Río Cahabón

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Río Cahabón
Basins at Semuc Champey

Basins at Semuc Champey

Data
location Alta Verapaz Department , Guatemala
River system Río Dulce
Drain over Río Polochic  → Lake Izabal  → Río Dulce  → Gulf of Honduras
source at El Patal, between Purulhá and Tactíc
muzzle near Cahaboncito (municipality of Panzós ) in the Río Polochic Coordinates: 15 ° 25 ′ 22 ″  N , 89 ° 34 ′ 35 ″  W 15 ° 25 ′ 22 ″  N , 89 ° 34 ′ 35 ″  W

length 196 km
Drain MQ
 164 m³ / s
Medium-sized cities Coban
Small towns San Pedro Carchá , Cahabón
Communities Lanquín

The Río Cahabón is a 196 km long river in Guatemala . It rises near El Patal, between Purulhá and Tactíc , and crosses the Alta Verapaz department for the most part in a west-east direction. The river flows into the Río Polochic at Cahaboncito in the municipality of Panzós , which in turn flows into Lake Izabal about 30 km further east . The Río Cahabón has around 50 tributaries and is also fed by hundreds of smaller streams. The mean annual discharge is around 164 m³ / s.

The Cahabón was already of great economic importance during the Mayan high culture. Numerous settlements emerged along the river, including Cobán , San Pedro Carchá , Lanquín and Cahabón . Today the Río Cahabón is one of the main tourist attractions of Guatemala, mainly because of its scenic charm. In some sections it forms natural pools of water, of which those at Semuc Champey are best known. The rapids further to the east attract rafting enthusiasts from all over the world.

Hydroelectric power plants are operated near Cobán and San Pedro Carchá .

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