going2cr

OOPS - I don't think my original post followed Fodor's guideline, so I'm reposting right now.....

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Hi, I've posted on a different discussion board, but there seems to be some experts on Fodor, so here goes....

I'm going to Arenal at the beginning of Aug and would love to "try" rappeling for the first time...HOWEVER, I'm a 40yr old woman, and honestly I am quite over weight.

I can walk up 2 flights of stairs without a problem....3 flts would have me breathing harder than normal....4 flts I would need to rest.

I know I can rappel DOWN, but do I have to hike back UP? Which do you think would be easier on the hiking portion - PureTrek or Desafio?? OR, should I just sit this one out?

Thanks in advance for whatever your advice is.

raderbarbarian

I recently had a visitor who tried rapelling a waterfall. The walks in and out were quite strenuous, she said, much rougher than she had expected. And the repelling was tough, also; she received her share of bangs and scratches from bouncing off the rocky walls. She is a well-exercised, quite fit lady in her early 50s. She said she was glad she had done it, but she would not recommend it to any of her friends. For what it's worth!

karenlf

I had to respond to this since we did the Desafio rapelling trip last year. I am 60, out of shape and not that physically coordinated.My husband, who is 61, also overweight and not in the best physical condition, also did it. We had a blast.
The guides, one of whom I later believed might be the owner, were great. I felt safe at all times. We chose Desafio because their system allows you to change your mind after the first two rappels if you feel you cannot do it. The first one is very short and is just to let you get used to the equipment.The canyon is beautiful and the hike out is not long. The ony problem I had was that the steps cut into the canyon are a little steeep for someone my height. (five feet.) The guide took off some of the equipment and then I was fine. We are really proud that we did it and it was fun. I would explain ny fears to Desafio when you make the reservation and then maybe they can put you in a smaller group. We took the ten a.m. tour and it was just the two guides and us. Go for it.

going2cr

raderbarbarian, do you know if your visitor did the PureTrek or Desafio?? My problem is mainly with the vertical hike (steps), and if it has long uphill walking I will definitely need to take rest as I go. Thanks for the info, that's one vote for "too hard".

going2cr

I had re-posted this (b/c I thought I had the wrong title as per Fodor's guidelines)....now I have 2 threads going.....hope this is ok here.

karenlf, thanks so much for your reply. Wow, congrats on doing the rappeling!!! From what I've read it sounded like Desafio was the harder tour.

I'm about the same height as you, so the steps might be a problem. If I go slowly, can other people pass me or will I hold everyone up??? Are there steps the entire way up? Do you know about how many flights of stairs it's equal to???

You deserve to be proud....I'd like to try it, but want to make sure it's not 'over my head'.

I'll call Desafio....but sometimes the tour companies make it sound easier than it is....so I figured it would be better to ask people who actually did it. THANKS

karenlf

Honestly, there were not a lot of steps and not all of the hike out was the stairs. That was just at the end of the hike out.It was maybe the equivalent of two or three flights?? The person I spoke with at Desafio was,I think,very honest about it If I thought it was terrible I would tell you because I was very apprehensive, also, and am a non swimmer sort of afraid of water, heights, etc. There wer no people trying to pas us up on the stairs and I don't hink they could have. When I say stairs these were carved out of the rock. If you take your time that is fine. The owner/guide was a former airborn ranger and I felt completely safe and comfortable. After the first two rappels he said he knew he could get us out of the canyon. I felt so good about it we almost did white water rafting and I am deathly afraid of water.

going2cr

karenlf, thanks for the description....I was imagining a flight of stairs that went up the entire height of the cliff! 3 flights seems less intimidating. I'm sure that the 'tall' steps will will be hard for me, but not impossible, especially if I can rest when I need to. I just didn't want to annoy others (so I'll just ask to go at the end!).

It impressive that you did the canyoning with a fear of heights and water. They must be good. Thanks for sharing.