We left the lodge the next morning at 7 AM sharp for a day of whitewater rafting on the Pacuare River with Exploradores Outdoors. The Pacuare is one of the favorite rivers for the sport. Its rapids reach Class V, stopping just short of the "certain death" level that some thrill-seekers demand. It was our first time (we've been back twice since), and it was the most fun my wife and I have ever had with our clothes on.
Our guide, who would only answer to "Henry," just made the trip...excellent command of the raft, great direction, and a wonderful sense of humor. We christened our raft crew "Los Viejos," "the Old Ones," since we and the two guys who joined us were the only people over thirty, and we ruled!
We got about 15 minutes of instruction from Henry on how to navigate when passing through the rapids. Imagine that you're in an inflatable raft and you're in a washing machine at high speed, and you get something of the picture. We practiced getting in and out of the water in case we got overturned or otherwise thrown free of the raft.
Then we were off. Every few minutes, we hit rapids, had a thrill ride through them, and a few hundred meters of relatively calm waters in between. We were the only group that never overturned or lost anyone overboard, for which I credit Henry's expert guidance and our seasoned experience (that would be the 15 minutes I referred to above).
[Photo 23: Whitewater Rafting on the Pacuare River]
Halfway down the river, we all landed, and the staff turned two boats over and spread out a beautiful lunch for us all, served on the boat bottoms.
[Photo 24: Lunch on the Pacuare]
One glorious sight will be in my memory forever: in a calm stretch between rapids, vegetation-covered canyon walls stretched up hundreds of feet on either side. A waterfall cascaded into the river on the right...and to the left, the breeze shook loose some leaves from a tree, all deep yellow. They were hit by the blazing noontime sun, glowing a brilliant gold, and for a moment it was raining gold!
Back at the Exploradores base, we all showered, enjoyed a local beer, and thanked Henry for a great trip before being driven back to Le Bergerac. Dinner at L'Isle de France was superb, and we were sad to leave the next morning.
Adventure Life took care of everything! All we had to do was show up when we were supposed to, which made our first trip to Costa Rica largely stress-free and incredibly fun. Our trip reps, Hannah and Mariethony, were helpful and responsive, getting back to us by email usually within a few hours. Our accommodations were all great, and we got incredibly blessed with some absolutely stellar guides and drivers.
Our Jungle & Beach trip was an excellent balance of adventure and rest. We got to try out a lot of different activities, including snorkeling, hiking, white water rafting and kayaking, while also partaking of some rest around the pool or by the ocean. We enjoyed seeing and exploring the beautiful Caribbean side of the country.
Joy Knowles
1 week ago
The company made our adventure trip hassle-free, and a lot of fun! I will definitely be using them again
Carolena F
1 month ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 month ago
COSTA RICA a trip of a life time travelling round this beautiful country. All went like clockwork even when the weather was against us and all transfers seemed to be part of the holiday not a chore. Would definitely use Adventure Life again having previously used them 20 years ago!!
Cynthia Calton
1 month ago
Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! Kassandra planned everything and the excursions, hotels, overall organization were outstanding. Everything worked out smoothly, the excursions guides were knowledgeable allowing us to see so much of the fauna and flora of the country. The hotels were great as well, all in fantastic locations and with beautiful views.