Join an expedition down one of the finest long-distance wilderness rivers in Mexico just south of the Arizona border. The quality is comparable to a Salt or Salmon River trip with beautiful canyon, interesting side hikes, and fun rapids. Everyone is welcome: kayakers, rafters, and raft passengers. Rapids are primarily class II and III and suitable for intermediate kayakers, though there are several IVs on the Mulatos. Depending on conditions and the group, sometimes we may start on Río Tutuaca and other times start on the Aros (if very low water).

GENERAL TRIP INFORMATION:

The Río Mulatos-Aros and Tutuaca-Aros trips are some of the best long-distance raft support river expeditions in North America. The water is clean, relatively reliable, and big (avg. 8000 cfs on the Aros). There are fun class III rapids almost every day (with some IVs on the Mulatos) and interesting side canyons/hikes, including to narrows and warm clear swimming holes. The wilderness is phenomenal - we pass through northernmost area of jaguars in the world (see Northern Jaguar Project). The pace will generally be relaxed, possibly with a layover day (if water levels are high enough for us to move quickly). Overall, this trip is on par with the most sought-after multi-day expedition trips in the Western US. See for yourself - check out the slideshows above. Watch a short FILM. Read an ARTICLE.

We offer general trips based out of Hermosillo (or Tucson sometimes) that anyone can join as a raft paddler/passenger. You don't need any prior experience on whitewater expeditions. Trips are run like commercial trips available for the Salt, Salmon, or Colorado. Competent oarsmen and kayakers are also welcome to join, as well as guides (reduced rates for helper guides). We also offer Outfitting Service to groups of experienced boaters. Come join a descent of Río Mulatos-Aros and see what paddling in the Sierra Madre Occidental is all about!

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TENTATIVE ITINERARY Mulatos-Aros 12-day trip (10 days on the river):
Day0 Participants arrive Hermosillo; welcome dinner; Hotel (included)
Day1 Drive to put-in near the mine at Mulatos (~8 hr); unload; start rigging; camp
Day2 Finish rigging; lunch at put-in; launch; class II-III; ~10 km
Day3 Paddle into Barranca Mulatos (Amargosa); camp in gorge; class IV; ~20 km
Day4 Finish rapids of Barranca Mulatos (Saucito, Unscathed, Dos Mas); class IV; ~20 km
Day5 Pass confluence with Aros; stop at Nátora; camp downstream; class II; ~30 km
Day6 Hike/swim in Arroyo El Aliso; to Otates; class II-III; ~30 km
Day7 Lone Palm Gorge; hike/swim slot canyon at Arroyo Santa Rosa; Cañon Los Arrieros; class II-III; ~30 km
Day8 LAYOVER in Cañon Los Arrieros; 0 km
Day9 Paso Nácori gauging station; Cañon La Bocana (Morita, Cajones); Arroyo Pérdices; class III; ~30 km
Day10 Pass Bavispe; class II; ~30 km
Day11 Easy going to take-out; de-rig; drive back to Hermosillo; Hotel (included)
Day12 Day-trip to the Sea of Cortez (Bahia Kino or Guaymas); possilbe flights out late; Hotel (included)
Day13 Flights out

NOTE: TUTUACA-AROS: On some trips we may pursue an alternative itinerary starting on the upstream Río Tutuaca, which adds 30-50 km to the trip, changes the first ~40% of the trip (going ~30 km down Río Tutuaca and then ~70 km through the Upper Aros Canyon), and makes the trip have maximum class III+ rapids. This starting point also entails a longer drive to the put-in that goes near Basaseachi, so we may spend a night there and walk to view the waterfall (Cascada Basaseachi) to break up the long drive and assure we are not driving on the ~4 hr dirt road to the put-in during night.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY Aros only 9-day trip (7 days on the river):
Day0 Participants arrive Hermosillo; stay night in hotel
Day1 Drive to Nátora (~8 hr); rig rafts or join trip in progess; camp at put-in; 0 km
Day2 Finish rigging; launch; camp downstream; class II; ~10 km
Day3 Hike/swim in Arroyo El Aliso; to Otates; class II-III; ~30 km
Day4 Lone Palm Gorge; hike/swim slot canyon at Arroyo Santa Rosa; Cañon Los Arrieros; class II-III; ~30 km
Day5 LAYOVER in Cañon Los Arrieros; 0 km
Day6 Paso Nácori gauging station; Cañon La Bocana (Morita, Cajones); Arroyo Pérdices; class III; ~30 km
Day7 Pass Bavispe; class II; ~30 km
Day8 Easy going to take-out; de-rig; drive back to Hermosillo; Hotel (included)
Day9 Day-trip to the Sea of Cortez (Bahia Kino or Guaymas); possilbe flights out late; Hotel (included)
Day10 Flights out

