Costa Rica offers some of the best white water rafting in the world. Whether you’re looking for an easy going ride or thrilling rapids, there are rivers to fulfill every adventurer’s needs. There is one in particular that has made headlines around the world and that is Pacuare River.
If you want for the ultimate Costa Rica white water rafting trip, we have an awesome deal for you. Save $5 off your Pacuare River white water rafting trip!
Pacuare River, Costa Rica White Water Rafting Discount
The Pacuare rafting tour is an incredible tour that allows you to experience a unique part of Costa Rica and embark on an exciting outdoor adventure. Want to see what the rafting is like? Read our 1 day white water rafting post to learn more! Please also read our FAQ below.
Original price per person is $111.87, with our discount it is $106.87 with all taxes and fees included.
The tour includes round trip transportation, bilingual rafting guide, safety equipment, rafting gear, breakfast and lunch.
This rate is valid until October 31, 2025. (if you are booking for after that date, we will send you the updated rate).
You will be redirected to a new page once the form has gone through. If you aren’t, please fill out all required sections. ***The form is having some issues with Chrome and Safari. If it’s not going through, please email us at web@Mytanfeet.com with the following information: Date, number of adults and children (and children’s ages), your pick up/drop off location.***
Pacuare River White Water Rafting Discount FAQ
Where is included for the free pick up and drop off?
They offer complimentary pick ups and drop offs in and around San Jose downtown, La Sabana Park and near the SJO airport (the San Jose/Heredia side, not in Alajuela).
There are some additional costs if the hotel you are staying at is outside the zone such as Finca Rosa Blanca, Xandari, Vista del Valle, Hyatt Pinares and Martino Resort (some examples) in San Jose. If you are staying outside the free transportation zones, please enter your hotel information for us to check the logistics of transportation and how much is the extra fee (or you will go to the closest hotel to pick up).
For La Fortuna, they offer transportation from downtown La Fortuna to Tabacon Resort and surrounding hotels close to downtown.
For Puerto Viejo, they offer transportation from Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Cocles, Chiquita and Punta Uva.
They cannot pick up at Airbnbs or vacation rentals, only hotels and hostels.
If I get picked up and dropped off in different places, what happens to my luggage?
You will store your luggage at the operation office while you do the tour. After the rafting, you will go back to the operation office to change, have lunch and pick up your luggage.
What Kind of Shoes are Required?
The best shoes are either closed toed hiking sandals or water shoes. We highly recommend a closed toed shoe for more protection for your toes as your feet will be inside the foot holders of the raft. If you have open toed sandals, your toes will get more smashed.
If you have sandals, they must have a heel strap and a strap on the front such as Chacos, KEENs or Teva sandals.
What if I’ve never rafted before? Do I need rafting experience to go on this trip?
No worries! You don’t need to have professional rafting experience to do the Rio Pacuare trips. I never white water rafted in anything higher than Class 2 rapids and I did both 1 and 2 day trips and loved it. It was the first time rafting ever for many of the people we met on our tours and they had a blast!
The instructors are highly knowledgeable and experienced in rafting. They are all Costa Ricans, in fact most of them are Pacuare River locals and have been rafting this river for a number of years and been guides for many years. They know this river inside and out.
You will get a thorough safety lesson and paddling instructions before the tour. It’s important to follow your guide’s instructions and more importantly, have fun!
I’m a bit nervous, how big do the rapids get?
The Costa Rica white water rafting Rio Pacuare tour starts off with only Class 1-2 rapids (small waves, straightforward moving water) and you will run into a few Class 3 and 4 rapids near the end. You may also get a couple Class 4+ when the river is particularly full.
Class 3 and 4 rapids are considered intermediate to advanced and are a ton of fun to raft through. Your guide will keep a careful eye the entire time as safety is the most important thing, they know how to maneuver through the rapids and keep everyone safe and happy.
You can watch our video to see what the 1 day white water rafting trip is like.
Can I do this tour with my kids? Is there an age limit?
Absolutely! I would say this is one of the best things to do in Costa Rica for families in fact! Teenagers would have an absolute blast.
There is an age limit for the tours, kids must be at least 12 years of age and kids must be at least 110 lbs (50 kilos) and 4 foot 9 inches (150 cm).
How long is the 1 day rafting trip?
The 1 day trip takes around 3.5 – 5 hours and you raft 26 fun kilometers (16 miles) down the river. The day starts bright and early, getting picked up around 5 AM and coming back in the late afternoon depending on traffic.
Sammi says
Hi Katya, Rios Tropicales runs the Rio Pacuare white water rafting tour every day so there is availability. I would book beforehand at least a few days to reserve your spots and so the company can prepare. The Rio Pacuare is a great river even for 1st timers, we met a lot of people who never rafted before when we did it and they loved it. It is really exciting and the guides are excellent so they make you feel comfortable and they know exactly how to steer through the rapids.
