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Costa Rica Whitewater Rafting
Overview
Location
Dates & Cost
Itinerary
Reviews
Overview
12 days | Rio Pacuare & Rio Sarapiquí | Ages 14-18 | $3, 305 USD
Join OBCR and HIOBS for a dashing 12-day adventure through Costa Rica’s legendary rivers, the Rio Pacuare and Rio Sarapiquí. This course offers the perfect blend of skill-building, teamwork, and adventure as you learn the art of whitewater rafting while navigating Class II, III, and IV rapids.
Location
On this OBCR course, students will begin their journey at our high-altitude rainforest basecamp before heading to the Rio Sarapiquí and Rio Pacuare—two of Costa Rica’s top rivers for year-round rafting. While staying in a tranquil treehouse-style lodge, students will learn about the local flora and fauna from the lodge’s owners, who built it in harmony with the surrounding nature.
This area is rich in cultural history, as it is the ancestral land of several indigenous nations, including the Chorotega, Malécu, Bribri, and Ngäbé, among others. The perfect combination of adventure and cultural immersion awaits in Costa Rica’s wild, jungle rivers.
Dates & Cost
Dates: Jun. 22 – July. 3, 2025 (Session #1)
Jul. 13 – Jul. 24, 2025 (Session #2)
Aug. 3 – Aug. 14, 2025 (Session #3)
Cost: $4, 750 USD | £3, 728 GBP | C$6624 CAD | €4, 478 EUR
Tuition includes all room and board, technical gear, course activities, and in-country transportation. Airfare to/from Costa Rica is not included in the listed tuition cost.
Please note the original course prices are set in U.S. Dollars (USD). Prices above are shown for your reference, based on the exchange rate of the last website update on October 17, 2025. The final course price will be based on the exchange rate at the time of payment.
Itinerary
PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample itinerary. Details are subject to change.
Day 1
Fly into Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) to meet your new friends and course mates. A scenic one-hour drive will take you through the city and into the rolling hills of the country’s Central Valley to our Mountain Rainforest Base. Arrive at basecamp and enjoy a welcome meal with your group. Settle in for a great night’s sleep in our Rainforest Base furnished bunk bed dorms.
Day 2
Transfer to Sarapiqui River (Class II-III), stay overnight in a secluded treehouse-style lodge.
Day 3 – 4
Rafting Sarapiquí – learning the ropes of white water rafting/kayaking.
Day 5
Expedition prep & transfer to the Pacuare area.
Day 6 – 10
Pacuare expedition (Class III-IV).
Day 11
Return to base, gear de-issue, cleaning, final celebration dinner.
Day 12
Transfer to the Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) for departure. Say hasta luego to your friends and coursemates. Nos vemos pronto en Costa Rica!
Accommodation
Accommodation varies throughout this course but will include beachfront camping with tents and sleeping pads and community dorm room bunk beds, comfortable foam futons on the beach bungalow floor. All participants are provided sleeping pads and sleeping bags and bedding material.
Reviews
"My experience was filled with laughter, knowledge, and new friends. The most meaningful part was the service because we helped Costa Rican school kids have a better school. I loved the first aid training, too!"
"This was the perfect way to explore new places and oneself. I learned that I can lead and support people in my immediate vicinity and give strength and positivity to a team. The most meaningful part of it to me was being part of a family that genuinely supported each other through struggles and successes."
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