Costa
Rica - Welcome to the Latin Quarter!
by
Colin Irvine
Imagine
a Central American nation with a Caribbean coast, a Pacific
coast, rainforest, volcanoes, surf breaks and some classic
whitewater runs – that’s Costa Rica. I spent
a month there over Christmas 2001 and found a country with
some real Latin spirit and some sporty paddling!
Getting there:
You need to fly to San Jose Costa Rica, which for me meant
a heinous journey via 2 US cities and a cold night on an
airport floor in New York. Getting your boat checked all
the way through from Dublin is a priority because the American
airlines aren’t particularly kayak friendly. Costa
Rica is a popular surf destination so your boat may get
charged as a board.
On arrival:
You are in Costa Rica - a tropical country with a relatively
good tourist infrastructure. It’s also Spanish speaking
so if your language skills are a bit weak you’re going
to have to get creative with hand signals. When I arrived
I couldn’t even count to 5. By the end of the month
I could just about order “arroz con pollo” (rice
with chicken)… so I struggled! A good phrasebook is
a must.
After landing, you need to get a taxi to the main bus station
(specify that you need a bus to Turrialba). Buy the most
expensive bus ticket you can (still very cheap) and enjoy
the ride up into the eastern slopes. Turrialba is a medium
sized town, with a plethora of services for the resident
kayaker. The hotel Inter-Americana seemed to be the popular
kayaker rest house. More a hostel than a hotel, a bed worked
out at about $10 a night. It’s a good place to base
yourself for the rivers of the Turrialba area.
How do you get kayaking?
The notice board in the hotel will carry a range of adverts
from local rafting companies. Many will allow kayakers accompany
them on their trips – but for a price. The lower Rio
Pacuare is the main raft run in the area (class 3-4) and
is a good place to warm up. Also rafted is the Pascua section
of the Rio Reventazon which provides some big volume class
4 fun.
To step it up a gear, you need to get some kayak-only shuttles
to the steeper sections. The Upper Pacuare for example offers
clean class 4-5 boulder garden rapids in an awesome jungle
setting. Ask at the hotel about shuttle services. When I
was there, the man to get was called Diego. He had a good
knowledge of runs and levels, but he was pricey enough ($10
per person per day, for a minimum of about 6 boaters).
What are the rivers like?
Most Costa Rican runs are not too demanding, from a skills
point of view. The class 5’s I did are definitely
at the soft end of the grade. However, the dense jungle
setting and the lack of roadside access give them a sharper
bite when things go wrong. That said, the destination is
ideal for a strong intermediate group who are keen to explore
some great class 4 rivers in beautiful rainforest surroundings.
The solid class 5 boaters will find themselves a little
short of challenging runs, unless you are there in the heavy
rains and are exploring some of the very tight creeks this
mountainous country has tucked away. Likewise, paddlers
with unreliable rolls need to chose their runs carefully
to avoid boat loss in a jungle that boasts one of the highest
densities of venomous snakes in the world!
The water is usually warm, and many rivers sport steep sided
gorges, alive with lush green vegetation. It is not uncommon
for waterfalls to cascade into the main river, creating
the perfect jungle paradise. When I was there (December-January
2001/2) it rained for a short period almost every afternoon.
What boat?
I paddled a Dagger Super Ego and had no problems. However,
that was before the great resurgence of the creek-boat.
I think a river-running playboat will suffice for most runs
and allow some flexibility for when you decide to head for
the coastal surf.
Suggested Itinerary:
What I ended up doing (entirely by chance rather than design)
actually ended up being a great combination.
For detailed river information, talk to the local raft guides.
For detailed tourist info, consult the Bible (Lonely Planet).
* Base yourself in Turrialba for a while and boat sections
of the Pacuare and Reventazon.
* Next, hit the Caribbean coast for some surf, parties and
a black Rastafarian cultural experience. We stayed at Puerto
Viejo.
* Now cut inland again and north, up to the Sarapiqui river
and a charming little town called La Virgen. Boat sections
of the Sarapiqui and Rio Toro.
* Go check out the cloud forest nature reserves, hot springs
and volcanoes.
* Hit the Pacific coast for some good surf, good party scene
and a totally chilled out holiday.
Things I never got around to:
* Do a multi day trip on the Rio General.
* Take a little tour into Panama and go explore.
Getting around
Cruising around on the cheap is easy, if you don’t
mind long uncomfortable bus rides. Renting a driver like
Diego can work out for once off journeys with a few boats
etc. Renting a car however, is almost inevitable. There
are numerous companies based out of San Jose – just
make sure your papers are in order to avoid having to pay
off local police (as we found out the hard way).
Can you go on your own?
I did… but I got lucky. I met some great Americans
who I am still good friends with today. We were boating
at about the same level and were on the same budget and
time constraints. If you hang around Turrialba for long
enough, you will hook up with paddlers for sure. Just be
sure you can hold your own on the river. We had several
members of our team put at risk when some cowboy joined
a trip on the upper Pacuare, then indulged in a stupid-swim-fest.
For that reason, most crews are wary of random punters at
first. However, if you perform on the river and are sharp
on safety then the barriers break down very quickly.
How much do I need to budget?
Costa Rica is a mainstream alternative tourist destination…
if you can follow that. Basically, it’s not Torremolinos,
but it does see large numbers of American eco-tourists
(complete with lofty morals and safari clothing) and it
is quite pricey. Accomodation is $8-10. You can get a main
course for about $5. It's the shuttles and car rental that
will hit you hard, Budget about US$30-40 per day to have
some flexibility.
The summary:
Costa Rica is a stunning country, well worth a visit. If
you are seeking long hard sections of class 5 whitewater,
you will be disappointed. However, if you are a good class
4 paddler, seeking an all-round adventure holiday experience,
perhaps with a non-paddling partner, then I can think of
no better place to spend a few weeks. Put it this way, if
anyone is ever foolish enough to marry me, then Costa Rica
is on my shortlist for the honeymoon!
c.
Thanks to Brian Magee for photgraphs.
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