Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica – Whitewater Rafting
While doing our travel research on Manuel Antonio, one recommendation popped up again and again. Do the whitewater rafting trip. Once we arrived in Manuel Antonio, we got the same advice, so we booked a rafting trip as our first activity in the area. The wonderful part of Manuel Antonio is that there is as much beauty and adventure to be had inland as there is on the coast. Whitewater rafting was a great introduction to the inland part of this area.
Photo taken by Pro Rafting photographer
We were visiting Manuel Antonio in the rainy season, however it was a drought year, so river levels were lower than normal. Usually this time of year the rafting companies would be taking tourists out on the nearby Naranjo River with class III and III+ rapids. Since the water was low this year, our rafting company, Pro Rafting Costa Rica, took us on the further Savegre River with smaller rapids. Even though the Savegre River was not the expected destination, it was a great excursion.
The Savegre Rive is very scenic. When we were not fighting the rapids, we enjoyed beautiful vistas of the river valley from the boat. We also got to see wildlife along the shores of the river. Our guide, nicknamed Mono, pointed out wildlife and described the flora growing along the shore. The rapids were not intense by any measure, but our guide was skilled at using what rapids there were to give us a fun ride. We even flipped the boat trying to buck two of our young guys out of the boat. The rafting company photographer captured some memorable photos of our group getting dumped in the water. We had a young, active group, so our guide chose the adventurous path through the rapids. There were other boats that chose a more laid-back, easy path down the river, so if getting thrown out of the boat is not your speed there are other options.
Photo taken by Pro Rafting Photographer
Part of the way down the river, we pulled the boats up on the shore and took a short walk to reach a magnificent waterfall in the rainforest. It was refreshing to stand under the falling water and was a nice respite from the river.
Stopping to see a waterfall during our whitewater rafting trip
Overall, it was great experience and one I would do again, especially if I was visiting with a new group of people. The guides at Pro Rafting did a fantastic job and the whole excursion was well planned and executed. To get the full experience of rafting in Manuel Antonio, visit the Chasing Ms. Cortez youtube channel for videos.