Adventure Awaits in Sarapiqui

Next to its breath-taking natural beauty and ecological biodiversity, Costa Rica is simply the perfect destination for adventure travel. No matter if you desire to explore dense jungles, climb mountains or participate in active activities which trigger your adrenaline, Costa Rica has it all.

Last weekend I went to Sarapiqui, which is about a 1 1/2 drive away from San Jose, together with a friend. The area is referred to as an off-the-beaten-path destination and known for its exuberant rainforest with its distinctive wildlife and the Sarapiqui River.

Nearby the towns of Puerto Viejo and La Virgen, you can find various companies offering activities for active holidays that need to be on everyone´s bucket list when travelling to Costa Rica.

There are so many options to choose from so luckily Il Viaggio Travel, a local tour company based in San Jose, helped me organise my weekend in Sarapiqui. I knew they would select a suitable company as they only work with businesses that operate in a sustainable manner which is personally a decisive factor for me. I was sent to Pozo Azul, an adventure resort that lies in the heart of Sarapiqui´s rainforest right by the famous ´Rio Sarapiqui´, offering accommodation in form of glamping tents and activities that will let the heart of every outdoor enthusiast beat faster.

Going there, you will have no choice but to experience the famous Costa Rican ´pura vida´ lifestyle to the fullest.

We started with the canopy tour, a zip-line tour where you find yourself completely immersed in the jungle and literally fly from one tree top to the next. I can recommend wearing light sportswear as it´s most likely going to be very warm and humid out there. I actually kept on my sandals, though trainers or solid hiking shoes might be the best option. The tour consists of six zip-lines some of which are rather short (especially the first which serves a practice run) and others really long. The longest is over 300 meters and goes right across the river so you will get to experience the incredible feeling of flying high in the air just like one of Costa Rica´s beautifully coloured birds.

You can continuously pick up speed and don´t have to worry about slowing down as the instructors stop you at the end of the longer zip-lines. This means you don´t have to focus on braking yourself are able to solely enjoy the feeling of being wild and free.

In between some of the zip-lines you will walk on small trails right in the middle of the jungle. It´s a great opportunity to spot various species of wildlife such as iguanas, birds, frogs and possibly even snakes. About the latter, the instructors actually urge the group to only walk behind them as snakes are often barely visible.

The ultimate jungle adventure, isn´t it? 

After the canopy tour, we went white whater rafting. Apart from the rafting Pozo Azul also offers a so-called floating safari which is a great option for those who like it a bit calmer but still want to experience the river. However, if you are looking for adrenaline, white-water rafting is the perfect option. It´s actually worth to mention that locals name Sarapiqui as one of the best places in Central America for rafting as you can choose between classes II & III and IV which basically determine the degree of difficulty.

If you love adventure but have some concerns as you have never done this before, there is no need to worry as the classes II and III are perfect for beginners that still want to experience a wild ride. Definitely make sure to wear closed shoes, light clothing and swimwear as getting soaked in water is guaranteed. 

White-water rafting generally involves the participants paddling and guiding a raft through white-water or a river´s rapids. Teamwork is often proved to be important as whenever the guide 

screams ´Forward´ everyone has to react quickly and paddle simultaneously. If someone makes a mistake, the raft might tip over and the group suddenly finds itself in the water.

It was such a memorable and experience that involved plenty of laughter and screams whenever the raft was pulled and sometimes even spun through the white-water. The river does have some calmer sections where the raft was only floating which allowed for great wildlife watching and a few swims in the cool, refreshing water. We saw many different types of birds and for the first time in my life, I even got to see a few toucans.

Just as it usually happens when you´re having too much fun, time flew by and suddenly the two hours of rafting were already over.

We finished off this amazing experience with a delicious lunch at Pozo Azul with a view on the river before heading back to San Jose.

All I can say is that it was definitely not the last time that I went zip-lining and rafting here in Costa Rica and I can only encourage you to try it out yourself!