2-Day Pacuare

Two days of Pacuare River rafting with a night at our lodge

All the rapids. All Time Fun.

Whitewater paradise on the Pacuare River

Two days of tackling 50+ class II, III, and IV rapids. A night at our ecolodge, located right in the Pacuare river canyon. One Tarzan Swing. Too many waterfalls to count cascading into the river. This trip packs it all in and it’s only two days long.

Quick Facts

Trip Cost: $335

Trip Meeting Time: 9:30AM

Minimum Age: 12 years old.


Lodging at a glance

Our rooms have flush toilets and hot showers

Meals are all included starting with lunch on day 1 and ending with lunch on day 2

Our lodge is immersed in the jungle yet comfortable with beds & soft cotton sheets


Adventures at a glance

Approximately 50+ rapids, split on day one and day three

Rapids are Class II, III, and IV.

We have the only Tarzan Swing on the Pacuare

Jump rocks on both day one and day two


2023 Pacuare Rafting

“We saw THREE sloths!!” – Google Review

2-Day Highlights

On day one, we spend the day rafting Class II and III rapids and arrive at our Pacuare eco-lodge. Once settled in, we’ll tackle the heart pounding Tarzan Swing, slinging you 200 feet off the ground. After dinner, we’ll fall asleep to the sound of the jungle tucked in our comfortable cabins. The next morning it’s back to whitewater, this time with back to back Class IVs in the Pacaure gorge. After dozens of rapids, the trip concludes in the town of Siquirres.

Trip Itinerary

We meet at La Cruz, which is near the town of Turrialba. The Pacuare River consists of progressive rafting, meaning day one starts us off with great warm up Class II and III, giving us plenty of time for the big Class IV whitewater the following day. Halfway through the day, we’ll stop for lunch which will be prepared by your guides. After lunch, we will paddle another 40 minutes to the Pacuare Outdoor Center eco-lodge. Here you’ll take a 10 minute trek through the jungle to get to our lodge which features breath-taking views of the Pacuare River canyon and surrounding mountains. Once you get settled into your room, you can enjoy the views or you can join us for our Tarzan Hour. We do this with all our groups at 4PM. During the Tarzan Hour, we take you to our Tarzan Swing which is a three minute walk from the lodge and cabins and you get to experience one of the most adrenaline pumping Tarzan swings you will find in the Americas. This is a great activity for the afternoon and if you’re not up for the rush you can watch from our viewing area while enjoying a cup of coffee or simply relax at the lodge. In the evening we will have dinner prepared for you while you listen to the rainforest come to life as the sun dips and the night begins.

The next morning on Day 2, you will wake up to the sun rising over the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Our lodge has views in the morning directly down the canyon towards the Caribbean. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll walk down to the rafts and launch immediately into POC Rapid which is just downstream. From here we’ll raft Class II and III whitewater until we hit the famous Pacuare gorge – get ready for some Class IV rapids! The tightening of the canyon also means that the side creeks get more dramatic with waterfalls pouring directly into the river. This is like nothing you’ll find anywhere else. Similar to day one, we’ll take a break halfway through the day for a lunch prepared by the guides, and then it’s more rafting. After we pass through the famous Dos Montanas section of the river, we float into the town of Siquirres, which is our takeout. Changing rooms and showers are available here, and once the rafts are loaded up, you’ll say bye to your guides (but we know you’ll be back, this trip is that good).

Why the Pacuare

“ …perhaps the greatest, family-friendly jungle raft trip in the world.”

