One of the most classic creek rivers in Spain, the Cinqueta is situated in the valley of Gistaín (Huesca). The river has four different sections, with super continuous and steep rapids and some waterfalls. It’s the best place to spend some days paddling hard and taking good pictures!
How to get there
Go to the village of Plan, it’s a three-hour drive from Sort. Plan is the take-out of the classic section. To get to the put-in, you have to drive to the Viados refuge. The first bridge over the river is the put-in for the Lower Cinqueta. On the bridge is a gauge. There is a portage in the middle of this section that is super easy to walk around on river right.
This bridge is also the take-out of the classic section, and the put-in is 4 km upstream at a large parking lot. If you keep going straight at the last kilometre before the refuge and take a right for another kilometre, you will reach an old farm. There is a 12 m drop by this old farm called La Virgen Blanca is (that’s the last rapid of the La Pez section). If you can paddle out of the pool, it’s a good level, if not … don’t run it! You can run all the rapids above this one, there are some slides and good boofs which are easy to see from the road, so take a look. Further up, there is another section called Cañon del Gato, which is a series of five sketchy drops – it takes about an hour and a half of walking to get there, so if you have time go take a look, not many people run this section. If you can paddle out of the pool, it’s a good level, if not … don’t run it! You can run all the rapids above this one, there are some slides and good boofs which are easy to see from the road, so take a look. Further up, there is another section called Cañon del Gato, which is a series of five sketchy drops – it takes about an hour and a half of walking to get there, so go take a look if you have time, not many people run this section.
La Virgen Blanca, the 12 m waterfall.
Water levels
There is no gauge for this river, so it’s hard to know the levels … but we put a spray mark under the bridge at the take-out in Plan. If the water touches the mark, it’s the perfect level for paddling it all. If not, you need to check each section.
Where to stay
You can sleep in an open field in the Viados refuge – it’s one of the best landscapes you’ll ever see! Trust us! You can also sleep by the riverside in Plan.
Up next
Check back next time for the next in our series of short guides … The Bujaruelo.