RENDEZVOUS POINTS / TRANSPORTATION

Note: In 2021, we will be basing the trip out of Hermosillo due to Covid land-border crossing restrictions and including the hotel stays and meals before and after the trip in the general rate.

HERMOSILLO: Hermosillo is the closest large city to the river with daily flights arriving from various cities in Mexico and the USA. The group will meet at a hotel in Hermosillo (included in the full rate) and spend the following day driving to the put-in. t is generally a ~4 hr drive to the take-out near Sahuaripa and an ~8 hr drive to the put-in near the gold mine at Mulatos. All transport from the rendezvous hotel to the put-in and back to the same hotel at the end of the trip is included.
TUCSON/DOUGLAS: Often we will base the trip out of Tucson or Douglas and cross into Mexico as a group. Tucson (TUS) has the advantage of many daily domestic flights into its airport and numerous hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets. Those driving can leave their vehicles at the hotel for the duration of the trip (or a more secure airport parking lot if desired - extra costs apply). We will meet some of the group this day for dinner and talk about logistics and the coming days.
SAHUARIPA: Sometimes we will rendezvous in Sahuaripa, which is very close to the take-out and where we spend a night before heading to the put-in.

COST
This trip is being run to increase appreciation of the river and foment opposition to the planned dams. We welcome everyone: raft passengers, raft paddlers, raft rowers, kayakers, IKers, and guides. Helper guides may join for reduced rates. No prior rafting experience is required to join a trip. We offer professional level service similar to established outfitters on rivers in the USA. The general costs of this and other trips, including what's included, is listed at: COSTS

Special discounts are sometimes offered to folks on our email list, so you are encouraged to sign up (Email List info).


.RESERVATIONS
If interested in joining a trip, send a note of interest stating how you found out about the trip and a little background info about you and your paddling experience, what dates might work for you, and if you would like to be a passenger or be in charge of a boat. Once you get the go-ahead, you will need to provide a deposit to reserve your place on the trip. The balance must be received prior to trip commencement. See PAYMENTS for payment options.

A minimum of 6 full-rate guests will assure a general SierraRios trip occurs, while our maximal limit is 16 guests on any trip. We may allow trips with fewer folks depending on circumstances. If interested in doing a trip on a date not listed, send a message about optimal scheduling for you, as well as a little info about you. We may list the launch date, and if enough folks sign up by the 3-month cut-off, we'll organize it.

CANCELLATIONS
We reserve the right to cancel the trip 2+ months in advance. This generally will occur only if there are not enough participants signed up. If we cancel the trip, all deposits and payments will be refunded. 

If you must cancel, you'll get your money back if you find someone to take your place on the trip. If you don't find someone, no refund is due. Sometimes we allow much of the payment to be applied to a future trip (at our discretion). The amount depends on the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.


MAPS:
SierraRios has all topo maps of the entire river marked with rapids and potential beach camps. If you would like access to these, you can sign up for the book and map specifying you're interested in the Mulatos-Aros and the Mexican Whitewater: Norte maps/book/video, and you'll receive immediate access to the maps (and book/DVD). If you have the password, click here for access: MAPS. [also note links at top left column of this page and at TOPO MAPS on the main www.SierraRios.org homepage.


