Class 2-3 Balsa River Rafting: Swift Rapids Amid Costa Rica Rainforest from La Fortuna

Experience the thrill of Class II and III rapids as you paddle through the Costa Rican rainforest on a 2-3 Balsa River rafting tour. Look out for monkeys, sloths, and birds along the way, and enjoy a delicious lunch at Hunters and Gatherers restaurant. Hotel transport included.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Unnamed Road - Experience an unforgettable day rafting on one of Costa Rica’s top family-friendly rivers! Just 45 minutes from La Fortuna, the Río Balsa offers exhilarating class 2-3 rapids, perfect for adventure seekers, with the added thrill of spotting diverse wildlife along the way. This is more than just a rafting trip—it’s a true Costa Rican adventure that promises excitement and natural beauty.

What’s included:

  1. Access to exclusive private entrances and exits
  2. Private restrooms and changing rooms for your convenience
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Use of safety equipment
  • Lunch
  • Photographer (photos available for purchase)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Paddle through Class II and III rapids on this fun white water rafting tour down the Balsa River in Costa Rica. On this 2-hour trip downriver, your guide will lead you through the easy and exciting rapids that flow through Costa Rica rainforest. Keep an eye on the land and sky for monkeys, sloths, and birds. After rafting, reward your efforts with a scrumptious lunch at the famous Hunters and Gatherers restaurant next to the El Salto Swimming Hole and waterfall. Bonus: If you want to hang out later at the swimming hole, no worries. Hotel transport to and from La Fortuna area hotels and lodging is included.

  • Not recommended for people over 65
Location
Desafio Adventure Company
We are happy to pick you up at your hotel or rental home, but you can also easily fin dour office in the center of La Fortuna, 100 meters West of the Central Park.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(248 Ratings)
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1 star
Oscarmn7611sb
Jul 20, 2024
Inappropriate comment Lourdes Parra - A complaint to a false comment by Lourdes P. Previous as it hurts the Oscar Guide (me). It's my wife's divorce process. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R5314lydanielac
Jun 30, 2024
10/10 Just Do It 💃💃💃 - This was so fun!! Aurelio was an awesome raft guide. Neither of us had ever gone rafting before and we felt super comfortable. (Also, the fruit was soooo good!) We had a lot of fun and cannot recommend this enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Clou132
Jun 13, 2024
Loved it - We had never done white water rafting and were a little nervous. The guides were fine and very informative. They gave detailed instructions and we had so much fun. We came back to have a delicious lunch as well. I would definitely recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lara
Jun 3, 2024
Fun, beautiful and educational - Fun, beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife. Auralio was our guide and was just fantastic! He is so knowledgeable and kind, made a big effort to show us the wildlife and explain the area. Water pretty warm. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samantha_c
May 20, 2024
Great day - Great tour! We had an amazing day. Our guides Aurelio and Fluffy were awesome. It was the perfect amount of adventure. The balsa river is so beautiful and our guides were also able to point out wildlife during downtime. We had a fruit snack on river and some iguanas joined us! Ended with a delicious Costa Rican lunch, would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Kcamp47
May 11, 2024
Perfect For Almost Any Age! - Emmanuel (Fluffy) and Marcos gave us an unbelievable experience! Emmanuel was not our guide, but rode with us to and from. He is so high energy and full of smiles, it's impossible to be down with him around! Marcos was our guide and was extremely knowledgeable and kept everyone safe, while making it an unforgettable time. The class 2/3 rapids were absolutely doable for a beginner, but didn't skimp on excitement.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X8826yuerikac
Apr 13, 2024
Thrilling Experience! - What a thrilling experience! Our raft guide Sarah was professional and personable. As 1st time rafters, she made us feel safe which allowed us to enjoy the experience! She even educated us on the surroundings. From pick up to drop off (which included a tasty lunch), we had the best time! I would definitely do it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ott0
Apr 25, 2024
Fun, wonderful sights, some exertion, a bit too exciting at one point - The rafting was a bit too exciting at one point when our raft was pinned under a tree that had fallen from the bank. The current almost pushed our raft under the log, which risked scrapping all of us out of the raft. The incident may have been beyond our guide's control. Experienced guides were assigned to each raft. The fruit snack was tasty. Riverbank sights were identified and explained in English.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angelpie10
May 7, 2024
Good. Could have been better. - The guide was friendly and he spent the 45 minute drive talking about the hazards of rafting and what to do in various scenarios of falling in so that you don’t drown. By the end of the journey I was seriously regretting booking this trip. The guide talked non-stop throughout the trip and I had a headache by the end of it. Anyway we got geared up and got in the raft. The first rapid was thrilling and not as bad as I had thought. We had maybe half a dozen good rapids where we got seriously splashed and wet and it was good fun. Then after about 30mins or so the rapids were minimal or we were just floating. We did little paddling and I felt like we’d paid a lot of money for a river raft ride. We stopped for a snack which was wholly unnecessary as we’d hardly done any work or burnt much energy. Then there was about 10 minutes of floating. We saw a sloth and interesting birds. After getting washed and changed we went for lunch at the same restaurant as yesterday. We’re glad we tried it but don’t feel it’s worth the money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Journey732702
Jul 16, 2024
Whitewater rafting experience. - Avoid Oscar as your whitewater rafting guide. He is freelance and pursue inappropriately female solo tourists. He usually is under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The owner is aware and prioritizes profit. I spoke to Brian the supervisor, he covers them saying that 90% of guides smoke pot. This is unacceptable and they must have stricter guide policies!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 9 guests
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September 2024
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