Dispatches
Central America Expedition 2010: Day 3 – Rios Tropicales, Costa Rica
March 7, 2010
Wet is the word that best describes Day 3 of our expedition to Costa Rica. With as much water coming at us from the sky as from the rapids, we set off in rafts down the Pacuare River together with guests of Rios Tropicales. Most Rios guests raft in to the lodge, the majority on two- or three-day packages that included lodging and meals, although others do the entire rafting trip in a one-day excursion. Together we all set off from the Rios Tropicales lodge shortly after 11 a.m.
The Pacuare River boasts mostly Class III and IV rapids, and the water level was fairly low at this time, making many of the rocks more prominent. I grabbed a paddle and joined a group of Polish travelers in a raft under the command of a guide named Henry. 
The steady rain didn’t matter much in terms of rafting, except after lunch when we all got a bit chilled, but it did make things extra challenging for the rest of the team, who had to keep their camera equipment dry as they filmed our descent of the river from the back of the two gear rafts rowed by Rios Tropicales guides with oars. Somehow the guys managed it well enough that the cameras were still intact at the end of the trip. Along the way they got some great footage of the Rios Tropicales guests (and me) charging through the rapids.
About halfway through the afternoon we stopped for lunch on a beach. The crew flipped over two of the rafts to create tables where they laid out quite a spread of bread, cheese, sandwich meats, vegetables, fruits, and other snacks. In keeping with Rios Tropicales’ sustainable tourism philosophy, the guides made very sure that no garbage was left behind, even going so far as to separate out compostable waste from regular trash.
We arrived at our takeout point near the town of Siquirres late in the afternoon and were taken to the Rios Tropicales office, where showers, coffee, and cookies were available. It felt great to get back into dry clothes after a full afternoon of soaking, but we were exhilarated after our whitewater adventure and impressed with the high quality of the whole Rios Tropicales operation.