We aren’t rafters or have any knowledge about the river so I recommend asking the company how the rapids have been recently but that is a great time for the river since it’s a lot fuller and more fun. They only do tours on that spot on the river because the rest of the river is like Class 5 rapids and that is only for professionals. The river starts off easy with Class 1 and 2 rapids and then towards the end, you hit a few 3 and 4. Rios Tropicales actually doesn’t pick up at Costa Verde Inn, the closest hotel in Escazu they pick up is the Wyndham Garden Escazu so if you can go to the Wyndham, they can pick you up there.
Katya says
Hi. We are staying in San Jose between September29th and October 2nd. Since it is a weekend, is there a limited availability for the white water rafting? When is the latest we should book? Also my husband and I have never rafted before and a little bit concerned about safety. Is there another tour on the same river with the similar scenery but slower ? Can you predict now the river level and the rapids level for those dates?
Also, we are staying in Costa Verde Inn. Do you pick up from there? Or should we drive to some spot to be picked up? Is there a parking to leave a car at that spot? Thank you .
Katya
Jen says
Hi there,
Do you think the Rio Picuare is safe to do in the rainy season with the higher water levels? We are planning a trip in late September. Thank you!
yeison says
Hello Jen,
Rios Tropicales and most of the companies that run the Pacuare river are super careful when it comes to the level of the river when the river is too high they will let their clients know. In the other hand we prefer to go in the rainy season because the river is faster and the rapids are more fun, all their guides are professionals and they will never put you on risk.
Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for reading our blog.
Lindsey says
Hi! I submitted a request for reservation but am not sure it went through. Do we get a confirmation email or message saying it has been submitted?
Thanks, so excited!
yeison says
Hello Lindsey!
Yes, we got it 🙂 Rios Tropicales will be contacting you shortly
Dominique Di Marzio says
We were looking to book through your form above, however, wanted to verify that going from SJ to PV was possible in 1-day tour and that the tour would take us along with our carry-on sized luggage to PV.
Sammi says
Hi Dominique! Yes you can get picked up in San Jose and dropped off at a hotel in Puerto Viejo as long as there are 2 passengers minimum. They will hold your luggage at the operations center and bring it with you on the transfer as you will go back to the operations center for lunch. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Kevin says
Hi we are in San Jose and then going to Arenal. Is it better to do the river rafting while we are in San Jose or arenal. I thought the river is near arenal?
yeison says
Hello Kevin,
You can do it from San José or from Arenal, usually travelers take advantage of Rios Tropicales transportation requesting to be pick up in San Jose and drop off in La Fortuna (Arenal volcano area) by doing this they will be saving money for the San Jose – Fortuna transfer. The price is same from La Fortuna or San jose.
The Rio Pacuare is the best river we have in Costa Rica, but once you are in Arenal there are other rivers from class 2 to 4. Please let us know if you have any questions and than you for reading Mytanfeet.
George Pendleton says
What would be the best opportunity for class III or IV river rafting out of Playa Coco?
I have 5 of us that really want that adventure!!
Sammi says
Hi George, I think the Tenorio River rafting is Class 3 and 4 and that’s about a 1.5 hour drive from Coco which is the closest, Rio Pacuare is pretty far and you’d have to go to San Jose to get picked up. Let me know if you need tour company recommendations for the Tenorio river rafting or if you guys can go to San Jose for 2 days, you can do the 1 day Rio Pacuare rafting from there.
Julia says
We have our own car and we would like to drive to the rapids rafting center. Is there parking near the white water raft 1 day trip beginning? and is there transportation to take us back to our parked car?
Sammi says
Hi Julia, you can drive to the Rios Tropicales operations center and they have a parking lot there. They also have lockers where you can keep your things so you don’t have to leave it back in the car and the shuttle that picks you up at the end of the rafting will take you back to the center.
Cathryn says
Hi
I’m coming to Costa Rica in August with my 12 and 15 year old kids. We’d love to go white water rafting, but from what you say the minimum age for this trip in August is 14 🙁 Can you recommend another trip? We were hoping to be picked up from Tortuguero, go rafting and be dropped off in La Fortuna as we won’t have a car. PS I love your blog, it is a fantastic resource for planning our trip
Sammi says
Hi Cathryn, the Rio Pacuare white water rafting doesn’t pick up in Tortuguero, they only pick up in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side. They do have the age limit due to the river levels which are higher in rainy season. There are other rivers that are smaller like Rio Balsa out of Fortuna that also has good rafting.
Cathryn Clark says
Hi Sam
Thanks so much for the info. Can you recommend a raft company that does trips (ok for age 12 in August) on the smaller rivers out of Fortuna? Many thanks in advance.
Cathryn
Sammi says
Hi Cathryn, the one out of Fortuna with smaller rapids is Rio Balsa. All the tour companies out of Fortuna operate it, Desafio is a really good one.
Cathryn Clark says
Fab, thank you
Andrew Pulido says
My wife and I are staying in Atenas and are interested in a one day white water trip. We’ll be arriving in Marchfor 8 days. What days do they schedule the 1 day trips? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Andrew, they do the 1 day tour every day but they don’t pick up in Atenas, only San Jose. Is it possible you guys can stay in San Jose and they will pick you up and drop you off at a hotel in San Jose.