Amina
3. Diferencia to Balneario Amina
| Difficulty | III-IV+ |
| Length | n/a |
| Avg Gradient | 64 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 17, 2009 |
River Description
4WD only road down to the river near Arroyo del Aguacate provides an intermediate access point 3.5 miles downstream of the put-in bridge north of Diferencia. This access point is upstream of the steepest part of this reach. There are trails that access the river several miles upstream of the listed take-out but I've always figure the carry up and out would take more time than paddling 3-4 miles of bobble water.
An extra degree of caution needs to be taken with this river as the large numbers of pomo trees (Syzygium jambos) which line the upper corridor are dying, creating a higher than normal risk of deadfall. As this section of river features very narrow, vertical walled sections, the prescence of wood may be problematic. In 2006, Franz Lang and another paddler in IKs encountered a drop in a vertical walled section that had an entire tree, rootball upstream, out of sight just below the horizon line. They ended up having to throw the boats over the tree and jump to follow as there was no clear channel and no clean portage to speak of. IKs offer a high point of view so this obstruction may not have been visible to a paddler in a kayak. Please don not run anything blind here.
Lat/Lng are VERY approximate and are based solely upon stated length of run, listed put-in/take-out, and markers and other clues available or visible via GoogleEarth. Actual recommended access points may be different from these coordinates.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThis is a great run. One of my favorites. I second Dag's point not to blind run anything. I had my entire boat sucked under in a hard-to-see siphon on a relatively easy drop. I jumped out and grabbed a rock. Franz and I spent an hour trying to get the boat free. The river is constant especially at high water. It mostly goes without portages, but it may be tough to stop - especially in a hardshell. Being able to jump out of your boat quickly is an advantage here. Really great run though. Cheers. Simon
Water levels were nominal when we got up to Diferencia but we hadn't time to get to another option so we banged down anyways and enjoyed the views.