Day Two on the Pacuare River-
This lower stretch is my favorite part of the seven rivers I have been on in Costa Rica. The mix of rapids, beauty, speed variation and then, bam, there is “Dos Montañas” (Two Mountains). If it were legal, I would have my family bury me here. We still might find a way to make that happen.
We are with a unique group on this trip. We have five professional SUPpers. Not the dinner kind, although we did see a couple of them eat it a few times. These are Stand Up Paddleboarders (SUP) with Badfish and Hala boards. This is the first time I have seen them in action on a river. I always thought it looked so peaceful on a lake, but on a river… it appeals so much more to me as an innocent by-boarder, I mean, by-stander. Watching these gals and guys shoot the same rapids as the kayaks and rafts is killer. Our river guides are even caught trading out their kayaks for these inflatable river sticks, on a few features.
We couldn’t resist the offer to try this out and catch a few waves, rapids, and rocks on the way down. The kids hitchhiked a few ripples and are arguably the youngest to SUP on the Pacuare.
This stretch of the river takes you by waterfalls, through terraced rapids, then makes you earn an entrance to my favorite place, Dos Montañas. Empty kayaks are a common site entering the sanctuary of the mountains. The storm before the calm spits you between two sheer walls, smooth water, with a distant exit of lush green leaves. We can’t resist abandoning the boats and swimming in this canyon. Normally this stretch is reserved for 12 years-old and above. However, with a few dollars and some chocolate milk we convinced the guides to let our kids go down. Kidding. The water level had dropped just enough it was deemed safe for everyone to enjoy. We were all in. So glad the family was able to see this with me. I had tried to explain it to them but now they know what I was trying to describe.
You just read about it, now you can watch it! Link:Two Days Floating in Paradise
