Costa Rica Kayak Adventure 2002
Sometimes half the adventure is just getting somewhere. This was the case on our Costa Rica trip as we had some challenges with getting our gear on the plane at DIA and a snow storm in Aspen that almost caused the guests from that town to miss the trip all together. None the less, we arrived in San Jose and celebrated with margaritas and a good night's sleep in a nice hotel. The next morning we would pick up the remaining two guests at the airport and begin the paddling part of our adventure in Costa Rica.
Without further adieu, let me introduce you to the members of the adventure: Max, the trip leader; Didien, the driver; guides: Jorge, Ferdinand, and Fernando (Nano), and guests: Andy, Annette, Annie, Brody, Heather, Ron, Sam, and Steve. This would be several of the team member's first time paddling in a foreign country, while others are seasoned world-paddlers. Pre-requisites for the trip: a good attitude, big smile, warm heart, and class III-IV paddling ability. Oh yeah don't forget to get your medical shots against possible ailments and have your passport ready. Anyhow,
our first day in Costa Rica was spent paddling the Rio Sarapiqui; a class II-III warm-up. The drive there prepared
us for the amazing jungles and spectacular waterfalls that we would be seeing day after day on our trip. Even though the river was a bit on the low side it was still a great starter with beautiful forest scenery. Several play spots took up a lot of our time, which put us at the take-out just before dark. A short drive put us at the Rios Tropicales Operational
Center which would be our base of operations for the week. Thanks to the cooks at the center who provided us time and time again with tasty and filling food!
Our next stop was a two-day trip on the Rio Pacuare.
This river runs through a spectacular jungle which gorges-out in a few places and is blessed with many spectacular waterfalls. We stop for lunch and a hike at one of these waterfalls; everyone remarking at how warm the water is here in Costa Rica. Brody did a flip off of one of the ledges in the waterfall to celebrate his joy at being here. A night spent at the Rios Tropicales river lodge provided us with showers, beds to sleep
in, and a festive atmosphere. The next day we would navigate the rapids of Upper and Lower Huacas (III/IV respectively) and Dos Montanas. Overall the Rio Pacuare is a great class III run with a few class IV rapids thrown in for a little spice. Annie experienced one of her best runs ever while on the first day's rapids, and we were all smiles.
end of the run we saw the exploratory holes in the canyon wall for what could be another dam on the Reventazon. Note to self: keep on paddling this amazing run while it lasts. The Pascua section is brief so we spent the rest of the day in Siquirres at an Internet café getting caught-up on the world and touching base with those back home.
Day four took us to the Rio Reventazon/Pascua section. This is a big volume run, and our guides estimated it at 20,000+ CFS. Max, Andy, and Heather opted to join Annie and Nano in the raft while the rest of the team paddled the raging waters of the North Sea, Corkscrew, Mine Field and more. Some of the surf waves here remind us of those found in the Grand Canyon. We occasionally see evidence of an abandoned railroad (mostly destroyed by an earthquake several years ago) which parallels the river intermittently. The water here is muddy and big. Near the
Our final three days were spent on a multi-day paddle of the Rio General. This was the only river that we paddled on the west slope, and proved to be a great time. The rain came to visit intermittently and got progressively more substantial
as the trip progressed. The good news is that the water levels came up too: we put on at about 1200 CFS and took off at about 12,000 CFS! Great play spots, giant whirlpools and local people abounded here. The rain on the last night was so much that Sam found an abandoned hut to sleep in. Even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits, as we spent the
last evening gathered under a kitchen tarp drinking punch spiked with Cacique - a local alcohol. The sun came out the next morning for our final paddle out, and a crocodile or two were spotted just above the take-out. Didien did a great job of driving us back to the hotel in San Jose, where we had our good-bye dinner at a savory restaurant. I'm sure that we'll all look back on this trip with fond nostalgia of tasty waves and beautiful days spent together with friends!
