Our homebase for our river operation and your launching point for Pacuare River rafting is Turrialba.
The official population of Turrialba is 26,680 people, which was last taken in 2011. Since then the city has grown, so the true population is higher than this.
Turrialba is located at an elevation of 646 meters, which is 2,119 feet above sea level. It is considered to be on the Caribbean side, with all waterways flowing eventually into the Caribbean Ocean.
Two big corporations that Americans will recognize call Turrialba home. This is Firestone Tires as well as Rawlings – yes, that Rawlings – all MLB baseballs are made right here in Turrialba.
A bit more on the baseballs: The baseball factory is shrouded in secrecy. They’re not open to the public and just a handful of photos from inside the factory can be found online.
The Turrialba Valley is home to three rivers: The Turrialba River, Reventazon and the Pejibaye River. The Pacuare River, is located one drainage away.
The Pacuare River, which is considered one of the best whitewater rafting rivers in the world, and certainly the best in Costa Rica, is located ~30 minutes away from Turrialba.
The Turrialba Valley is famous for its coffee and chocolate. Aquiares Coffee is one of the original, if not the first, coffee farms to export their rich and flavorful Costa Rican coffee. And towards the Pacuare, Nortico Cacao Farm farms cacao and makes award-winning chocolate.
There are six active volcanoes in Costa Rica, and one of them is the Turrialba Volcano. On clear days, at the summit, you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Its height caps out at 3,340 meters or 10,958 feet.
Turrialba is just under two hours drive from the capitol, San Jose. From the Caribbean, it’s also just two hours away. And the Pacific Ocean is 2 hours and 50 minutes. Remember, all driving times are subject to weather, road conditions and traffic!
There are two universities in Turrialba. The University of Costa Rica has a campus here (across the street from our office, in fact) and a little further down the road is CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza or The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center). Pronounced “Cat Yay” not “Katie”.
Looking at the topography of the Turrialba Valley, it’s no surprise that it’s home to dozens of famous waterfalls such as Cataratas las Trillizas, Aquiares Waterfall, and more.
The El Camino de Costa Rica, otherwise known as the Mar a Mar, a famous hiking trek that stretches from the Caribbean to the Pacific, and passes along the Turriabla Valley. The route takes you through the small towns of Silencio and Sitio de Mata. This portion of the trek is known as one of the prettiest segments of the trail with views of Turrialba and our lake, Lake Angostura.
Turrialba is home to the best adventures that Costa Rica has to offer. Whitewater rafting, waterfall rappelling, canyoning, SUP, mountain biking, paragliding, and more have made it the adventure sports capitol of Costa Rica.