Cangrejal River

The Cangrejal comes down out of the Pico Bonito massif in a bed of enormous granite boulders, clear and cold, and drops fast enough to give Honduras its best whitewater: mostly class three with class four sections depending on the level. Lodges and small operators line the valley road behind La Ceiba, and the same road gives access to the eastern side of Pico Bonito National Park. When the river is low the boulders themselves become the attraction, with pools between them for swimming.

What you actually see

• The rapids - class three and four whitewater through granite boulder gardens.
• The boulders - house-sized granite blocks filling the riverbed.
• The pools - clear cold basins between the boulders, swimmable at low water.
• The valley road - the route up behind La Ceiba into the Pico Bonito foothills.

When to go

February to May and September to November give the best rafting levels. The river runs too high to raft safely after heavy rain and too low in the driest weeks. Trips are cancelled on level rather than schedule.

Honest expectations

River levels change fast and a good operator will cancel; one that never does is a warning sign. The water is genuinely cold. The valley road is rough beyond El Naranjo and the lodges are spread along several kilometres of it.

Nearby

La Ceiba is at the mouth of the valley, and Pico Bonito National Park rises on the western side.