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

river photo

Class: IV ; Flow: 100-450 cfs; Average Gradient: 10 m/km; Portages: a couple; Length: 14.5 km; Time: 3 hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? no; Highlights: adding some creeking to the Río Tuma run; Crux move: careful scouting

Put-In: Amancia bridge (487 m); Take-Out: El Tuma (340 m)

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

The Río Yasica is a small creek with a lot of character and some nice scenic highlights despite its usual lack of water. The river is known for the beautiful "Cascada Blanca" 2.5 km upstream of the PI. Just below the PI, there is another, 40-foot tall slide-waterfall named "El Saltón" which has been rafted (but I portaged). One minute below, the river falls over a wide shelf as it meets a RL side creek (this and other creeks add significantly to the initial flow). The next 25 minutes down to the Palo Blanco bridge, an alternate access, is easy open class III.

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

Descent History: The Matagalpa Tours guys first ran the Río Yasica in 2014.