Destination: Pacuare Valley and Ossa Peninsular
Essence of the trip:
A journey from the highlands of Costa Rica to its stunning coast that includes interacting with the indigenous and deeply private Cabecar tribe, extreme white water rafting and traversing the Ossa Peninsula by foot and kayak. This trip brings to life the extreme and varied environments of this tropical country and goes off the beaten track to arenas where few people travel. From beautiful highlands to beguiling lowlands, this is the quintessential tropical expedition.
This trip will give you:
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The opportunity to meet and spend time living with and learning from the deeply private Cabecar Indians which few people are able to do.
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The experience of rafting some of the most extreme waters in the world over a three day intense river expedition.
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The euphoria on completing your lowland trek and sea kayaking expedition along the Ossa Peninsula knowing that you have completed an incredible remote highland interior to sea expedition through challenging environments whilst also learning from and being inspired by a deeply spiritual people.
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The stunning contrasts and scenery that Costa Rica has to offer whilst combining a fantastic selection of water based activities from canyoning and rafting in the rainforest to sea kayaking and trekking along the remote Pacific coastline.
Details:
The trip begins in San Jose from where you will set out on the morning of the second day to Turrialba area for a first day of canyoning and running the Rio Pejibaye in kayaks, the perfect fix of adventure to introduce you to the expedition. Following this, the next day will see you travel to the stunning Pacuare rainforest to begin a days work of journeying through the verdant, mountainous region. The day will begin on mountain bikes with your guides taking you through extreme terrain before transferring by foot to walk for half a day to the remote Pacauare Valley where few tourists ever get to and brings an imposing sense of isolation.
In the Pacuare Valley you will meet and spend time with the Cabecar Indians who over the course of the next two days will bring you into their community, show you how to live off the land and introduce you to a way of life that is very spiritual and which few people have ever had access to. Included in this experience will be time spent learning how to hunt and then heading into the depths of the rainforest with tribal members to find food for the community.
After two days with the Cabecar you then begin the start of your epic river expedition through the Upper Pacuare valley on class 3 -4 rapids. An area of river that is seldom run, this is a spectacular experience high in the rainforested valley with lush jungle and cascading waterfalls around you. Over the following two days you will then raft the extreme sections of the Lower Pacaure, recognised as being one of the top rivers in the world for the beauty and of environment and quality of rafting.
Moving from the lower reaches of the Pacuare Valley your journey will continue to the lower level of the country and specifically the Ossa Peninsula where on the seventh day you will sea kayak along a stunning stretch of coastline that will test your physical fitness in the waters and also allow you to see some of the incredible marine life in the area. Moving inland, the following day sees the start of the two day Corcovado trek. This journey takes you deep into lowland rainforest where you will have the opportunity to see a wonderful variety of wildlife from monkeys and jaguar to eagles and American crocodiles. The area you will be trekking through is extremely remote and is rarely visited by tourists giving you an exceptional experience of isolated, immersive trekking in a beguiling environment.
At the end of the Corcovado trek you will arrive at the mouth of the Rio Sirena where you can see an abundance of caiman and sharks. From here you will take a boat to San Pedrillo and trek to Bahia Paraiso and Drake Bay where for the next two days you can enjoy the beautiful warming waters and relaxation that this tropical paradise brings. The Eco lodge where you will stay is a great location to end your adventure; relaxing in luxury tents with beds and electricity. Bahia is situated in an area only accessible by foot or boat. Here you can swim in its protected bay along the beach, sea kayak, snorkel or just relax. It is a stunning beach location; the birdlife is amazing and it really is exotic and off the beaten track place to relax and reflect on your adventure.
Take an unusual boat transfer out via the coastal mangroves to Sierpe, situated on the Rio Sierpe and catch your aircraft back to San Jose.
A fitting way to end your epic rainforest to sea expedition.
If you are interested in taking this trip and would like to discuss it in more detail with our team of experts get in touch here or call us on 0207 426 9899 (UK) or 1-888 341 9663 (US) to start planning your trip.