) with low water starting at El Ciprés.