Turrialba Travel Guide

All meals are served family style in the diningroom.
Food is good and plentiful ranging from Coata Rician to Mexician.
This is were we learned to use Lizano salsa.

A driver/guide will pick you up at the airport and drive you to the lodge. It saves you driving in San Jose traffic.
When it is time to go home he will take you back.

Luggage and bags: Bring as little as possible. They do laundry here. Long pants and long sleeves are best.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Daytime temps usually in the 70's, nighttime usually in the 60's. Afternoon rain common.
Bring comfy walking shoes or boots. Rain poncho.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Bring what you will need there are no stores nearby. You will need a lot of mosquito repellent.

Photo Equipment: Bring lots of film or memory.

Miscellaneous: Don't forget to bring your binoculars or your bird books.. You will need them here.

Costa Rica Rios runs full or half day rafting trips on the Pacuare River out of Turrialba. The group is owned by young Americans, one of which accompanied us on our full-day trip. All the staff were extremely friendly and energetic, and all spoke at least some English. The van ride to the start point was long, but enjoyable, as the owner answered questions and pointed out sights along the way. Once in the water, the scenery was breathtaking. There were plenty of opportunities to swim along the rafts during lazy portions of the river--depth around 4ft most of the time (suppose this changes depending on rainfall). We stopped at a small stream cascading over a rocky embankment and hiked up to a larger pool at the end of which was a large waterfall. We all tried, unsuccessfully, to swim up to the waterfall, but the flow was too strong to allow it. The rapids are a blast. No rafts flipped, but we did fall out occasionally. The guides are very professional and get you back into the raft in a jiffy. There is a safety kayaker following behind if you get separated from the raft. Costa Rica Rios keeps the number of rafts at a minimum to enhance safety. We did run into several other groups at different points with larger groups of rafts. I was happy to be with the smaller, more familiar group. Lunch was served on an upside-down raft and consisted of various freshly-cut fruits, sandwiches, guacamole (prepared on-the-spot) and chips, and homemade cookies for dessert. It was delicious. Pineapple has never tasted so good. The rest of the river yielded plenty of action and plenty of scenery. More waterfalls, indiginous villages, etc to be found. I've done a fair amount of rafting in Colorado on different stretches of the Arkansas, and it does not compare at all. If you're into rafting, this is a must-do!

Leave a comment and let me know if there is something that I could add to make this tip better!

Equipment: Swimsuit
Fleece (or something that stays warm when wet)
Change of clothes
Waterproof Camera (buy in the states)