UKC

How hard/easy is the trip down the canyon (Barranco del Infierno)?
Typically how long would it take?
Would it be possible with 2 kids?

Any info much appreciated.

Cheers,
Joint

In reply to Joint: 2 of us took 10 teenagers and 1 inexperienced adult through it in Feb 2011 (Pics here: http://alanhalewood.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/canyon-dinfierno.html ). Well bolted, plenty easy scrambling and lots of abseils/lowers. There is 1 traverse that when we were there was equipped with a frayed fixed low stretch rope (second pic shows me adding our rope over it). This was strenuous and I had to hoist / help a number of the group up the start and onto the finishing ledge.
The walk out was a little hard to find (keep going, its further than you think) and then a steep pull up.
From memory fit teenagers / a little younger if used to climbing and hillwalking should be fine. Much younger / less experienced may be a little much.
Great canyon. In feb we had 1 knee deep wade, the rest was dry but I have no idea about water levels at this time of year- worth checking with locals. There is a warning on this site (good directions on how to get out at the end: http://costablancaclimbing.com/canyoning.html ).

Good advice from the Orange house here http://theorangehouse.co.uk/online-topos/barranco-del-inferno and a video here youtube.com/watch?v=O_4ofS0GIvI&

Did it this march, not having wetsuits we spent most of it trying not to get wet. Would be a much easier proposition if you bit the bullet and did get wet. Watch out for the "marmites" though - a few pools with no exit - though you'll be fine so long as there's somebody competent with a rope who hasn't fallen in..!

In reply to AlH:

Thanks for all the info. That's a great help.

In reply to Joint:

All I can add is that it's a great trip, saving the best rock architecture for the end.

I did it at the end of a drought and it was bone dry, negating the need to do the aided traverses.

PP.

In reply to Joint:

Thanks for the mentions and links guys :0)

I would say depends when you want to go and how much rain we have had before hand.

I would not attempt this at the moment as we had some horrendous storms last week and I would imagine the water level is high!

We did it with clients one year (Americans insisted! lol) and I have never been so cold in my life, was a great laugh but one I would not want to repeat. We all had to swim under water a bit at the end to get under a bridge the water was so high. It had rained in the mountains more than we thought!

Sam Orange House