White Water Rafting on Río Cangrejal: What It’s Really Like If You’ve Never Rafted Before

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When I was planning our trip through Honduras and heard about white water rafting on Río Cangrejal, I almost skipped it. I’m not a huge adrenaline junkie, and the idea of crashing through rapids in a rubber boat sounded… intense. Especially for someone who’s never rafted before.

But I’m so glad I didn’t let that stop me because the Río Cangrejal area ended up being one of the absolute highlights of our time in Honduras.

Also check out my Travel Guide to Rio Cangrejal if you want to see all the other things you can do here other than rafting and why I fell in love with the area.

What It’s Like to Raft the Río Cangrejal as a Beginner

We stayed at The Jungle River Lodge, one of several eco-lodges tucked into the rainforest above the river. From the moment we arrived, the energy was amazing, picture hammocks with jungle views, a parrot flying overhead and a bunch of backpackers swapping stories over cold beers.

The rafting trips are run directly from the lodge, and the guides were super professional and friendly, and very, very experienced. We told them we were total beginners, and they gave us a full safety briefing, explained the commands, and let us practice paddling before we hit the water.

The first hour isn’t even rafting. It’s more like jungle canyoning.

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Canyoning First: Climbing, Jumping, and Swimming Through the River

Before we got in the raft, we hiked along the riverbank, climbed over boulders, swam through calm pools, and jumped off cliffs into deep blue water. Okay, some people jumped off the cliffs, I skipped the ones that felt too high, and nobody made a big deal about it.

It was a mix of scrambling, swimming, and floating through one of the most beautiful jungle canyons I’ve ever seen. It honestly felt more like a natural playground than an “extreme sport.”

The only «hard» part about this was to swim up or across the river aginst the currents. It was definitely a workout and the huge life west didn’t make it any easier, but it was very doable and still fun.

Then Comes the Rafting (And Yes, It’s Fun and Not That Scary)

After about an hour of exploring, we finally hopped into the raft. I was still a little nervous, but it turned out to be way easier and way more fun than I expected.

We paddled through Class II and III rapids, which felt exciting without being terrifying. Our guide shouted out instructions, we held on, got splashed, laughed a lot, and never once felt unsafe. The river is powerful, but the guides know it like the back of their hand, and they read the current with total confidence.

We were there in May and were told that the river fill up a bit more during the rainy season. Since it wasn’t quite full when we were there, there were some parts where we had to get out of the raft and just float down some waterfalls instead of rafting down. The guides were waiting further down with their hands outstretched so we could grab on to them and not float too far because the river was pretty strong and fast.

We were rafting with two other travelers who had done this kind of thing dozens of times before and even they said this was one of their favorite rafting trips ever.

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The Ultimate Guide to Río Cangrejal - The Hidden Gem in Honduras You Don’t Want to Leave

How Long It Takes & What It Costs

• Duration: About 2 hours total (1 hour canyoning, 1 hour rafting)
• Cost: Around $35–45 per person, depending on the lodge or operator
• What to bring: Swimsuit, shoes that can get wet (water shoes or old sneakers)
• Where to stay: We loved The Jungle Lodge, but Omega Tours and Las Cascadas Lodge also offer great rafting packages

So… Is It Worth It If You’ve Never Rafted Before?

Absolutely. I say this as someone who was hesitant and almost skipped it entirely.

The combination of canyoning and rafting makes this a super unique experience, and the guides really do everything they can to make sure you feel comfortable. You don’t need any experience, and you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Want to skip a cliff jump? No problem. Nervous about paddling through rapids? They’ll talk you through it and keep you safe.

It was thrilling, but also so much fun, and honestly one of the most memorable things we did in Honduras.

I hope this helped you, and if you have any more questions about rafting in Rio Cangrejal or traveling in Honduras in general, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on social media. I would love to connect and help out!

-Ingrid

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