Costa Rica Whitewater Rafting Balsa River Class 2-3

Whitewater and Wildlife Arenal Rafting

PRICE
US$75

Costa Rica Rafting Class 2-3 Whitewater & Wildlife near the Arenal Volcano

Challenge yourself as you paddle down 10 kilometers of fun, rolling rapids!

You’ll combine exciting rapids with the chance to admire lush greenery and exotic birds and animals as you descend down this beautiful class 2-3 river. Your eagle-eyed guides will even point out the monkeys, sloths, and toucans along the way!

Enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch at charming rural location after your day full of nature and adventure. Then, we’ll drive you back to your hotel in our comfortable, air-conditioned vans with FREE WiFi!

The Rio Balsa is the perfect rafting tour for first-timers, families with children, nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and people who are simply looking for a fun rafting adventure in Costa Rica!

INCLUDES

Transportation to/from your hotel
Bilingual guides
Photographer
Tropical fruit break
Delicious meal

RECOMMENDED AGES

10-65 YEARS

DURATION

5 Hrs

WHAT TO BRING

Clothes to get wet in
Change of clothes
Secure shoes and a big smile!

DEPARTS

9:00am

Minimum People

1 Min

IMPORTANT NOTES

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Rafting in Costa Rica

Have a look at our Adventure Waiver if you have questions about our Costa Rica adventure tour policies.

We sell dry bags and Chum sunglass holders, river shoes, and commemorative souvenir Rio Balsa t-shirts at our office and in our EGO Store in case you need any last-minute supplies.

RESERVATION POLICIES

For reasons beyond our control (climate, river levels, etc.), we may change to a more suitable tour with an equal or similar adventure appeal or offer other tour options. We reserve the right to cancel a trip due to unfavorable conditions and will only run a tour according to our company policies. We have the most flexible cancellation policy in the industry: full refund is given if (on rare occasion) no tour is run. Adventure tours involve some inherent risk and physical exertion, so you must be in good physical condition to attempt them. As the pioneering rafting company in Costa Rica's wet & wild Northern Zone, we only have 2 rules: 1) Be Safe! and 2) Have Serious Fun!

NOTE: We have an extra transport charge for hotels outside of our normal pick-up zone.

READ CLIENT COMMENTS

7 Comments

This tour is outstanding! I have highly recommended it to my friends that are going there in a few months! So much fun, the tour guide was very professional and very skilled at rafting, giving us the exact amount of thrill that he thought we wanted. The stop for fresh fruit was so good - best pineapple ever! And the lunch at the end was very good. Even the pictures were worth buying, which I never like doing on these tours, but this one the pictures were not overly expensive.

Karen - September 17, 2017 at 1:55 AM

This raft trip was fantastic. Well trained guides who are very customer focused. Best whitewater rafting I've ever done. Sufficient adventure with class 2 and 3 rapids to intimidate but yet seem tame able. Beautiful river and countryside. Desafio seems to be the way to go. When trip ended I saw other companies have to load on buses wet. Desafio has an arrangement where yo go to a facility where you can shower and change before loading bus. Trip included a fruit stop during raft trip and lunch on way back to La Fortuna, and that was good tasting and plentiful. This raft trip is definitely a great value.

Ramon Vallejo - July 17, 2017 at 11:04 PM

Our family had an incredible time today with Johanny. It may have been raining but it was sunshine in our raft. This is our last family vacation before our son heads off to the Navy and we made some awesome memories. Thanks Johanny for a great ride.

Susan - January 8, 2017 at 7:28 PM

We picked a half day rafting trip,8:30-2:30, for our family of 5. It was awesome! Our 17 year old said it was her favorite adventure in CR. The crew, "Adan", were really enthusiastic and made even the downtime fun. We would highly recommend this trip for first time rafters. It was challenging, but not too scary. Lunch and fruit break were really good too. Thank you Desafio!

Gaye Walter - January 1, 2016 at 12:00 AM

Rafting was awesome. Guides were great. Got up close and personal with a sloth too which was super amazing.

hearn - November 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM

Romel was our guide on the Balsa River Class ii-iii tour. He was amazing! He made us feel very safe, but we also had fun. He is a rafting expert and we would request him if we get the opportunity to raft in Costa Rica again! Pura Vida!

Amanda Dunakin - July 18, 2015 at 12:00 AM

From the beginning of the trip until the very end, we spent our time laughing and having a blast on our rafting adventure! The trip was a first for a couple of us, but our guides were very thorough in their instructions and made the trip a memorable one, from the team Pura Vida "high 5s" to the fast paced rapids.We had wonderful time!! We voted this our top adventure experience during our week in Costa Rica. A special thank you to Hernan, we hope to see you on our next vacation. Mucho Gusto! Kevin, Pam, Erika and Alex Bishop

Kevin, Pam, Erika, and Alex - May 13, 2015 at 12:00 AM