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).
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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.
Matt Knerr says
Is it possible to be picked up from Puerto Viejo on Jan 24 and dropped in San Jose the same night? There are 6 adults. We would do the one day tour.
kathryn Z says
Hi Sammi,
We are arriving in San Jose on Sat. March 14 late evening with two 17 year old teenagers and have rented a car for two weeks. Our plan was to do a one day rafting trip on the Pacuare, then go to the Arenal area, then Monteverde, then hit the coast and possibly Manuel Antonio. We would be meeting the operations centre in Siquirres. We are coming from the west coast of Canada so I don’t think an early morning the next day to do rafting would work. In reading your blog, it seems that there is not a lot to do in the rural area of the Rio Pacuare. We were thinking it might be easier to stay i in the area the night before, but maybe we should get a place not too far from the Alahuela area where we could do something low key the day after we arrive that would still be enjoyable. If you have any suggestions, that would be great. I’m not sure if it makes sense to go out of our way to do the Pacuare given our itinerary. Thanks !Love your blog
Sammi says
You can do the Pacuare rafting the day after you land in San Jose and stay 2 nights in San Jose so you can get picked up and dropped off by Rios Tropicales, you don’t have to drive (and you can also save a couple days on car rental since you won’t need it for those days). Then get your car the day after rafting and leave for Arenal.
Maria says
Hi! If we used the tour also as a transfer from puerto viejo to San Jose, how much luggage could we bring with us? My boyfriend and I will be traveling with camping backpacks and a small bag each as well.
Sammi says
You can bring as much luggage as you have because it will be stored at the RIos Tropicales operation center during the tour.
Jayne says
Hi. We are staying in Manuel Antonio until January 6 and then heading to San Jose. Our flight home is January 7 at 11:20 pm. If we booked a tour from San Jose on January 7, would we be back in time to the hotel to get to the airport by 9:00 pm? Also, my husband is not a strong swimmer so he would not go on the tour, but myself and 3 adult kids would go. Is he able to go and walk on trails along the river or is that not possible
Sammi says
Hi Jayne, the Pacuare 1 day tour usually returns around 5 PM or so to San Jose but it does depend on traffic. In case anything happens during the tour or there’s any long delays, you could be cutting it super close.
I would recommend your husband to stay at the hotel because he won’t have anything to do all day as there aren’t any trails along the river he can go to. The only thing he can do is wait for you at the operation center and that will be pretty boring and an extra unnecessary cost.
Van Deun Stefan says
Hi there,
We ( family of 5 persons) are staying in Puerto and moving to Guapiles by car.
Is there a possibility to combine the rafting and traveling on one day.
How late do we have to be in the operation center?How late will we be back in the operation center?
Sammi says
You need to be at the operation center by 8 AM and you’ll return around 1-2 PM for lunch.
Nicole Forster says
How far is it from Guacimo, Limon to the Siquirres Operation Center? Would it make sense to stay in a hotel there if driving there ourselves? This seems to be the closest place to Siquirres with hotels. Thanks.
Sammi says
Guacimo to the Siquirres operation center is about 20 minutes, you can see it on the map here: https://goo.gl/maps/ELJfNfgMDWvcpWJW6. You could stay there the night before the tour but I wouldn’t stay there the night of the tour unless you really don’t want to drive somewhere else because there’s nothing really in Guacimo. Most people head to La Fortuna, Puerto Viejo, Sarapiqui or back to San Jose after this tour.
Rachel says
Hi when picked up from La Fortuna do they then go to San Jose or directly to Siquirres, I am trying to figure out if it is better for us to drive directly to Siquirres and meet the group there to save time on travel. Thanks!
Sammi says
They’ll go from La Fortuna to Siquirres (they don’t go back to San Jose).
Nicole says
Hi,
Where is the Siquirres Operation Center located? What are the closest hotels? Thanks.
Sammi says
Their lodge is here: (GPS COordinates) DMS: 10°6’12”N 83°32’53”W. There aren’t really any hotels in the area since it’s kind of a more rural town, but you can try to find some in Siquirres.
Karen Haymond says
We are coming in June with our 5 kids 14 years-23 years, we plan to do the 1 day river raft trip, but we get in late at night to San Jose and don’t think we could do the river that first day. What are some other things to do with the family around Rio Pacaure ? Is there anything to see and do close by, or we better off doing things in San Jose?
Sammi says
Hi Karen, there isn’t much around the Pacuare river because it’s a very pristine river in a remote area. It’s better to stay in San Jose and you can check out downtown, go to the museums, or go to the artisan/central market to do some shopping.
Heena says
Hi, my partner and I are looking to do the 1 day tour starting in San Jose and getting dropped off in La Fortuna. Is this tour still running and would the cost be the same as mentioned above? Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Heena, yes the tour is running and cost is the same. You can use the booking form to request your tour with our discount and our team will contact you to complete it.
Charlie says
Hey we’re doing a guys trip in June with 6 of us. I wanted to keep it as cost effective as possible while also making sure we get to see the most of Costa Rica. We love to eat drink and do high energy activities such as rafting. Can you help us put something together? We are there from June 6th and fly out on the 11th morning.
Sammi says
Hi Charlie, we don’t put together itineraries but I would recommend to check out Playa Jaco, Costa Rica. It’s a popular beach town for bachelor parties and guys trips, they have a lot of bars, clubs and good nightlife. You could do the rafting trip from San Jose and then head to Jaco for the rest of your time. Its also only 1.5 hours from San Jose which is nice.