2 Day Arenal Rafting & Rainforest

Local Weather

Source: National Weather Services of Costa Rica

Attractions

Children's Eternal Rainforest

Originally founded in 1987, The Children's Eternal Rainforest is a project undertaken by the Monteverde Conservation League in partnership with the 44 different countries that have made donations to purchase the land that forms the reserve.

The reserve has three different locations for getting in touch with the cloud and rainforest, each with its own trails, inimitable habitat and animals; one in Arenal and two in Monteverde.

Bajo del Tigre (Monteverde)

Just a few miles from Santa Elena and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Bajo del Tigre is the most accessible of the entrances to the Children's Eternal Rainforest. Bajo del Tigre spans 70 acres and is not directly connected to the larger Children's Eternal Rainforest reserve. Instead, the reserve protects a rare seasonal forest that spends half the year enveloped in the clouds as a cloud forest and the other half as a wet, premontane forest. The reserve's nearly 3 miles of trails feature excellent bird watching with the chance to spot emerald toucanets, manakins and blue-crowned mot mots among the other forest critters.

San Gerardo Station (Monteverde)

The San Gerardo Station is located deep inside the Children's Eternal Rainforest behind the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde. The station provides lodging and meals for visitors looking for a secluded wilderness adventure. Six miles of trails weave through the primary and secondary forest taking visitors over creeks, up mountains and beside waterfalls. The station itself features incredible views of the Arenal volcano and the rainforest between Monteverde and Arenal. San Gerardo also has some of the best bird watching for enthusiasts interested in spotting the bare-necked umbrella bird and the three-wattled bellbird.

Pocosol Station (Arenal)

Pocosol Station sits on the opposite side of the Children's Eternal Rainforest from San Gerardo Station close to Arenal and the town of La Tigra. This station also provides lodging and meals for guests looking to trek through its six miles of trails. Each of its trails takes guests to a different wonder hidden in the dense undergrowth of the wet, premontane rainforest; from gaseous thermal vents to waterfalls and lagoons. Sitting on the station's patio as the sunsets, visitors can watch an astounding number of birds fly around the station: humming birds, tanagers, toucans, oropendulas and more.

Weather

Average Temperature: 65 to 75° F
Annual Rainfall: 4,000 - 4,500 mm

Flora & Fauna

Besides being one of the last reserves in the country to have jaguars, the Children's Eternal Rainforest has agoutis, coatis, pacas, tapirs, armadillos, sloths and more than 110 other species of mammals, half of which are different species of bats. It also features 3 percent of the world's butterflies (700 species) and five percent of the world's birds (440 species).

Tours

Whitewater rafting the Balsa River class II-III rapids

Taking advantage of the dam upriver, the rafting company plans trips for 11 a.m., at the same time the dam releases water. The higher water level swells the riverbanks and make swift rapids. The class II rapids are mostly wide-open channels with small waves and easy rapids while the class III rapids are narrower, with larger waves and boulders that require more technical navigating.

Note* Make sure to bring your swimsuit, a change of clothes, sunscreen and a pair of water shoes, old sneakers, or sandals with strips (no flip-flops). Water-proof cameras are okay, but a professional photographer also comes along to take your picture.

Teamwork on the river

Sitting in the raft, still on dry land, you'll learn the basics: paddling forward and backward learning to work together.  With your practice session over, it's time to dive into the small waves on a set of class II rapids. Following the commands of your guide paddle through the first set and try not to bump paddles with your partners.

The first section of the trip is nearly non-stop, clear one set of rapids only to meet the next challenge with enough time to clap your paddles over your heads and yell "Pura Vida" - Costa Rica's unofficial motto.

You'll find it's not long before everything falls into place. With each rapid, you get better, the teamwork gets tighter. By the end of the first section, you're expertly following commands and working together as a team.

The lower section of the river affords a little more free time than the first half. With more scenic views and class I flat water, the river becomes a leisurely ride through the countryside and jungle. Herons and egrets perch on rocks drying their wings and scouting for fish. Up high in sparsely-leafed cecropia trees, guides point out napping two-toed sloths.

Passing from the tall grasses of the brave cane (similar to sugar cane), a wall of green rainforest trees and plants appears growing along near vertical cliff face. Pass into a set of class II rapids, as giant waves swell up and crash over the front of the raft. The final test of teamwork comes in a rapid called the 'washing machine'. Paddling in opposite directions, you'll spin in circles, faster and faster as you roll over the rapids and come to a rest underneath a bridge after the two-hour trip.

While guides load-up the rafts, you'll have the chance to change into dry clothes and recount stories with your new friends. On your way back into Arenal, you'll stop by La Casona Rio Fortuna, the home of Costa Rican former president Rafael Iglesias, for a buffet-style lunch prepared over a wood stove including rice, beans, vegetables, plantains and a choice of meat like beef or chicken. While you eat, you can look over the day's pictures taken by a professional photographer.