White Water Rafting in Costa Rica; Everything you need to know
White water rafting in Costa Rica is a must (along with zip-lining 😉). 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.
Specifically, our stranger friend 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!
To note, this is not a collaborative article. This is simply a tour we took that we loved and would 100% recommend to everyone.
Work on Monday Travels is supported by readers and, at no cost to you, may earn commission when you book or purchase using our links. Full disclosure found here.
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 2 and 3 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 are experienced with kayaking and floating in Arkansas, so that helped. And, the guide will educate you on what to do if you do fall out, so no worries there.
Also, to note, having been floating and kayaking many times, 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 are organized, they know their sh*t, they are fun and they ADDED to the experience, making it an even better. The guides take control of the raft but let you be a part of the paddling. We were even 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 take personalized lunch orders while on the bus (chicken, beef or fish).
- Along the way they stop at a local market where the guys of the company buy 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 businesses!
The rafting lasts about 2.5 hours and you will be taken back to the main building where lunch will be 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 are 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. WORTH IT.
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
white water rafting in Costa Rica will be a highlight of your trip!
We ended our trip in Arenal/La Fortuna area. After hiking around the volcano and hot springs hopping, we wanted to end the trip with a bang! Again, this is not a sponsored post, we just had a great experience with Arenal Rafting Company. Also, 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).
For our full 8-day itinerary, click here!
Click below to book the tour we did with Arenal Rafting Company ⬇️. They also offer a class 3 and 4 rapid rafting experience! Or click here to discover other guided tours in the Arenal/La Fortuna area!