... Whitewater Rafting in Costa Rica ...
by Infocostarica Staff

Whitewater rafting is the ultimate combination of beauty and thrill- an ideal way to savor Costa Rica’s natural splendor, diverse ecosystems, and exotic wildlife, which have made river running here only slightly less popular than in the United States. A rafting trip is simply pure joy : a sort of bucking-bronco ride with soft pillows instead of a saddle.

There are a great number of white water programs to chose from, with ground transportation from San Jose, and professional bilingual tour operators and guides. Comfort is met with quality meals, and roomy tents and thick pads for sleeping on overnights trips. And unlike most of the other places you can visit, Costa Rica regulates its tourism industry making it very trustful because of it is held to strict standards.

On the different places you can visit is always the same, there the sense of isolation is complete. Everything is as silent as a graveyard, except for the chattering monkeys and birds. With luck you may see small caiman in pools and shallows at lower elevations.

Generally, May-June and September-October are the best times for high water. Trips on the Reventazon, Pacuare, and Corobici are offered year-round, although in dry season the latter two rivers can be barely runable. Rivers are rated from class I through VI in degree of difficulty, with the class V considered for pure experts only. These are the most popular rivers you can find :

Rio Reventazon (Class II-V) : This river tumbles out of Lake Cachi and cascades to the Caribbean lowlands in an exciting series of rapids. Begginers can take a trip in the middle-section (Class II-III) which is the most popular section for one-day trips. The Guayabo section offers extremely difficult class V runs : one rapid, El Horrendo ( The Awfull ), drops an awesome seven meters in one hundred meters.

Rio Pacuare (Class III-IV) : This is the best choice for an in-depth immersion in nature, here you can find real beauties through the virgin rainforest, plunging through mountain gorges to spill onto the Caribbean plains near Siquirres. Here the best months for rafting are June and October.

Rio Sarapiqui (Class III) runs along the eastern flank along the Cordillera Central and drops to the Caribean lowlands. It is noted for its cristal-clear water, variable terrain and exciting rapids. Trips are offered from May to December.