Cangilones de Gualaca

The Estí river near Gualaca runs for a few hundred metres through a channel it has cut into solid rock, walls rising straight out of the water on both sides, smooth and often only a few metres apart, with deeper pools where the current slows. People swim the length of it and jump from the ledges. Outside the channel the river spreads out over gravel. The whole thing is small in scale and locally used rather than developed.

The landscape

• The rock channel - a few hundred metres of river between smooth vertical walls.
• The pools - deeper water where the current slows within the channel.
• The jumping ledges - the rock shelves above the water at several heights.
• The open river - the gravel stretches upstream and downstream of the cut.

When to go

December to April has lower, clearer water and safer conditions. Rain raises the river fast and makes the channel dangerous. Weekends bring local crowds.

Things to know

Water level changes fast after rain upstream and the channel becomes genuinely dangerous. Jumping causes injuries and depth varies. Facilities are minimal and litter is a problem at weekends.

Nearby

Fortuna Forest Reserve is north, and David is southwest.