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This weekend we went on a 2-night trip to the rainforest in Río Celeste, in the province of Guanacaste. The day excursion on Saturday was tubing down the fast-moving river, Río Celeste. Normally this river is known for its light blue hue (Celeste, in Spanish) due to the reflection of light on certain minerals in the river. Since it has been raining here in the rainforest for a number of days, there was an increased sediment load in the river, which resulted in more of a greenish hue. Regardless of the color, the rapids, the scenery, and the adrenaline were absolutely unforgettable!
First, we took an hour bus ride to the adventure company's putout right on the river. They gave us helmets and life jackets to wear, as well as a funny briefing about what to expect.
We soon learned that the helmets were especially important because the banks hold dense rainforest, and often times there are low hanging branches and vines over the river. Next, we grabbed our tubes, walked down to the river, and split into groups so that each group had a river guide. The guide in my group had been tubing this river for 8 years!!
Then, we pushed off and the rapids swiftly carried us down the river.
Por cierto (by the way), we were doing class 1-2 rapids and it was the perfect level of movement, yet such a rush! Halfway through, we pulled up to one side of a calm portion of the river, ditched our tubes on the riverbank, and went for a swim.
Overall, this was a fantastic excursion. Many students said it was their favorite thing they've done the whole trip in Costa Rica! You simply cannot beat a gushing river lined by some of the most lovely rainforest one's ever seen!
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