We were picked up at ridiculous o’clock from La Fortuna by Exploradores, the company we had chosen to go rafting with due to the good reviews and their adherence to safety, i.e. providing kayakers to back up the rafts, etc. After a 2 hour journey to Talamanca national park, which is beautiful btw, we arrived at the company headquarters to enjoy a hearty breakfast and drop off our bags. Then a 40 min bus ride up a very steep and winding hill to the river. We were put in a boat with 4 other people, plus our instructor, who was really fun & from the local area. Off we set down the river, navigating the various grade 3 & 4 rapids. It was SUCH GOOD FUN!! It made the rafting that we did in NZ look tame with big crashing waves coming up over the boats and lots of drop offs where the raft pointed straight down. We all managed to stay in the boat (unless we chose to jump out for a swim) which was fun, although there were some near misses where we nearly lost people temporarily. The river is absolutely stunning, going through two different canyons & dense tropical rainforest known for its jaguars, birds and other wildlife. We passed many crashing waterfalls, some of which our guide kindly (!) steered the boat under to give us all a well needed shower (although there was not much choice)! After a good four hours of non-stop smiling & adventure, we arrived back at HQ for an excellent lunch then hopped on the bus to Guapiles.
From Guapiles, we got another bus to Cariari where we stayed for one night in order to catch the 6am bus/river taxi to/from La Pavona. Cariari is a small, local place with not much to do, however if you do find yourself transferring there, I would recommend staying at Las Palmas, which is a great hostel with cheap, clean rooms, a really cute puppy and a kind owner who even let us use his washing machine for free. JG
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