Costa Rica News – When Stacey Dunahay left Colorado to come and visit Costa Rica with her family she did not know what experiences she would have while discovering the land of “Pura Vida. With camera in hand she and her family braved various locations on their trip including a white water rafting adventure. Stacy revisits her trip and braving the Costa Rican rapids.
Do you want to be a tourist in your own backyard? This was a trip I recommend to someone who has not been out rafting and enjoys the sights and sounds of the outdoors.
I had arranged to go with my family on a river rafting trip. The trip takes place in La Fortuna around Arenal. Interestingly, there are only a couple of hours a day that the government opens up the dam to flood the river to increase the electricity in the town of La Fortuna. When this flooding of the river occurs, that is when the rafting companies take their clients out. The rafting experience was nothing like I had had in Colorado! There were the most technical rapids that I have ever encountered.
Before the trip, the river guides; who were named Figo and Fou, taught a thorough safety course before we went out. Also, they provided all the equipment including helmets. When we first got out to the raft, we were able to do a couple of practice drills to get comfortable in case someone on the crew had no rafting experience.
There are outfit recommendations by the company before you go. They recommend that you bring nothing with you, and after experiencing the trip, I totally agree! Putting on lots of sunscreen a half hour before will allow it to thoroughly soak into your skin so you get some protection throughout the trip when you are drenched. Also, wearing rock hopper type of shoes are the best. The company also recommends a change of clothes which I totally agree with. After the trip,
they kindly provide you with towels to dry off while you are changing clothes.
There are very peaceful moments on the river when you can really take in your surroundings. During the trip we saw Iguanas, a sloth, and many different species of birds.
Halfway through our big adventure, we got a reprieve from the river and had a lovely snack of fresh pineapple, papaya, and mango.
We finished the trip without incident, and had an extra treat – lunch!
We had the privilege of visiting a private coffee and sugar cane farm. We were treated to a scrumptious authentic Costa Rican meal. We even got to make our own tortillas for lunch!
After lunch I took the liberty of exploring on my own a bit. The flora is amazing!
The plant life that is grown there is a botanist’s dream! The kids that went on the trip had a turn at using an old fashioned Sugar Cane grinder to juice the Cane. If you are an adult, you get to try something very special. Fermented Sugar Cane juice! It has the smell like tequila, but mixed in with a little of the fresh juice, tastes like some delicious elixir of sweet syrup and slid down your throat like liquid warmth. Also, instead of a lime to suck on after your ‘shot’, you get a raw piece of Sugar Cane to suck on! Yum!
Whether you are an expat, or someone looking to visit other parts of the Costa Rican countryside, I highly recommend this trip for the day.
By Stacey Dunahay
