Introduction Pacuare is one of the most popular rivers for rafting in Costa Rica, so we went to find out why this adrenaline-filled daytrip never goes out of style.
Experience
We arrived at 6:30 a.m. at Ríos Tropicales' offices. We switched to a minibus and went around picking up other adventurers. We took the scenic Route 32 to Guápiles and fell asleep before the tunnel. We woke up at the base camp, where we devoured a traditional breakfast with eggs, fruit and coffee to recharge.
The road trip to the river is amazing. We drove through winding roads in the mountains and finally arrived at a farm that leads to the canyon. There we saw dozens of rafts and people preparing for the adventure.
We geared up, took our paddles, and formed teams of 6 per raft. The guide gave us safety instructions, and we practiced some basic movements in the water before heading downstream.
Sticking together, we rode the Pacuare rapids through a lush virgin forest. The landscape is breathtaking: mountains, waterfalls, huge boulders, fallen trees, river-side lodges, cliffs, and emerging jungle.
There were some epic moments: Glori’s dad fell in, and then I did too — but within 5 seconds (felt eternal), we were both back in the raft.
During the nearly 4-hour journey, we didn’t stop on land, except for an epic spot where a giant rock split the mountain and we floated downstream to relax a bit. As the river widened, we saw the remains of the old Atlantic railway and passed under the highway bridge to Limón. We finished the trip at Ríos Tropicales with a well-deserved lunch, and dozed off on the way back to San José.