TRIP LEADER AND TEAM MEMBERS:
(1) Rocky Contos (San Diego, CA) is sometimes trip leader. Rocky is owner of the company and organizes all trips, and sometimes guides them. He is a trained guide with swiftwater rescue (SRT-PRO) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training, and fluent in Spanish. Rocky has explored nearly every river in Mexico including >130 first descents covering ~8,000 km of river and ~55,000 m of drop. He solo kayaked the first descent of Río Mulatos in 2002, led raft descents of the river in 2010 (2010slides1; slides2, slides3), 2011 (slides2011), 2014, and 2016, wrote the guidebook to the Sierra Madre Occidental, and to other parts of the country. . Several articles have featured Rocky (American Whitewater; Kayak Session; Canoe & Kayak). See his Bio_Rocky page for more info.

(2) Boris Trgovcich (Placerville, CA) was a raft guide for many years in Northern California running his own company. He is now retired from his day-job and continues exploring rivers and guiding others down them. He joined the 2011 Mulatos-Aros trip and guided trips in 2014, 2015 (2X), and 2018. Boris has also run most other rivers that SierraRios offers, including the Marañon, Usumacinta, Lacanjá, Neuquén, Yangtze and Blue Nile.

(3) German Arroyo (DF, Mexico) may also guide or help guide the trip. German lives in Mexico City, has been a raft guide for many years, is trained in swiftwater rescue (SRT) and Wilderness First Aid (WFA) ,and is fluent in Spanish and English. He.rafted the Mulatos-Aros in 2011 and guided trips in 2015 (2X), 2016, and 2018, and has guided >20 Usumacinta trips.

Personality/Experience:
No river rafting experience is required to join a trip. However, you should be comfortable camping and in good physical condition, and also should have an easygoing attitude in order to get along with a diverse group on a Grand Canyon-style trip for an extended period. If you are concerned about the latter issue, consider arranging a private trip, or if you're an experienced group, contracting our Outfitting Services. You don't need to be bilingual but it is helpful and more fulfilling to communicate with local residents when we meet them. Every participant must sign a liability waiver.

Everyone joining SierraRios trips should have an interest in river conservation and help us on our mission to document the river further, talk to residents, publicize the planned dams, and help train local guides. We welcome competent boaters. If you want to kayak, you must have adequate class IV experience and a solid roll. If you want to row a raft, you must have adequate experience rowing class IV rivers. Comparable rivers are the Colorado (Grand Canyon), Middle Fork Salmon (high water), Thompson, Futaleufu, Karnali, or Sun Kosi. In general, the pace is relaxed with layover days planned, but there may be some long days on the water.

The policy we will take on the trip is that the trip leader will have main authority when it comes to decisions for the group regarding river progress, camp, etc. If a participant has overestimated their ability to row or kayak, he/she may be mandated to ride on a raft and/or be assessed other penalties. Trip leader decisions can be vetoed by a majority vote of the group. Any participant always has the right to leave the trip if they so desire, but no refund is due. You should plan to help facilitate the trip in any way possible, including transport of some gear into the country.

SAFETY
The violence in Mexico surrounding the drug war has been in the news a lot in the last decade. While this violence is confined to drug traffickers (narcos) and those associated with them, including law enforcement. In addition, the river we will be journeying down is not known as a drug cultivation area, and we are likely to encounter few people along the way. Locals from Sahuaripa will accompany us to the put-in and from the take-out, facilitating positive interactions. As such, we are not likely to be harassed or molested in any way. For further discussion of the drug war and safety concerns, click here.

Independent of the drug war, there has always been potential danger for assault in Mexico by armed bandits (bandidos). Such risk is common in any third world country where citizens are very poor. In the event of assault, we will do all we can to protect our clients and ourselves, but may have to sacrifice possessions.

