Having never rafted before, why not jump into class 4 rapids in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica?
In our 18-mile voyage down the river, we encountered over 70 sets of rapids. The Pacuare River is world renowned for the amount of whitewater in such a short length of the river. Each set of rapids was not more than a few hundred meters and capped on either side by more tranquil pools. This makes it an ideal spot to give rafting a try, you get the excitement of a lot of rapids, but the breaks between giving you a chance to recover if you would happen to bounce out. I am happy to report that, no for the record, Hannah did not fall out. I am not going to lie, I kinda thought she might.
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Amazing surroundings
There was no shortage of amazing things to look at between sets of rapids. High walls of green jungle slope down into the fast moving water of the Pacuare River. The scenery looks like something out of Jurassic Park, with massive trees, vines, and monstrous rocks plunked in the river. Exotic birds, like the toucan, soar from one side of the river to the other. The excitement of rafting in the middle of this setting made for one of my favorite days in Costa Rica.
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There are some amazing waterfalls in Costa Rica that deserve a spot on your Costa Rica itinerary.
Don’t waste a day traveling
There is no shortage of things to do in Costa Rica, and if you only have a short vacation don’t just travel between destinations, do something between them. We were on our way to Puerto Viejo from San Jose, and instead of busing there, we rafted! Adventure life set us up with a nice custom tour option that took us to from the city and to the river, then a transfer to the Caribbean coast. From the river, you could transfer to about anywhere in the country. You can’t beat a travel day that is actually fun!
We are already looking for other places in the world to get our paddles wet again.
Hannah
Thursday 8th of May 2014
Damn that sounds amazing! I wish I had thought of that when I was travelling from San Jose to the coast! It's my favourite adrenaline activity. :D
Ryan
Tuesday 22nd of October 2013
Looks pretty wicked! I got addicted to white water rafting in New Zealand, world's largest commercially raftable waterfall and we were the only not to wreck!
Hannah
Sunday 27th of October 2013
AMAZING! You have to give us some places to raft in New Zealand, we would love to do it there too!
Heather
Wednesday 16th of October 2013
It never even occurred to me that you could use a raft day as a travel day! If I can build a river from my apartment to my office, I'll be set. Or maybe I should just go to Costa Rica instead, that sounds way better.
Hannah
Sunday 27th of October 2013
It was the best use of a travel day by far! Yeah I vote to go to Costa Rica instead!!!
Hannah
Sunday 6th of October 2013
It was a great time, never been rafting before we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into! Glad to have you following along with our adventure!