The Pacuare River

The Pacuare runs off the Talamanca range down the Caribbean slope through a gorge of primary rainforest, and it is consistently ranked among the best whitewater rivers in the world: around thirty kilometres of class three and four rapids with names the guides recite like liturgy, walls of forest on both sides, waterfalls dropping straight into the river, and no road access for most of its length. Day trips run the lower section; two-day trips stop at riverside lodges reachable only by water. A hydroelectric dam has been proposed on it repeatedly and defeated each time, most notably by a local referendum.

What you actually see

• The rapids - around thirty kilometres of class three and four water.
• The gorge - primary rainforest walls with no road access.
• Riverside waterfalls - dropping directly into the river.
• The lodges - reachable only by raft, on the two-day trips.

When to go

The river runs year-round. Water is highest from June to October, which means bigger rapids and browner water; December to April is lower, clearer and better for wildlife. Trips leave early in the morning from Turrialba or San José.

Honest expectations

This is class three to four whitewater and people are thrown from rafts routinely; you need to be a competent swimmer and reasonably fit. Operators vary in standards and the cheapest are not the ones to pick. In very high water trips are cancelled or moved to easier sections. Day trips from San José involve a great deal of driving for the time on the water.

Nearby

Turrialba is the base; the Guayabo monument is half an hour away.