Conditions:Chorreadero-20211220171656

Latest:	17 Dec 2021 (3 yrs, 5 mos ago)

Reported by:	Eddyl (76 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:	Moderate Low
Wetsuit:	Full wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	6 hours

Team: 5 people with experience level Intermediate to Expert

Trip report URL:

Comments: Long route (Full route). Perfect flow. Some small debris inside, but no major blockages. Anchors are good enough, but some rapides are rusted, and a few pieces of webbing are very worn. Bring a few extra rapides and webbing. I would not do this canyon with less than 5mm full body wetsuit and booties, but one person in our group (from Alaska!) wore a 3mm shortie and was ok. Great canyon/cave for those with ample experience!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
17 Dec 2021	Amazing	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Eddyl (76 reports)
Comment: Long route (Full route). Perfect flow. Some small debris inside, but no major blockages. Anchors are good enough, but some rapides are rusted, and a few pieces of webbing are very worn. Bring a few extra rapides and webbing. I would not do this canyon with less than 5mm full body wetsuit and booties, but one person in our group (from Alaska!) wore a 3mm shortie and was ok. Great canyon/cave for those with ample experience!
17 Dec 2021	Amazing	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Nic.Barth (4 reports)
Comment: Throughtrip. Moderate-low water levels- no hydraulic hazards and ok to rappel in full force of waterfalls. Blind potholes and wood debris may pose challenges at higher flows. Anchors at most but not all places (multiple generations of single anchors common, choose wisely). I was in a full 3mm wetsuit and comfortable (but run hot) so others may consider more thermal protection. All of us took PFDs and were glad we did. Don't underestimate the value of spare waterproof headlamps and dry kegs. Very valuable to have a skilled downclimber and jumper; we found several places where a meat anchor provided the safest descent. Route in the cave is straightforward- sometimes ledges are worth walking out for hidden anchors or obvious jump launches. We took the dry river right passage halfway through (fast and a nice break from the roaring water noise). Permit was 200mxn per person. We used the shortcut trail approach- leaves the road about 20m west of the minor pullout (very easy, less than 10min approach to first drop). Cave maps + canyon topo provided on Ropewiki were very helpful (thanks!)- it took us about 4.2hrs to the first chamber.
2 Feb 2021	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	2 people Expert	Anaïs France (15 reports)
Comment: Good through trip ! It took us 7h to go down between the two of us, on a normal pace. Anchors were good enough, though there are quite single anchors. Many parts where climbing down can't be avoid and is not so easy for everyone. Watercondition was perfect. it's good to cary some spare "sling" to reinforce double anchors if necessary. Here is attached a topo of chorreadero which should be helpful to follow your progression in the cave.
20 May 2019	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	5 hours	1 people	Felixrulz (76 reports)
Comment: After grabbing some batteries and water, I began the search for a colectivo. I ended up catching one from Tuxtla to Chiapas de Corzo... This proved to be a mistake as I then had to head back to the highway. The next colectivo tried to scam me wanting 150 pesos, I gave him the coins I had in my hand - about 19 pesos. More than enough considering Tuxtla to Chiapas de Corzo was 15... I cached some gear at the junction and tried flagging down a colectivo to take me to the top. No one would stop. I started thumbing cars to no avail. After about 30 colectivos past me (could they all have been full to capacity?) I decided I'd have to walk the 10km up the steep winding mountain road. It sucked. Now and then I would stick my thumb out hoping to be saved from the heat, but it was no use. There were some interesting looking entrances and other karst features on the way, but it was hard to appreciate them given the circumstances. It was soon very obvious that my water wasn't going to last, despite some warnings advising me not to, I knew I'd have to find drinking water in the cave. I tried to short cut the large loop in the highway, but ended up retreating to the road. I made better time as the highway flattened out running parallel to Jaguar Cañón. Large cumulus clouds were building for the afternoon storm. My pace quickened and I was soon dropping down into the comparitvly cool drainage. Immediately, I was confronted with a deep limestone cañón. Wow! It was very impressive. Beautiful sculpting. I downclimbed and soon noticed that all the potholes were quite low... There was an awkward traverse around one. Originally I thought it was a keeper, and I set up a hand line just in case. However, once across it looked possible to climb out. The cañón continued, and I was a little worried that I was in Jaguar rather than cueva de Chorredero... Carefully