www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Any info out there on white water rafting? Is July too wet to raft? Who do I contact to arrange a rafting excursion and is there a company with a CRT discount? Thanks.

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I always use rios tropicales. They have a web site and you can book it form most hotel lobbys the day before. July is great since the rivers are running high and fast with lots of class IV rapids

I agree with Miami X, RiosTropicalas.com one of the better companies to use. Very professional ,excellent facilities, buffet breakfast and lunch included. I booked over the internet for four of us, never a problem. You can book at any hotel but most have other companies paying higher commission. Class 2 and 3 Revateozne (sp) plenty of excitement 75.00 per person. I've used this company about 5 or 6 times.
Flacodur01
SouthFLA

That should be http://www.riostropicales.com. I'm not sure what flacoduro was trying to say about the commission. My understanding is that the commission is built into the price and you'll pay the same $75 regardless of whether you book it directly through them or do it through your hotel or some other agency. The simplest thing would be to just book it through your hotel the afternoon before when you get down there.

BTW, the other major whitewater rafting tour outfit is Aventuras Naturales (http://www.toenjoynature.com or http://www.adventurecostarica.com). In the Arenal area there is also Desafio (http://www.desafiocostarica.com/riotoro.htm) which offers tours on the class II-IV Rio Toro which is also supposed to be a pretty good river. What makes this last outfit so interesting is that you can arrange for them to pick you up in SJ and drop you off in the Arenal area after the tour (or v.v.), which could make an attractive alternative way for someone to get to Arenal that was thinking of going there anyway. I haven't been on the Desafio tour but I have used both of the SJ-based companies and their prices and trip quality are pretty much the same.

Beyond the choice of company, you also have to decide which river or section of river to go on. The Florida section of the Reventazon is class II-III and costs $75. There is also the Pascua section (class IV) for $85 and the Pacuare (class III-IV) for $95. I'm surprised after 5-6 trips Flaco hasn't graduated up to some of the more challenging rivers. Besides price and rating, one should also consider other factors such as scenery along the shores. That is one reason I think the Pacuare is so much more expensive than the other trips.

As for seasonality, Julio raises an excellent question. Many people would think that lack of water during the dry season would be a more important problem in whether they'd be able to offer the trip, but too MUCH water can also sometimes be a problem. Also, while MiamiX is right that the rivers will be running high and fast at that time, that is not necessarily a good thing or rather that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. In some ways these trips can actually be better and more exciting at lower water (as long as it is not TOO low). At peak times the water runs so high above the rocks that it can actually be somewhat smoother and you can float right over most of them. At low water there are more rocks to have to steer around or bump over. In short, the same section of river can have radically different characters at different times of the year making them well worth repeating. And even at any given time of the years, different rivers or section become better or worse than others. The raft companies know which sections are currently running well and regardless of the time of the year or conditions can direct you to at least one of their trips where you'll be able to have a wonderful (and safe) time.

July/Aug is the wet season. Bigger rapids, bigger fun!! If you are experienced take the harder rapids, it's a blast!! I forget the company I went with. The SL set everything up for me.

I just returned from two days of Rafting. I figured that summer would be rainny season, and consequently high waters. What I have learned, is that it is hit or miss this time of year. The highest waters are actually from September to November, with November being the peak time. If you really want excitement, do the Pascua section of the Reventazon river. The Pacuare has better scenery, but the rapids are awesome in the Pascua section. Also, I have used a few different companies and don't really like Rio Tropicalles. Too many boats and too much assembly line kind of attitude. I recomend Exploradores. Website www.exploradoresoutdoors.com. They do a lunch on the raft halfway through the trip, and the guides are just a hell of a lot of fun.