La Fortuna: the capital for adventure
Costa Rica, a destination renowned for its lush natural beauty and rich wildlife. During my trip, I visited the charming little town of La Fortuna, which is situated near the impressive Arenal volcano. This village is also known locally as the capital of adventure activities. So, a day full of adventure was on the agenda for me too. I was going to go on a spectacular canyoning and rafting trip!
With a healthy sense of excitement, I was picked up from my hotel and taken to the heart of the rainforest. There I met an enthusiastic group of people, ready to embark on this adventure together. We travelled by jeep to the starting point of our canyoning trip. After receiving our kit and safety instructions from the guides, we set off on our trek to the first waterfall.
“ Just before we reached the first waterfall, our guides told us we’d be starting the trek at a leisurely pace. Our starting point? The highest waterfall – a piece of cake! ”
Canyoning
Just before we reached the first waterfall, our guides told us we’d be starting the trek at a leisurely pace. Our starting point? The highest waterfall – a piece of cake! Excitement built in the group at the sight of the first waterfall, knowing that we would be abseiling fifty metres down the waterfall during this first descent. Slowly but surely, we began the descent. When it was my turn to make the descent down the waterfall, I felt my courage slowly fading, but I too found my way to the edge of the first platform.
The first few steps felt a bit awkward, but my uncertainty soon gave way to enthusiasm. Although I was still concentrating hard on making the right movements, I also had time to take in the surroundings. Although the sound of the thundering waterfall was very loud, you could also hear the howler monkeys howling in the distance. After the first descent, the adrenaline was really pumping for everyone in the group, which meant our excitement for what lay ahead just kept growing.
We were due to make a total of four more descents, including a freefall.
This time, we couldn’t see the waterfall straight away, which only added to the excitement. My nerves grew the closer I got to the edge of the platform. You could hear everyone who’d gone before me screaming, shouting and, above all, laughing a lot as soon as they were back on solid ground. This meant I couldn’t wait to take the leap myself. The jump may have been over in a flash, but personally I found this one of the most enjoyable descents I’ve ever done. After I’d literally taken the plunge, another guide caught me and slowly lowered me further down. Just before I touched the ground again, the guides naturally pulled me under the waterfall for a refreshing dip. Getting soaked is therefore inevitable on this trip.
The descents that followed all had their own charm. The waterfalls may not all have been as high as the first one, but each descent still gave us a real adrenaline rush. You could soon tell within the group that, thanks to everyone’s enthusiasm, we were quickly becoming a close-knit bunch. One thing was certain: if we could, we’d love to do this all day long!
White-water rafting on the Sarapiquí River
However, there was yet another adventure activity on our itinerary. After our canyoning trip past the waterfalls, we were off for some white-water rafting! We were taken by bus to the starting point of this rafting trip on the Sarapiquí River. Our guides were already waiting for us there with all the equipment we would need. Before the trip, our guide gave us a brief explanation of the various paddling instructions he would be giving during the trip. The terms ‘forward’, ‘backward’ and ‘Pura Vida’ were the most important ones he would be calling out during the trip.
''The Terminator and the Crazy Corners''
Feeling slightly nervous, I set off on our river trip here too, but there was absolutely no need to worry because I’ve never laughed so much in two hours! In total, we covered a distance of ten kilometres and experienced more than thirty thrilling rapids. Each rapid had its own unique name, such as ‘The Terminator’ and ‘The Crazy Corners’. After these rapids, our guide would regularly shout ‘Pura Vida’! This phrase is widely used in Costa Rica and loosely translates as ‘better than good’. So whenever we’d conquered a spectacular stretch of rapids during the trip, our guide would shout ‘Pura Vida’, so we could high-five each other with our paddles.
The guides knew the river and its rapids like no one else.
They knew exactly when we were supposed to do what. Suddenly, whilst navigating one of the rapids, our rubber dinghy capsized, sending us all for an unplanned dip in the water. Fortunately, our guide was secured to the boat and managed to fish us out of the water with ease, so we could quickly continue with the trip. Although I’d been a bit apprehensive about this before the trip, I actually found it one of the best parts of the journey. After all, it’s not every day you find yourself swimming in the rapids of a river in Costa Rica.
A day full of adventure!
After refreshing ourselves with a dip, we continued our journey down the river. We arrived at a spot where we were to take a short break. The rubber boats were moored along the riverbank and our guides cut up fresh pineapples and watermelons for us. There was a small cliff along the river from which you could jump into the water. Naturally, I had to give this a go too. Together with some people from the morning’s canyoning trip, we walked to the cliff. With a short run-up, we jumped into the water and floated back to the boats, laughing, with all the fresh fruit.
Finally, we set off down the river once more for the final leg of our journey. We navigated a few more rapids, one of which we were even allowed to swim through instead of rafting. After just under half an hour, we arrived at our final destination, where a couple of guides were once again waiting with towels so we could freshen up. To round off this thrilling day, we drove to a local restaurant where we all enjoyed a freshly prepared Costa Rican meal. This was undoubtedly a day full of adventure, adrenaline and lots of fun. It’s certainly a day I won’t forget in a hurry!
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