Staying Home Sucks, home
Plaza de toros de Arenas de San Pedro
Arenas de San Pedro, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Asqueladd, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Río Pelayo

Kayak spot · Spain

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sun 8: Wind 5 kn gusting 15, Air 14 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 60 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 56 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 60 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 63 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sun 8 · 67 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
14°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 42 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
24kn
Air
10°C
Rain
25.5 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 268, good
  2. Tue 360, good
  3. Wed 456, fair
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 660, good
  6. Sat 763, good
  7. Sun 867, good
  8. Mon 942, poor
  9. Tue 1041, poor
  10. Wed 1156, fair

The spot in four facts

  • Grade IVat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 4.7 kmthe section
  • Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Río Pelayo
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov68, good3 kn9kn14°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov60, good1 kn7kn10°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov56, fair4 kn11kn8°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov57, fair4 kn11kn9°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov60, good3 kn10kn10°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov63, good3 kn16kn11°C0.3 mm
Sun 8Nov67, good5 kn15kn14°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov42, poor2 kn24kn10°C25.5 mm
Tue 10Nov41, poor5 kn27kn10°C29.4 mm
Wed 11Nov56, fair4 kn18kn9°C3.9 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jun–Sep

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More kayaking near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Río Pelayo

A river section on the Río Pelayo, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade IV, on the international scale. It runs 4.7 km along the river. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 40 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arenas de San Pedro. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Río Pelayo
  • Grade Grade IV, on the international scale.
  • Length 4.7 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 40 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,190–US$2,250 each

about US$1,190–US$2,250 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MAD, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$469–US$971
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$107–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$241–US$402
Food7 days eating outabout US$234–US$442
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$261
Totalabout US$1,190–US$2,250

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Arenas de San Pedro

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Arenas de San Pedro

about 10 min by car · 23 places to stay

about US$87/nightcountry average

See 23 places to stay in Arenas de San Pedro · Booking.com

About Arenas de San Pedro its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$87 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 15h 35m

About 15h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MAD, direct, then 2h 35m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits