White Water Rafting in Honduras

Did you know that White Water Rafting in Honduras is some of the best in Central America?

I still remember the first time I did White Water Rafting in Honduras…                       …it was in the Copan River, for all things! I had done rafting a couple of times before in Costa Rica, down both the Reventazon and the Pacuare Rivers, and I was hooked! So when I first arrived in Honduras, and was living in Copan Ruinas and was in creative mode, trying to figure out how to make a living, one of the first ideas that went through my mind was rafting down the Copan River. There was no one that had done rafting in Copan back then, but I scouted the river, identified a great put in, figured out which were the more technical rapids, and where the ideal take out was. On Election Day in 1993, a young man walked into the lobby of the Hotel Marina Copan and started asking questions about the river and the possibility of rafting it, so I immediately jumped on the opportunity and introduced myself to this person. This is how I met Jorge Salaverri, manager and owner of La Moskitia Ecoaventuras, one of premier adventure and expedition tour operators in Honduras. That afternoon, we both rafted down the Copan River for the first time.

Since then, I have paddled down several other rivers and do white water rafting in Honduras regularly. There is no doubt that the best river in Honduras for white water rafting is the Cangrejal River, located in La Ceiba, capital of Atlantida.

The Cangrejal River offers class III, IV, and even V rapids, it is easily accessible from the city of La Ceiba and makes for a great outdoor adventure. The scenic setting is hard to describe: huge home sized boulders line up in the river, and the fresh clear water must race around them, creating small drops, exciting rapids demanding challenging moves.

Although I said the water was fresh, let me  elaborate: this is not snow melt off the mountain tops, so it is by no means cold, and as you paddle down the river, following your guide’s instructions, you will soon find yourself hot and sweating, wishing for a refreshing dip in the river to cool off! Getting splashed by the water as you navigate the rapids is actually a God send!

There are a total of 4 outfitters providing rafting services in the Cangrejal River. Some have been established for as long as 25 years. Omega Tours and La Moskitia Ecoaventuras are certainly the most reputable, and they have never had a serious accident in over 20 years of operation.

One of the highlights of white water rafting in Honduras is the fact that there are several different Cangrejal River Hotels that you can stay in. Another is the fact that you can actually travel from the Bay Islands of Utila and Roatan for an outstanding one day experience of white water rafting in Honduras at the Cangrejal River.

One thing is for sure, if you love doing white water rafting, you will love the Cangrejal River experience, if you have never done it, you will most certainly become hooked on it! Many persons are afraid of a new “potentially dangerous” experience. I can assure you that rafting with Omega Tours or La Moskitia Ecoaventuras will be a pleasant, safe experience, and you will be glad you experienced white water rafting in Honduras! Who knows, we might even run into each other paddling down the river!