The other aspect of safety is prevention of accidents. It is of utmost importance that you take all precautions necessary to avert injury, sickness, and complications while on the trip. As guides, we are there to help get you safely to the river, down it, and back out, but cannot guarantee against accidents. If you are in control of your craft, you must accept the responsibility for what happens on the river. If you are concerned about the whitewater or other aspects, it is your responsibility to make appropriate decisions whether to run the rapid or not and to stay close to someone who can watch and oversee you (if you desire that level of protection). If an accident occurs, we will do all in our power to help you, see that proper care is rendered, or evacuate you if need be. Guides will be trained to administer first aid and can arrange evacuations. We will have a major first aid kits available and will also carry a satellite communicator for emergencies and changes of plan.


GENERAL ROUTINE
Most days we will launch around 9 am, stop for lunch around noon, and be at camp around 4-5 pm. There may be an interesting hike we'll allow time for. During the main season (Jul-Aug-Sep), days are still fairly long, with sunrise-sunset from 6 am-7 pm. We'll usually be making around ~30 km/day when on the water. After landing, we'll set up camp and get dinner started. If it happens to be cool, we may collect firewood for a campfire. You will be free to relax, wander, or socialize. After eating, guides in charge of the dishes will clean them all. Each evening during dinner or afterward we will have a group meeting to discuss the day's events, what is coming up the following day, and any other issues that need be addressed. In the morning, you must have your tent and camp area packed up and ready to go before we start loading the rafts. We may have one layover day where we remain in the same camp for two nights. That day you can just hang out and lounge if you like, enjoy the water, or go on an exploratory hike. SierraRios trips practice leave-no-trace as much as possible. No ashes or trash are left at any camps.


WATER LEVELS & WEATHER
We have timed this trip to coincide with highest probability of good river flows. In August, flows average 60 cms (2000 cfs) on the Mulatos and 230 cms (8000 cfs) on the Aros [see Hydrographs_Annual and Hydrographs_August]. It is very likely (~80% chance) that we will have 10-120 cms (400-4000 cfs) on the Mulatos and 100-400 cms (3500-14000 cfs) on the Aros, but there is a chance it will be higher (10%) or lower (10%). Water levels can fluctuate rapidly due to spotty intense thunderstoms that are characteristic of the monsoon season in the region. It is important that rafts be tied up well so they don’t drift away in a rising tide on the river. Equally important, the camp must be set at a high enough location so it will not be flooded. If we encounter rapidly rising river that reaches camp (usually in the evening) and you are the first to notice, please wake the guides first, and we will assess the situation and alert the group if necessary (it may be necessary to move camp higher).

Drought possibility: In 2011 we did a trip below the lowest 1% of recorded flows during that month [6 cms(200 cfs) on Mulatos; and several days of 20 cms (700 cfs) on the Aros], and still were able to make it through with 6 rafts, though it did take 2 extra days on the Mulatos. We were still able to complete the trip in 10 river days. If flows are unusually low when we are in Sahuaripa (i.e., below the 10th percentile or <60 cms on the Aros; about 1 in 10 chance), we will consider beginning our trip at Nátora on the Aros instead of El Victor on the Mulatos. In this event, we will likely only spend 7-8 days on the water - you may be refunded a bit for the shorter trip length (though days are not strictly prorated). This is a risk you must be willing to accept when you sign up. No online gauging data is currently available (though it was from 2008-2016 at the CNA website).

WEATHER: The climate averages for July and August on the trip are similar to those for Sahuaripa (below) but a bit cooler on most of the trip (higher elevation). The average high/low is about 98°F / 72°F in the summer. Expect thunderstorms about 1/3 of the days, usually in short downpours.

