Río Torola, Way Upper & Upper, El Salvador (click here for the El Salvador table of rivers)

river photo

(photo by Rocky Contos)

Class: IV+, III ; Flow: 150-1,500 cfs; Average Gradient: 12 m/km; Portages: yes; Length: 12.5 + 9 km; Time: 4 + 1.5 hours

Season: June to October ; rafts? no; Highlights: interesting challenges; Crux move: portaging the Crack

Put-In: El Pedernal (620 m) or Los Chorros (715 m); Take-Out: Llano Verde (475 m)

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

The upper parts of the Río Torola are the fun creeky parts. The water is clean and the feeling is remote. Rough roads are a small price to pay to have access to this playground. The Way Upper, an almost pristine but often shallow run with lots of iguanas and river bats, is the easier run (one IV-) and though perhaps too short in itself (1.5 hours) to warrant the drive out here, makes a scenic warm-up for the challenges below.

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

Descent History: Rocky Contos and I ran this July 2010, with 200 cfs at the PI and 1,000 cfs at the TO.