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Steve Nyhof
Steve Nyhof
February 3, 2023.
POC is simply the best. I have been whitewater kayaking for almost 30 years and have paddled in a number of countries. The people at Pacuare Outdoor Centre run a top-rate professional operation catering to a wide variety of groups and individuals, and they do it in style. We booked months in advance from our home in Australia. POC communication was easy, fast and demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness to our queries. We knew we had found the right partner organisation. My family of 4 (kids aged 18+20) booked a 1-day canyon descent and 2 days of packrafting. No one else in the region appeared to offer solo packrafts. This was important to us as we prefer the control and skill-building that comes with it. Our private tour with POC was superb. We lodged with Tom and his family at their B&B about 15 minutes outside Turrialba. So much fun. Games of pool. Glorious sunrises looking out over the valley. Our best mattress experience by far in 2 weeks at various Costa Rican destinations. And the best: the dogs. Special mentions to Shaq, Rocky & Fraser. The meals prepared by Maritza were the best local meals we enjoyed on our trip. Gracias Maritza 🙂 The canyon was so much fun: 5 waterfall abseils over about 3 hours. A very local company indeed, Johan and Ariel of Infinity Green Tours were professional, safety focussed and fun. Pura Vida! A mid-canyon fresh fruit snack beside Johan's aunt's house provided energy and a nice break half-way along. Then we were honoured to be invited to Johan's house where his mother had prepared a lovely lunch. Our first day of packrafting was on the Pejibaye River. This was our warm-up day. Our head guide Luis "Luigi" gave us one of the better whitewater briefings I've experienced: comprehensive but not condescending. Then we paddled the lower part of the river, which was fairly continuous class II/II+. This was a great time for the guides to reinforce basic skills. And a bit of surfing. The Kokopelli packrafts proved to be compact, responsive and surprisingly stable. What I liked best was the format of the day. After running the lower part of the river (a bit over an hour), we drove upriver and ran a slightly harder section followed by a re-run of the lower section. This was psychologically important; while the lower seemed intimidating on the first run for my family, it was just easy and fun on the second. It was a great opportunity to re-examine fear in light of very recent experience. POC had recommended running the Lower Pacuare for the next day, spending the night at their on-river lodge and rafting down the grade IV rapids the next day. We explained that we really wanted to packraft individually. POC was amazing in adapting their plan to honour our wishes. We instead ran the Upper Upper Pacuare - a wonderful boulder-filled 10km stretch with fairly continuous class II+/III. The one IV we portaged. POC was flexible in letting me kayak the day while the rest continued in the packrafts. It was a perfect level-up on the day before and everyone had a blast. We ran it in 'expedition style' with a defined order; Luigi leading 2 of our team, followed by Cookie leading the final 2. It was a very well ordered arrangement allowing everyone to follow clear lines down the rapids. A special shout out to Cookie, our kayak safety guide who was so much fun on the rivers. POC took care of all our transportation needs during our stay; it was so convenient and the drivers were reliable and safe on those crazy mountain roads. We didn't make it to POC's lodge on the Lower Pacuare on this trip. It looks amazing and surely represents a compelling reason for our return one day. If you are Turrialba-bound, consider POC for your adventure partner; you are unlikely to regret it.
Rebecca Hosen
Rebecca Hosen
January 25, 2023.
What an amazing place this is! I can’t thank our guides Ivan, Andres, and Max enough. The best hosts, cooks and river guides! Our lodge was so clean, no bugs, comfy beds and the sounds of the jungle to fall asleep to. I would recommend this experience to anyone. Pura Vida ✌🏽🌿🦥
Aaron Jams
Aaron Jams
January 24, 2023.
A truly unforgettable experience -- I can't recommend Pacuare Outdoor Center enough for the trip of a lifetime. Whitewater rafting, canopy ziplining, mountain biking, waterfall hikes, tarzan swinging, and more unreal adventures all take place in the most beautiful locations in Costa Rica. All excursions are guided by the friendliest, most professional staff anyone could ask for. Luigi and his guide team are incredibly talented at what they do and ensure everyone is having fun, informed, well-fed, and most importantly extremely safe. I never expected to learn so much about the breathtaking and culturally-rich country of Costa and I can't recommend the Pacuare Outdoor Center enough. Anyone - from families, groups, to solo travelers - will have the time of their lives. I definitely did. The lodging and locations are first-rate. Super clean, comfortable, and well maintained by the POC staff. Shout outs to Luigi, Eddie, Max, Andres, Mauricio, Fernando, Rafa, Tom, and all the other team members for making this trip one that I will never forget. They truly felt like family and really go out of their way to give first-class service to everyone. I can't wait for my next adventure with POC - this will not be the last. 11 out 10 stars. Absolutely incredible.
Jaryn Pierson
Jaryn Pierson
January 24, 2023.
The crew at Pacuare Outdoor Center took care of everything from start to finish. There’s something to be said about a group of Costa Rican Raft Guides serving up their home cuisine on the side of the river using the raft you just floated through rapids on as the dinner table. Not to be missed!
Christian parsons
Christian parsons
January 24, 2023.
When you come to this experience you think you know what your getting into based on the pictures and videos, but it is so much more. Between the staff and the accommodations you are so completely taken care of. You can effortlessly enjoy yourself while you see the best parts of Turrialba. This trip will push you. You will face your fears and do things you never thought you could. It’s the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. After a full day of zip lining through the greenest forests you have ever seen you get driven back to a beautiful lodge where the food is delicious and the beer is cold. You can raft down rapids and stop on the shore for a homemade meal. It’s an experience I will never forget. If you’re looking for a travel package to see this country, this is the one.
Christopher Jordan
Christopher Jordan
January 24, 2023.
I only gave this five stars, because I didn’t have the option for six. This was by far the best trip experience I’ve ever had. Luigi, our guide for the trip. Blew away my expectations regarding his knowledge of the wildlife in Costa Rica, and also how thoughtful the country is with how they use their resources. The activities on the trip were more fun than I expected, which was still quite a lot. What made it better was how the entire guide team did a stellar job educating me on how to do things like the zip line, the Tarzan swing, and rafting. Not only that, but the guide team was warm and inviting in their friendliness. I really felt like I made lifelong friends in this experience. Long story short, you’d be short some brain cells if you didn’t book this trip and experience Costa Rica the way it’s supposed to be.
Rachelle Schouten
Rachelle Schouten
January 24, 2023.
We brought a group here with our company and we could not be more happy with the entire experience. The entire crew were friendly and trustworthy and everyone in our group keeps raving about the food, activities, and crew. I would recommend this company to anyone and everyone who wants to travel to Costa Rica.
Debbe Simmons
Debbe Simmons
January 24, 2023.
This is a MUST!!! We had the best time ever. The guides are the BEST! Luigi and his team of guides make the trip incredible. Their knowledge of the animals and nature was really great we learned a lot. The homemade food was incredible it was good and natural. Loved the white water rafting and zip lining. The lodge was natural and beautiful 👍 This is our first trip to Costa Rica and we will be back each year and always we will come to Tom and his lodge. Come visit you’ll be glad you did.
Ashley Nee
Ashley Nee
January 23, 2023.
Absolute paradise! Best people, accommodations and activities! I will be coming back every year! Can't recommend Tom and his crew enough!