A white-knuckle taste of ‘pura vida’ in Costa Rica

Penny Walker goes wild as she rides the Rio Balsa rapids in a high-adrenaline introduction to rafting My stomach dropped as we cascaded over the first big drop

The day began with a deluge. Normally, being woken by torrential rain on holiday at 4am would not bring a sleepy smile to my face – but today, rain was good. It meant more water tumbling down Costa Rica’s Rio Balsa, which in turn meant better rapids.

A few hours later, instructor Jorge was bellowing into my left ear: “Forward! One, two! Forward! One, two!” My oar dipped in and out of the water at the same pace as that of Leo, a Marylander perched on the edge of the raft in front of me.

As with seemingly everywhere in Costa Rica, vultures wheeled overhead, providing a sense of ominous foreboding. But the water ran clear, eddying gently around the rocks before picking up speed to sweep us down over rapids – and past the exciting variety of wildlife to which Arenal Volcano National Park is home. My stomach dropped as we cascaded over the first big drop, the nose of the raft dipping below the surface before rearing again to soak us all in spray.

“Are the rapids always this high?” I asked Jorge as the current petered out, keen to find out if the rain had added to the day’s fun. “Mostly, yes,” he replied – but went on to explain that, as much of Costa Rica’s power comes from sustainable sources, further upriver is a dam the government opens every day to harness the hydro power. On days when the river is running slow, a phone call is all that’s needed to find out what time the gates are opening – ensuring visitors can ride the rapids even in drier months.

The air smelt like rain and, just minutes later, a light shower gently coated us as we drifted on, the current abating for a while as we took in our surroundings. “Look, look, look,” said Jorge in a half-whisper, using his paddle as a pointer. There in the trees sat an iguana – a male green, apparently, despite its bright orange appearance.

Around another bend in the river, we tried to keep the raft steady as we cruised directly below a sloth, hanging out over the water from a precarious-looking branch. “You can spot two types of sloth along this stretch of river,” Jorge told us in his finest teacher voice. “This is the two-toed sloth – you can tell by its blonde coat. The threetoed is often a darker, brown colour, with black markings around the eyes.”

Our floating zoology lesson continued as we paddled along, resting from time to time to take in the view. “That tree there is what we call the naked Indian tree, see? And do you know what that one is?” Our silence revealed we were all a little ignorant when it came to the indigenous flora of Costa Rica. “It’s the Balsa tree. That’s what the river is named after, but this is also a great spot for a swim,” he said. So for the first – and remarkably only – time

White water

rating

With a mix of grade III and

grade II rapids, this is a good course for beginners and popular with families. There are plenty of

safety procedures in

place and helmets and life jackets are

mandatory.

Taking in the view

There is plenty of wildlife to spot along the river and, even if

you are unlucky when

it comes to sightings, the scenery alone is worth the ride.

The right company

Wave Expeditions ensures there

are never more than six people per raft, making this a more

intimate experience than with some other providers. Jorge was excellent, making the ride both fun and educational. that day, I fell, voluntarily, off the raft.

Lying on my back with my feet pointing downstream, I let the life jacket buoy me up and the current sweep me gently along. The green canopy was thick above, butterflies danced along the water’s edge and the birds were singing as the cool water gurgled and rushed around my ears.

As we swam up to the bank for a break, a cow waited for us, quivering to remove the flies and mosquitoes bothering it as it grazed. We’d been paddling and anchoring ourselves into the raft for an hour and were delighted to learn we were only halfway along the course. Back on the river, it was so peaceful that none of us spoke, except to ask a question about what we could see or hear along the banks.

The skies cleared and the sun began to dry us out. “We’re approaching the last rapids,” Jorge said. “When you finish, there will be drinks waiting for you. Please be mindful of the environment and save water – drink beer!”

While it was good to know there were Imperial lagers waiting for us, it was with an audible sigh that we tumbled over the last rush of white water, sad the adventure was over. Jorge raised his paddle one last time and cried “Pura vida!” To the pure life!

Hayes & Jarvis (01293 762456; hayesandjarvis.co.uk) offers a nine-day wildlife and beach holiday to Costa Rica from £2,899pp including direct flights with British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com), transfers, rainforest canopy walks, rafting, a nocturnal river trip and B&B accommodation. More information: visitcostarica.com

Please note that the FCO currently advises against all but essential travel to Costa Rica; for advice, see gov.uk/ guidance/coronavirus-covid19-travel-corridors.