SAFETY & HEALTH ISSUES ON SIERRARIOS TRIPS IN MEXICO

There are several aspects of safety to consider on a whitewater river expedition in Mexico. Although we take measures to minimize the risk of something negative happening such as injury, sickness, or property loss, you need to realize what can occur and what your responsibility is. Risks fall into various categories:


SAFETY ISSUES

Rapids:
There are significant risks in whitewater rapids that you must be aware of. SierraRios trips generally allow competent participants to be in charge of their own kayak, IK, or raft. You must understand the risks associated with navigating your own craft, be honest about your ability level, and take precautions to minimize problems in rapids. Those in charge of boats must accept responsibility for what happens to them on the river, as well as for any damage to or loss of boats/oars/frames/etc. A certain level of freedom will be provided to those in charge of a boat, but each such person must abide by trip leader requests, which may mandate not paddling certain rapids. At bigger rapids we generally stop, scout and discuss a plan. The plan usually involves having safety kayakers in the water and running rafts one at a time so that two rafts are not overturned or stuck at the same time and the safety kayakers are overwhelmed. If you are not comfortable with the safety set-up, please discuss with the trip leader to make modifications to the plan. You generally will have the option to portage a tough rapid or have a guide run your boat through the rapid. Those who are passengers or paddlers on rafts also are responsible for making the decision to ride in a raft through rapids or walk around.

Camp/Hikes:
Accidents or problems can occur off the water. For example, while loading/unloading rafts, in camp, and on hikes it is possible that you sustain an injury. What happens to you off the water is your responsibility. For example, you need to make the decision whether to attempt to climb past a waterfall in a side canyon (where you can fall and break a leg), whether to dive into a pool from a cliff (where you can break your neck), whether to attempt to lift a heavy pail of water (that might strain your back), where you step in camp (objects can cause trips and falls), and how you handle hot or other potentially dangerous objects (such as if you are cooking).

Shuttles:
We cannot guarantee against accidents in shuttle vehicles. We generally employ newer shuttle vans to/from the river, sometimes with a SierraRios guide or employee driving. Drivers will be fully licensed, sober and should obey all traffic laws. As a participant, you should consider the transportion offered on the trip, and if you are not comfortable with the arrangement for any reason, please discuss with the trip leader.

People:
It is possible to encounter unfriendly people at any point on the trip. While we generally do not expect any problems related to the Drug War [for a discussion of this, see Safety_DrugWar], there is always a chance of encountering bandidos intent on robbery/assault. Along some rivers in indigenous areas there can be unfriendly residents who may require you to have special permission to pass (for example, the Lacandones along Río Lacanjá). This risk is minimal on SierraRios trips that have been run many times down the same river section, as our guides know residents and have the correct permission to pass.


LIABILITY / COMMUNICATION / EVACUATION

Liability/Insurance:
All participants joining a trip will be required to sign a liability waiver. Please read it over and consider the implications before deciding to sign up for a trip. It is strongly recommended that all participants have medical insuance to cover hospital/medical costs as well as travel insurance to cover rapid evacuation and property loss. Travel insurance policies can be purchased online through Squaremouth, Tavelguard, or Travelsafe. You are responsible for personal equipment loss, missed flights, and/or evacuation/medical costs.

Communication:
We will have communication means on SierraRios trips - either an Inmarsat satellite phone, cell phone, and/or a SPOT device. Participants can make calls from the satellite phone for $1.50/minute (from anywhere on the trip and to anywhere in the world) or from the cell phone (rate variable; limited cell tower reception on the trip) to anywhere including the USA. If we have a SPOT device, OK messages with position will generally be sent out from camps where anyone can view the current status of the trip (at the SPOT link here).

Evacuations:
In the event an evacuation is necessary, the general policy will be to raft the injured to the nearest point where easy evacuation can be made - generally a village or road - and then contract a vehicle to the nearest clinic/hospital. If one of these access points is too far away, a litter may be made and the person carried out. SierraRios LLC is not responsible for personal equipment loss, missed flights, and/or evacuation/medical costs.


HEALTH ISSUES

Overview:
There is a chance you get sick during the expedition. Common problems experienced are traveler's diarrhea, bug bites, colds, cracked skin, foot fungus, and skin infections. Other injuries can occur such as dislocated shoulders, broken bones, sprains and lacerations. On SierraRios trips there will be at least one person trained to administer first aid, and we will have a major first aid kit with pharmaceuticals. While we take precautions to minimize problems such as traveler's diarrhea (see below) and accidents, it is generally up to the participant to keep themselves in good health. Participants should consult the CDC website for information on traveling in Mexico and visit a doctor well before the trip. Consider asking for ciprofloxacin (to treat traveler's diarrhea) and scheduling appointments to get immunizations. Additional information is below:

Immunizations/Malaria:
It is recommended by the CDC that folks traveling to Mexico be vaccinated against Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Tetanus.  If you're entering the jungle areas, you might also consider getting Rabies immunizations and taking anti-Malaria medicine. You can also protect yourself against mosquito bites (the vector of malaria transmission) by wearing clothes, using repellant, and sleeping in a tent. If you are planning to visit a doctor before the trip and get some immunizations, you might also request some additional prescriptions to treat/prevent traveler's diarrhea. 

Traveler's diarrhea:
One of the most common ailments among tourists in Mexico is traveler's diarrhea (gastrointestinal problems), also referred to sometimes as Montezuma's Revenge.  You should try to minimize chances of getting it by avoiding potentially dirty foods before the trip. During the trip we'll do what we can to prevent it by adhering to NPS Sanitation Guidelines: basically minimizing the microbe exposure through liberal use of sanitizing solutions (bleach in water at about 100 ppm) for hand-washing, dish-washing, table-wiping, and cleaning veggies/fruits. There will be a hand-wash station at camp that you should always use after bathroom use and before handling food/plates. See the FOOD/WATER section for more details. Despite these measures, and perhaps because there is contact with river water and other microbe-containing surfaces, invariably many foreigners still get traveler's diarrhea on a river trip. It almost never afflicts native residents or folks who spend a lot of time there and are used to the microbes. When it strikes you, the symptoms are upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, lack of appetite, general fatigue and sometimes vomiting. It usually lasts 1-3 days but sometimes lasts longer (especially the loose stools). You can treat some symptoms with immodium and anti-nausea pills, but if you want to eliminate the problem completely, you should start a course of antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) immediately and take for 3 days or until symptoms subside. We will have some ciprofloxacin on the trip, but it might not be enough. If you can get some to bring along, please do so (and let the trip coordinator know).



SUMMARY
SierraRios expeditions are often some of the most memorable experiences in participant's lives. The information on this page is not meant to scare you from joining a trip, but rather to prepare you for some of the problems that might be encountered and to implore you to act responsibly and get adequate insurance. So sign up for an expedition, be challenged with a new experience, enjoy it in a safe way, and help us protect some of these incredible river canyons!