Whitewater rafting was high on our adventure wishlist in Costa Rica, and with kids ranging in age from 8 to 16 in our group, we were looking for a family friendly rafting option. Rio Balsa provides class II-III rapids, which are suitable for kids 8 and up. Our travel agent booked us with Wave Expeditions, and they picked us up from our hotel and took us to the river. On the bus ride, they gave us detailed rafting and safety instructions. The instructions were very thorough (complete with a miniature raft for demonstrations) and it was obvious that the company put safety first.
14 of the 16 members of our group went on this excursion so they broke us up into two groups of 4 and one group of 6 and assigned each group to a river guide. When we arrived at the put-in spot, we were fitted with helmets, life jackets and paddles.
It got a little confusing from here as there were multiple Wave Expedition buses and multiple tour companies putting in at the same spot. We weren’t all entirely sure of which guide we were supposed to be with. And for the two groups of 4, we decided to let the 4 teenage boys go by themselves and have the parents in another raft. But somehow they ended up with two other people in their raft while ours was just the four of us. (Sorry to the random young couple who got stuck with a bunch of teenage boys!) But we got it all sorted out and let our guide know which raft our kids were in and he said he’d be sure we stuck together.
It turns out that we were in the lead raft and our guide headed out first. There was no easing into things… we were in rapids immediately! And constantly. If these were class II-III rapids, I’d hate to see class III-IV. I don’t think I could handle it. But it was so much fun. From the second we launched, it was wet and wild and such a blast. During the calmer moments, our guide Warner reinforced the instructions we had been given on the bus. When my friend asked what happened if he (the guide) fell out, Warner said “didn’t they tell you about the four points on the bus?” She asked what four points… and he did the sign of the cross. 🙂
We pulled over at one spot for a quick break. We pulled our rafts up on the beach, and to our surprise, the guides flipped one over and started cutting up pineapple and watermelon. While we definitely appreciated the snack, it seemed risky to cut things up with sharp knives on top of an inflatable raft! But they clearly had done this before so there were of course no issues and we all loved the fresh fruit and water they provided. It was hilarious when a few cows showed up and lingered around the edge of the beach, clearly waiting for the scraps. The guides said they showed up everyday – somehow they knew exactly what time to be there!
After our quick break, we continued a short distance down the river to complete the 13 km, roughly 2 hour tour. The other tour companies (who made the same pit stop that we did) got out of the river earlier. We continued a bit further on and got out at Wave Expeditions’ private area that included showers and changing rooms. After drying off and getting changed, we got back on the bus where we were treated to beverages (adult if you were of age) and taken to lunch.
We went to a family estate and were served a delicious traditional Costa Rican buffet lunch. The food was very good but options were limited for the kids who are picky eaters. After lunch, they served some delicious local coffee, but I was way too hot and sweaty to drink it.
A photographer also came around to let us preview our pictures and purchase them for $30. Whatever you do, BUY THE PHOTO PACKAGE. The action shots were absolutely incredible and the emotions he caught on everyone’s faces were amazing. We saw the photographer in a kayak at the very beginning but didn’t realize he was also up on shore at various spots throughout the tour until our guide pointed him out towards the end. It was such a great surprise to see how many photos he had taken. The pictures are phenomenal and absolutely worth the money.
After lunch, we had one last short activity. We headed over to a covered outdoor room for a demonstration of how to press sugar cane into juice. My youngest son volunteered to press the juice and we all got to sample it, along with a shot of guaro for the adults. Guaro is Costa Rican moonshine, a sixty proof liquor made from sugar cane. Smelling it was enough for me! Definitely too strong for my tastes but it was neat to see the pressing process.
We had an amazing time on this tour. It was action packed and fun and exciting. Our guide was fantastic. He clearly knew every inch of the river and kept us safe while still making it so much fun. The lunch and sugar cane demonstration was an added bonus. Since we were only doing the rafting and not a combo tour with an afternoon activity, I didn’t really expect lunch to be included and it was cool to get an authentic Costa Rican experience thrown in.
