Has anyone gone rafting out of Arenal?
 

Hi, everyone - We're doing a combo trip of Peace Lodge, Arenal, and Monteverde and would like to do some white water rafting. Has anyone gone on the Sarapiqui out of Arenal? I know a lot of people do the Pacuare, but we don't have time in San Jose on this trip. Is it worth it to go on the Sarapiqui; it will be in July, so I'm thinking the water levels should be good. Would love any info. that you all have, any companies you'd recommend, etc. Thanks for the help.

Any takers on this one? Has anyone gone on the Sarapiqui? Just topping in case... Thanks. :)

We went rafting out of Arenal. It was not the Sarapiqui, but I do not remember the river. We decided on a safari float so we did not have to drive a long time. (Motion sickness issues) It was enjoyable but not adventurous. They did offer whitewater trios also, I would recommend that you contact eithe Desafio, Jacamar tours or Sunset tours for more info.

We rafted the "Class II-III" portion of the Sarapiqui out of Arenal. The Lost Iguana made the reservations for us with Rio Tropicales (the La Fortuna franchise is relatively small.) They picked us up at 7:45 in the morning and we were back at 4:00. It's an 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive to the put-in. The tour included lunch afterwards at the Tirimbina Biological reserve -- excellent Tico-style lunch.

The water level was too low in February but it's a very pretty river. Our guide Diego told us that it's a great ride when the water is high. It was just us and 2 guides plus the driver. They were very professional and spotted a lot of wildlife for us. Despite the water level, we had a really fun day.

By the way, if I had made the reservations on my own, I would probably have gone with Desafio or Wave Expeditions (and possibly a different river) but, now, I wouldn't hesitate to go with Rio Tropicales again.

Thank you so much, guys; this is exactly the information we were looking for. It's our second trip to Arenal, so we're looking for some new adventures.

I just wanted to post back that we just did the rafting with Rios Tropicales on the Sarapiqui out of Arenal, and it was wonderful. I was trying to limit our time in San Jose, so we decided on the Arenal option, and it was great. We had so much fun, and the river was beautiful. Definitely want to go again next trip or try the Pacuare. Sumi, thanks for the recommendation!