KAYAKS, IKs, and RAFTS AVAILABLE FOR THIS TRIP
See Boats_Chiapas

.A FEW COMMENTS FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS:

"Thanks for making these trips/expeditions happen!  I am your number one fan in México.  What a difference between this and the lazy days of the Usu!!!!  Though I have only done the upper Grand Canyon (Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch) I'd say that the rapids in the Mulatos were significantly scarier (shitting-my-pants-factor was HIGH) than anything I went through on the Colorado.  The trip definitely reminded me of the Salt because of the variations in canyon and landscape qualities, but the wilderness factor is way higher in the Mulatos-Aros-Yaqui. I want to go back!!!!! "
Citlali Cortés Montaño, PhD ecologist; working in the nonprofit sector in Mexico; [2015 Mulatos-Aros trip]


" First off, let me say this: the Mulatos-Aros was spectacular, and this is based on me having canoed and traveled the wilderness on seven continents, to many, many different areas. So for comparison’s sake, I would definitely rate the M/A journey as “World Class” on many levels. A must-do for anyone who wants to experience one of the finest all-around river journeys in the world, especially one, as you state, that is so close to the U.S. 
There is the cultural element, always a big bonus in my opinion. The small towns we passed through going and coming, were a delight. Especially Nátora on the river. We spent an hour or more there and it was fun and interesting, even if no one understood a word of my Spanish! ... 
There is the wilderness. Almost non-stop from put-in to take-out. I can easily see how jaguars, mountain lions, etc. could roam free here. We saw about 6 or 7 whitetail deer right along the river, so I’m sure there is ample prey for the big cats.
Along with the wilderness, there is almost non-stop beautiful and varied landscapes. No lack of spectacular mountainous and canyon scenery here.
There were excellent campsites. No problem accommodating a large group like ours. 
And there was excitement. At the water levels we experienced, it was, indeed, a challenging run for us mere mortals, Boris and German included... [in Amargosa] our paddleraft on the Mulatos flipped, sending all five of us in the drink. [In another rapid] our paddleraft high-sided ...
As Boris might have told you, Fran and paddled our SOAR tandem every day except the second and third days, when we were faced with the majority of the most daunting rapids of the trip. To this end, we were very glad to have the paddleraft …. and German as our paddleraft capitán. German is a jewel of a guy and a guide, a great addition to our team.
And speaking of great guides, our chief, Jefe Boris, was an excellent, extremely capable leader, and an eminently personable one (especially when we all made it safely through the canyon’s multiple Class IVs). In my humble opinion, you couldn’t have chosen a better man to lead us down this challenging river system. You are very fortunate to have him available to jump in when you can’t be there. 
And not to be forgotten is Gabe [from the area but who lives in S.California]. Fran and I drove from and to Douglas with Gabe, so we possibly got to know him better than the other clients. He is a rock, a great guy, and a fount of knowledge of Sonora. As such, he was indispensable in many ways to the success of our journey. He also proved himself a very capable oarsman, rowing that big, gear-laden cat of his through some treacherous rapids. 
So, with Boris, German, and Gabe adding their talents and hard work, we had a great leadership team. I am certain everyone on the trip would wholeheartedly agree.

Larry Rice, author of Canoe Country Reflections & hundreds of outdoor articles; [2015 Mulatos-Aros trip]

"We had a beautiful trip, thank you so much for pioneering rafting in the region and organizing these trips.  It was one of our favorite river trips we have been on, so special to raft through Northern Mexico!
The logistics were great, we got in and out of Mexico without any problems.  The roads were fine (likely thanks to the mine) and we did not have any trouble pulling our trailer.  
Big positives:
-The food was delicious, Boris made some very memorable dinners on the trip.
-German did a great job keeping his paddlers safe
-We really appreciated having Josh on the trip, he talked through the rapids with our boys and helped them along, he is also a good guy and a lot of fun 
-It added a lot to the trip to have Citlali and Gabe on the trip, I really enjoyed hearing about their families from the region, etc.  Citlali and Gabe both were a great help getting through the border
-[Rapids:] it was pretty intense water.
-Again, can't say enough about the logistics, everything went very smoothly

Molly Ferrer, rafter from Denver area did trip with husband and two sons, [2015 Mulatos-Aros trip]

"THE TRIP KICKED MAJOR ASS! mike" [2011 Mulatos-Aros trip]
Mike Doktor (Portland, OR), former raft guide for Ken Warren Expeditions