Sometimes half the adventure is just getting somewhere. This was the case on our Costa Rica trip as we had some challenges with getting our gear on the plane at DIA and a snow storm in Aspen that almost caused the guests from that town to miss the trip all together. None the less, we arrived in San Jose and celebrated with margaritas and a good night's sleep in a nice hotel. The next morning we would pick up the remaining two guests at the airport and begin the paddling part of our adventure in Costa Rica.
Without further adieu, let me introduce you to the members of the adventure: Max, the trip leader; Didien, the driver; guides: Jorge, Ferdinand, and Fernando (Nano), and guests: Andy, Annette, Annie, Brody, Heather, Ron, Sam, and Steve. This would be several of the team member's first time paddling in a foreign country, while others are seasoned world-paddlers. Pre-requisites for the trip: a good attitude, big smile, warm heart, and class III-IV paddling ability. Oh yeah don't forget to get your medical shots against possible ailments and have your passport ready. Anyhow,
our first day in Costa Rica was spent paddling the Rio Sarapiqui; a class II-III warm-up. The drive there prepared
us for the amazing jungles and spectacular waterfalls that we would be seeing day after day on our trip. Even though the river was a bit on the low side it was still a great starter with beautiful forest scenery. Several play spots took up a lot of our time, which put us at the take-out just before dark. A short drive put us at the Rios Tropicales Operational
Center which would be our base of operations for the week. Thanks to the cooks at the center who provided us time and time again with tasty and filling food!
Our next stop was a two-day trip on the Rio Pacuare.
This river runs through a spectacular jungle which gorges-out in a few places and is blessed with many spectacular waterfalls. We stop for lunch and a hike at one of these waterfalls; everyone remarking at how warm the water is here in Costa Rica. Brody did a flip off of one of the ledges in the waterfall to celebrate his joy at being here. A night spent at the Rios Tropicales river lodge provided us with showers, beds to sleep
in, and a festive atmosphere. The next day we would navigate the rapids of Upper and Lower Huacas (III/IV respectively) and Dos Montanas. Overall the Rio Pacuare is a great class III run with a few class IV rapids thrown in for a little spice. Annie experienced one of her best runs ever while on the first day's rapids, and we were all smiles.
end of the run we saw the exploratory holes in the canyon wall for what could be another dam on the Reventazon. Note to self: keep on paddling this amazing run while it lasts. The Pascua section is brief so we spent the rest of the day in Siquirres at an Internet café getting caught-up on the world and touching base with those back home.
Day four took us to the Rio Reventazon/Pascua section. This is a big volume run, and our guides estimated it at 20,000+ CFS. Max, Andy, and Heather opted to join Annie and Nano in the raft while the rest of the team paddled the raging waters of the North Sea, Corkscrew, Mine Field and more. Some of the surf waves here remind us of those found in the Grand Canyon. We occasionally see evidence of an abandoned railroad (mostly destroyed by an earthquake several years ago) which parallels the river intermittently. The water here is muddy and big. Near the
Our final three days were spent on a multi-day paddle of the Rio General. This was the only river that we paddled on the west slope, and proved to be a great time. The rain came to visit intermittently and got progressively more substantial
as the trip progressed. The good news is that the water levels came up too: we put on at about 1200 CFS and took off at about 12,000 CFS! Great play spots, giant whirlpools and local people abounded here. The rain on the last night was so much that Sam found an abandoned hut to sleep in. Even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits, as we spent the
last evening gathered under a kitchen tarp drinking punch spiked with Cacique - a local alcohol. The sun came out the next morning for our final paddle out, and a crocodile or two were spotted just above the take-out. Didien did a great job of driving us back to the hotel in San Jose, where we had our good-bye dinner at a savory restaurant. I'm sure that we'll all look back on this trip with fond nostalgia of tasty waves and beautiful days spent together with friends!| Adventure Trips Learn to Kayak |  |
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