If you are planning a trip to Arenal, Costa Rica then you MUST add white water rafting to the list. We had it on our list as an option, but as activities and prices started adding up, we weren’t sure we were going to go through with it. However, after one local waiter said one thing we MUST do is white water raft and one friendly stranger told us that she had just gotten back from one of the most fun days on the river, we decided we had to add rafting to the list. One recommended rafting with Arenal Rafting Company because they had the time of their life. We took their recommendation and agree 100%! So, here is a complete guide to rafting with Arenal Rafting Company!
Of note, this is not an affiliation or collaboration. This is simply a tour we took that we loved and would 100% recommend to everyone (without being paid to say that, even though, I wouldn’t hate that 😉 )
My Argument for going
My hesitancies were would it be:
- Too dangerous?
- Too boring?
- Worth the money?
- Worth taking up half of one of our days in Arenal?
Answer: NOT too dangerous, NOT too boring, worth the money and worth the time.
The river we rafted was made up of class 3 and 4 rapids that were in close succession at the beginning of the float and then died down toward the end. The rapids were exciting and fun, but not one of us fell out of our raft. However, we have had some experience kayaking and floating in Arkansas, so that helped. We were educated on what to do if we did fall out though. No worries there.
Being experienced in forms of kayaking and floating, although not near as intense, we were definitely not bored on the river either. We loved every minute of it.
Why I'll Brag about Arenal Rafting Company
The Arenal Rafting Company did an amazing job with the whole trip. They were organized, they knew their sh*t, they were fun and they added to the experience, making it an even better experience. Our guide took control of the raft but let us be a part of the paddling. We were able to ride on the front of the raft like a mechanical bull (fun!). Bonus: they pointed out a sloth (or peresozo ;)) and a poison dart frog. It was our only poison dart frog sighting of the whole trip!
The Logistics of Rafting with Arenal Rafting Company
Arenal Rafting Company has a storefront downtown La Fortuna where you can go in and book your trip. This is not where the excursion begins though 🙂 They have another building a few blocks down the road where the rafts and buses are located.
- The company offers to pick you up at your hotel
- They bring you to and from their main building where the excursion begins/ends
- Bathrooms are available to change before and/or after
The beginning of the river is about a 45 minute drive from the main ARC building
- While on the bus, safety instructions and a demonstration of how to use the paddles are given
- They also took our personalized lunch order while on the bus (chicken, beef or fish).
- Along the way we stopped at a local market where the guys of the company bought fresh fruits for the trip. It was obvious that the bus stopped there before each trip and I loved the feeling of them supporting each others business.
We rafted for about 2.5 hours and then rode back to the main building where lunch was provided. All of our stuff was safe and accounted for 🙂
For Your Information
- $68 per person
- The trip is about 4 hours long and the float is about 2.5 hours long
- Fruit is provided halfway down the river
- Towels were provided at the end of the float
- Someone stays in the bus with whatever you choose to leave behind
- Lunch is cooked and provided at the main building after the excursion
- A photographer in a kayak comes on the trip and you get to watch a slide-show of your pictures while you eat your lunch
- The photos can be purchased for $40- we split the price with everyone on the raft
What to bring
- Waterproof shoes with straps
- Swimsuit with shorts- you don’t want to slip and slide on the edge of the raft
- Change of clothes
- If you have a GoPro, bring your helmet attachments! (forgot mine)
- Cash for photos if you want to purchase them
- If you want to risk it for the biscuit, bring a sturdy, waterproof phone case/holder
- Fran brought hers, attached the necklace to the life jacket and had no problems
- But, obviously, this is a risk you have to decide if you are willing to take or not
Your guide to rafting with Arenal Rafting Company! This was one of the highlights of our trip. We did it on our last full day in Costa Rica and ended the trip with a bang. I recommend taking the trip for no other reason than we had a blast. No endorsements here 🙂
Rafting photo creds go to Arenal Rafting Company’s photographer! (you’ll be able to purchase yours at the end of your trip. We split the price with everyone in our raft). Click here for full details on rafting with Arenal Rafting Company and other adventures they offer! Click here for tickets through Viator or Google and book through whoever you want.
Enjoy your time in Costa Rica and click here for a guide to Arenal/La Fortuna!