Cahabón River
Encyclopedia
The Río Cahabón is 196 km long river in eastern Guatemala
. From its sources in the Sierra de las Minas
range in Baja Verapaz
it turns north and then east into Alta Verapaz
, running through Santa Cruz Verapaz
, Tactic
, Cobán
, San Pedro Carchá
, Lanquín
, Santa María Cahabón
and Panzós
, where it joins the Polochic River
.
Its whitewater
reaches, with Class III and IV rapids — intermediate to challenging — are favoured spots for touristic river rafting
.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. From its sources in the Sierra de las Minas
Sierra de las Minas
Sierra de las Minas is a mountain range in eastern Guatemala, extending 130 km west of the Lake Izabal. It is 15–30 km wide and bordered by the valleys of the rivers Polochic in the north and the Motagua in the south. Its western border is marked by the Salamá River valley which separates it...
range in Baja Verapaz
Baja Verapaz
Baja Verapaz is a department in Guatemala. The capital is Salamá.Baja Verapaz houses the Mario Dary Biotope Preserve, preserving the native flora and fauna of the region, especially the endangered national bird of Guatemala, the Resplendent Quetzal....
it turns north and then east into Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz
Alta Verapaz is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and Baja Verapaz, and to the west by El Quiché.Also in Alta Verapaz...
, running through Santa Cruz Verapaz
Santa Cruz Verapaz
Santa Cruz Verapaz is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 1406 m above sea level. It contains 19,000 people. It covers a terrain of 48 km². The annual festival is May 1-May 5.-External links:*...
, Tactic
Tactic (municipality)
Tactic is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 1,465 m above sea level. It has a population of 17,555, and covers a terrain of 85 km². The languages spoken in Tactic are predominantly Spanish, Poqomchí, and Q'eqchi'....
, Cobán
Cobán
The city of Cobán is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City....
, San Pedro Carchá
San Pedro Carchá
San Pedro Carchá, usually referred to as Carchá, is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 1282 m above sea level. It has an estimated population 245,000 people.It covers a terrain of 1082 km².-Sports:...
, Lanquín
Lanquín
Lanquín is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 380 m above sea level. It contains 16,500 people, many of Q'eqchi' Maya descent...
, Santa María Cahabón
Santa María Cahabón
Cahabón is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. It is situated at 250m above sea level. It contains 31,425 people. It covers a terrain of 900km2. The annual festival is September 1-September 8.-External links:*...
and Panzós
Panzós
Panzós is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz.On 29 May 1978, the village of Panzós was the site of a massacre in which between 30 and 60 local inhabitants were killed by the army....
, where it joins the Polochic River
Polochic River
The Polochic River is a 194 km long river in eastern Guatemala. It flows eastwards through a deep valley and flows into Lake Izabal at . The river is navigable for length of 30 km to Panzós. It was used many years ago to transport coffee and timber, but most commercial transport in the river valley...
.
Its whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
reaches, with Class III and IV rapids — intermediate to challenging — are favoured spots for touristic river rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
.