First stop was getting finalized clothing and leaving everything in the bus. Then it was back in the bus for about 10 minutes to take us to the drop off point. We will end up back at the headquarters once we are finished making our way down the river. Everyone got suited up with oars, helmets and life vests. Then we had a brief explanation of how to paddle, pull people in, switch positions in the boat, and how to stay safe.
We launched our six boats into the river with our guides and right off the bat were some pretty cool rapids. We had a blast watching the scenery, navigating through the river and past rapids, and looking for wildlife. We passed under the suspension bridge from yesterday so seeing it from another vantage point was pretty cool!
At one point we stopped and kids could jump off a “cliff” along the river. It was a pretty rocky climb to get there from the shore. Then at top, it was a little intimidating to try and force yourself to jump off the cliff. But we had may brave souls who did (including me!) and the were pulled back into boats by their crew. Definitely a one of a kind adventure!
About 2/3 of the way down the river we stopped for everyone to have a snack of fresh pineapple, watermelon, and some cookies.
The kids also had fun bathing in the water by the landing spot.
It was the perfect pit stop to continue on our way to finish our river journey. We had a few more rapids, a few more bird sightings, and a lot more fun before putting out of the river about 25 minutes later.
After we got out of the river, we were at the headquarters area where we changed and got dried off. While we were doing that we had our first sloth slighting! It was high in the trees hanging from a branch and looked a little like a small furry bear. Definitely a bucket list item!
Then it was time for a delicious lunch. Our guides served us Costa Rican nachos - with fried beans, meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa and lettuce. For dessert there were coconut cookies which we have seen in several places. Very filling!
We are back in the bus now heading towards La Arenal region. Then we will do a waterfall hike and swim at La Fortuna. Kids are tired and all taking a siesta right now in preparation for more calorie burning activity in a few hours!
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