If you have all your gear and a place to stay is it easy to find shuttle options to the local rivers? The full service companies are very expensive and I have my gear and a place to stay. Any other advice for paddling in the area would be appreciated.
Honestly, it is not very easy. I went several years ago and knew several of the local guides. Many of them, and the drivers, were busy because this is their busy work season. There isn't a hostel/shuttle company like in Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico that I know of, which is unfortunate because it is an epic destination and Turrialba is one of my favorite towns ever.
We were in Costa Rica last year rafting the Pacuare. Stayed in Turrialba at a great little house hosted by a local family.
All the river guides on the Pacuare live in Turrialba so just try and track them down at the local rafting outfitters and ask if you can get a shuttle on one of their trips. Offer money and they will accommodate you if they can.
Michael and Eduardo at Explornatura are two local guides who speak decent english and can point you in the right direction if they can't shuttle for you.
Not sure if you're still looking for information, but I thought I'd chime in.
I'm living in San Jose now. I met up with a guy in the town of Peibeye, which has a III-IV section who is from Turrialba. Carlos speaks English, was a member of the CR national raft team, and grew up in the town. His brother lives that and runs one of the lodges on the Pacuare. He can definitely coordinate shuttles for you with local private drivers that have trucks to haul your gear. Or he might want to run the shuttle for you, depending on where it is. Super nice guy. If you still need info, PM me and I'll give you his #, you can reach him on Whatsapp.
Otherwise, the standard practice is to stay at the Hotel Interamericano and you'll usually have a few boaters to hook up with to run stuff in the area.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Buzz
639.4K posts
63.2K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to whitewater kayaking, boating, and rafting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, routes, gear, models, styles, gear swaps, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!