Rafting trip on the Pacuare River

by Hey, Jude. Published in Igougo

Our guides picked us up early morning at our San Jose hotel, and the adventure began. Our guides asked if we wanted to stop at a serpentarium to learn about the local snakes on our way to the Pacuare put-in. Although we were a little concerned that this might be some prerequisite for the rafting trip, we decided to check it out. What a treat! The resident snake expert awed us as he handled the dangerous Fer de Lance as easily as the harmless (and adorable) tree frog. This man and his studies on the habits of the Fer de Lance were featured in a recent National Geographic Explorer episode.

After thanking our host, we were river-bound. Day 1 on the river was a fun roller coaster ride. Our guides found the sweet spots in the large Class III rapids. Twice during the day, we beached our rafts and explored side canyons to play in hidden swimming holes and waterfalls. It was like Paradise Found! Late that afternoon, we pulled our rafts out at our river camp, a village of thatch huts that is straight out of Gilligan's island.

Our guides made jungle juice for us and cooked delicious treats in the open-air common area. Later that night we discovered a Costa Rican liquor called Guaro - a scary concoction best left for the natives - and a new drinking game. My husband and I bowed out early to enjoy the sounds of the rain forest from our hut while others kept the party going.

Somehow, our guides were able to rise and guide us down the river another day. Today was the day for big water, and our guide gave us the ride of our lives. At lunch, we were treated to a very special event - a native Indian boy about 8 years old shyly approached our group and shared our lunch.

I would highly recommend that anyone interested in doing a rafting trip take the overnight trip. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Costa Rica. Our guides did a great job of catering to a wide variety of customers on this trip. One of the groups with our trip included a couple in their late 60's/early 70's. Their guide kept them out of trouble on the river and showed them a wonderful time. Our raft was full of 20- and 30-somethings, and our guide kept us in trouble on the river for a ride that we would never forget. A good time was had by all!