I awoke at four to the screeching of howler monkeys. I kept looking for Tarzan and Cheetah. Our driver was to pick up up at six as we were to raft on the Reventazon River. When we arrived at the base camp to eat breakfast, we found about forty students there ready to raft the Pacuare River, but due to the heavy rains the night before, it was not deemed safe. They were visibly disappointed, but seemed to have lots of fun anyway.
We ate a very hearty breakfast and locked our luggage(and my cane) in the lockers and put on our rafting clothes. We would come back to eat lunch there and then head into San Jose. We were going home tomorrow. Andres was our guide and he was very informative about Costa Rica and a delight to converse with on the way from our lodge to the river. Sarah, myself and one of our drivers who had never rafted before(we all talked him into trying it) climbed into a raft and did some practice moves. When Andres thought we were ready, we headed into open waters. It was a very different experience from my rafting trip in Peru where we wore wet suits and the water was very cold. The rafting was fun. There were about 7 or 8 rafts on the river. However, I was disappointed that there weren't more rapids.
At the end of our river journey, we loaded back into the van, along with the couple from Spain who had ridden with us from Puerto Viejo. Back at the base camp, we changed into dry clothes and ate lunch. We had large tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, mashed beans, onions, bell peppers, trail mix and cheese. We had cookies with cream and cheese and jelly for dessert. We bought a CD one of the employees had made of us rafting.
After lunch, we bid Andres goodby and got on a bus with about 20 students and started toward San Jose. It was about a two hour ride to San Jose. A couple behind us were from Wisconsin and they both were voting for Romney and were very afraid for our country if Obama were re-elected. They were going on to St. Martin where they have a home. A female student sitting in front of us had many questions for us .
We arrived back at Hotel de Bergerac and checked into the same room we had the night we arrived. We were going to walk a few blocks to a big mall, but it started raining hard so we took a cab. He took us the long way and charged us more than the concierge said it would cost. Also, he was the only person we met who was not very friendly. We walked through the mall and ate a Subway sandwich and drank a light coke. We did not linger long as we wanted to repack our luggage for the trip home. My contents had grown and I had several plastic bags full of damp clothes and shoes.
Adventure Life took care of everything! All we had to do was show up when we were supposed to, which made our first trip to Costa Rica largely stress-free and incredibly fun. Our trip reps, Hannah and Mariethony, were helpful and responsive, getting back to us by email usually within a few hours. Our accommodations were all great, and we got incredibly blessed with some absolutely stellar guides and drivers.
Our Jungle & Beach trip was an excellent balance of adventure and rest. We got to try out a lot of different activities, including snorkeling, hiking, white water rafting and kayaking, while also partaking of some rest around the pool or by the ocean. We enjoyed seeing and exploring the beautiful Caribbean side of the country.
Joy Knowles
1 week ago
The company made our adventure trip hassle-free, and a lot of fun! I will definitely be using them again
Carolena F
1 month ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 month ago
COSTA RICA a trip of a life time travelling round this beautiful country. All went like clockwork even when the weather was against us and all transfers seemed to be part of the holiday not a chore. Would definitely use Adventure Life again having previously used them 20 years ago!!
Cynthia Calton
1 month ago
Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! Kassandra planned everything and the excursions, hotels, overall organization were outstanding. Everything worked out smoothly, the excursions guides were knowledgeable allowing us to see so much of the fauna and flora of the country. The hotels were great as well, all in fantastic locations and with beautiful views.