climbing and traversing around the stagnant pools, I admired the natural bridges around me. I reconsidered my plan to reaundezous with my cached gear. It was around 5pm. I figured I'd be sleeping in the cave somewhere. The floor of the cañón soon dropped away and I abseiled down, a side cañón dropping in at a prominent turn. I pulled my rope. I was committed now. Press on regardless. I shone my light into the tunnel ahead of me. Bats screeched and wheeled around, their guano coating almost every surface. I looked at the black stagnant water ahead of me and wasn't overly keen on entering. I dipped a foot in. Colder than expected. It was time to suit up. I removed my harness and geared up in the failing light. This was it. I'd been looking forward to this cave for a long time. I dropp into the bat poo waters, suprised when feet reached the shallow bottom. I waded across and entered the cave. I noticed some cave crabs scuttling across the bottom of some of the pools. As I continued the pools seemed to get a bit clearer, it seemed that the bats roosted more towards the entrance. I was soon swimming and happy to wash the guano from my hands and pack. Soon I came across a series of keeper potholes, most were fairly straight forward, others a little tricky. The only way I could get out of one was to leave my bag and I could just pull myself up by clinging to a small ledge doing a chin up and swinging a leg up into the ledge. I could then lie down and retrieve my bag. There were many pitches and jumps before I reached a large room. A had a rest on a rock in front of a large sparkling flowstone formation, changed my battery and continued. I drank some water from a rim stone pool, pretty sure it would be clean and some time later heard water ahead of me! I'd been waiting for this Most of the pitches had only a single bolt, but most were in good condition, others had threads, and many simply nothing. Most of these were fairly straight forward jumps. I was very grateful Mateo had let me a couple of spotlights. Even wiBioluminescenceth them it was difficult to judge the height of the drops and depths of the water. Often I would impact the water a little earlier or later than expected... A weird feeling. One was blank and no jump was possible. I looked for anchors... With a partner the spot offered a good simulra. In the end I settled for a counterbalance with my pack. In another spot I jumped and found myself in a keeper... I couldn't really climb out of this one... I found a small ledge on the upstream side. Hmmm. Too far for a pack toss. Eventually I worked out what to do. I tied some rope to my pack and threw the rope over. As with many spots in the cave the rim of the pothole was actually a natural arch. Taking a deep breath I dived under aiming for the other side in the limited visibility. Bumping my helmet a couple of times, I emerged on the other side and pulled my pack up. I was getting a bit tired, and my lights were getting dimmer making photos almost impossible. A large ~10m jump woke me up as well as a few other smaller but more technical jumps requiring good accuracy. In the second large chamber I spotted some bioluminescence. Excited, I turned my lights off and moved stealthily through the water to investigate. I soon found a small beetle. Judging by its pigments, it was a 'cave accidental'. I think it was different to the other three animals with bioluminescence I've encountered in México.
24 Dec 2017	Amazing	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	4 people Expert	El selvaje (1 reports)
Comment: The hancor were ok
28 Jan 2017	Amazing	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	10 hours	8 people Beginner to Intermediate	Alwinacuna (4 reports)
Comment: This was the highlight of our trip to Chiapas, Mexico. 7 canyoneers from CA plus our guide, Carlos, from Petra Vertical. I would say that water flow was moderately low but still fun.
27 Dec 2015	Amazing	Significant	Full wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	6 people Intermediate to Expert	Lucach (75 reports),Tiffanie (139 reports)
Comment: We ran the lower section the first day and it took us 4 hours by going up the dry (but really muddy) section. The next day we ran the entire route which took us 9 hours. The cave/underground canyon is truly spectacular and ranks as one of my favorite canyon/cave experiences. There are close to 40 obstacles so a strong team is needed. The entrance to the cave is magical with the beams of light shining down into the narrow canyon. At first I thought running the short section the day prior was a waste of time but on the second day, it took us only 1 hour to run the lower section since we knew how to deal with each obstacle. As wonderful as this cave is, after awhile, it's nice to zip through the last section since it's already a long day. It's a beautiful underground passage way with narrow corridors, formations, fun rappels, and swims - this is a playground for canyoneers and cavers. Anchors in the upper section are generally single bolt anchors and you should be prepared to improvise if the anchor is not in good condition.