Río Lempa, Lower, El Salvador (click here for the El Salvador table of rivers)

river photo

Class: III- ; Flow: 1,000-12,000 cfs; Average Gradient: 1.5 m/km; Portages: no; Length: up to 54 km; Time: 1-2 days

Season: year round (dam release) ; rafts? yes; Highlights: long and easy; Crux move: adapting to artificial flows

Put-In: below 5 de Noviembre dam (132 m); Take-Out: Puerto Candelaria (70 m) or Nuevo Eden de San Juan bridge (50 m)

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

The Río Lempa offers the luxury of a long easily raftable year-round run along the remote Honduras border. There is nice mountain scenery and birding the whole way, highlighted by the rocky mini-canyons in the middle parts, and enough whitewater to keep tourists entertained. In the first two-thirds of the stretch, there are well spaced II/II+ rapids, with a few IIIs thrown in, depending on the flow. In the final third or so, the river is mostly flat.

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

Descent History: The first descent is unknown. Rios Guatemala runs rafting trips here.