365 True Things: 317/Travel (Costa Rica)

In 2006, and spilling over into 2007, we embarked on a twelve-day tour called the Costa Rica Traverse. The objective: to travel from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean, all on our own power. We started on bikes, switched to feet, transferred to whitewater rafts, and finally paddled our way in kayaks to the blessed Caribbean shore. As we framed it: "This is not a tour; this is an expedition!"

Here's the catalog description now, from the World Expeditions website (which rates the trip only 6 out of 10 in difficulty; their more challenging tours must be something!):

An adventure high on the wish list of active adventurers keen to take on the challenge of traversing Costa Rica under their own steam. Our crossing takes us on bike, foot, raft, and kayak across this spectacular natural wilderness through farmlands, foothills, and mountainous regions reaching the peaks of the Central Highlands. The trails are often slippery and poorly defined, with several river crossings. We encounter indigenous settlements deep in the cloud forest and hope to glimpse rare wildlife and birdlife in this pristine tropical rainforest. The views and terrain vary greatly as we traverse the mountainous backbone of Costa Rica. Our journey will take us into the depths of the Pacuare River on one of the world's classic whitewater experiences, for an exhilarating rafting trip with class 2–5 rapids through a series of spectacular canyons. In between the powerful rapids there is time to absorb your superb surroundings and the tropical rainforest. We leave the rapids and gorges behind as we ease our way by sea kayak along a much slower moving section of the river, through banana plantations to our final goal, the Caribbean coast.

We were one of the first groups (if not the first) to do the trip. They did not mention the slippery and poorly defined trails in the write-up we went by. As for the rafting, one of our party actually did pop out of the raft, and David, hero that he is, grabbed him and hauled him back in. There was rain. There was mud—oh, was there mud. There were primitive conditions.

But there was excellent company and high spirits and a taste for adventure. (Except for the young couple, where she was a princess and he feigned an injured shoulder to allow them to bail more or less gracefully. They were not missed.) There was incredibly beautiful scenery. And it truly was hugely satisfying to travel the whole distance—maybe 100 miles? most of them not flat—on our own steam.

Here are a few photos from a terrific journey.

On the Pacific, ready to cycle

We had some interesting sleeping situations: caves . . .

wall-less cabins . . .

free-for-alls . . .

civilized tents, of course.

We had green trails . . .

we had wet trails . . .

we had banana trails . . .

we had lots (and lots) of muddy trails.

We ate good food (this is Fernando, one of our most excellent guides)

See? good food!

Sometimes we had to sit out rain.

Cards were a handy option in that situation.

Sometimes we found cool creatures.

Here we are ready for class 5 whitewater (not).

But you've gotta trust rafts that look so calm.

And the final stretch: flat sunny water flowing into the Caribbean.

Celebration time!

It was a wonderful trip, and we're still vaguely in touch (via FB) with several of our fellow travelers. Yay for adventures!