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How To Raft The Pacuare River To/From Manuel Antonio Or Between Manuel Antonio And *Choose A Location*?

How To Raft The Pacuare River To/From Manuel Antonio Or Between Manuel Antonio And *Choose A Location*?
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Last updated on May 2nd, 2020 at 11:15 am

Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

Costa Rica Travel Consulting Nikki Solano

You asked…

How can I raft the Pacuare River to/from Manuel Antonio? How can I raft the Pacuare River between Manuel Antonio and another location, such as La Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo? How can I raft the Pacuare River between La Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo and Manuel Antonio?

We answered…

The Pacuare River rafting tour is run to/from the Siquirres area of the country and offers pick-ups/drop-offs in the San Jose, La Fortuna/Arenal, and Puerto Viejo areas (as well as the less popular Turrialba, Siquirres, Guapiles, Cahuita, and Sarapiqui areas). If you plan to take the tour from Manuel Antonio, we would recommend planning to spend at least 1 (if not 2) nights in San Jose. Depending on the location of the San Jose/Alajuela hotel you choose to stay at, the tour will depart from the region anywhere between 6:00am-6:30am. Given that Manuel Antonio is an approximate 3-3.5 hour drive from San Jose, if you opt to take the tour without spending the previous night in San Jose you would need to leave the Manuel Antonio area around 2:00am in order to make it to San Jose in time to catch the tour. Spending 1 night in the San Jose region before planning to raft the next day will allow you to make the drive between Manuel Antonio during the afternoon/evening the day before your tour reservation, raft the Pacuare River starting early the next day, and then return to San Jose that evening (ideally, spending a 2nd night there). If/when travellers do not want to spend a 2nd night in the San Jose/Alajuela region they can make the drive back to Manuel Antonio following the rafting trip, however we do not recommend doing so as most travellers tire from the day’s events and do not enjoy the approximate 3-3.5 hour drive to Manuel Antonio after arriving into San Jose upon completion of the rafting tour (typically around 6:00pm, although the exact time is dependent on highway traffic, the size of the rafting group, and river conditions that determine the speed at which the river is run).

For those who wish to raft the Pacuare River between Manuel Antonio and another location, such as La Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo, we would recommend planning to spend at least 1 night in San Jose. Depending on the location of the San Jose/Alajuela hotel you choose to stay at, the tour will depart from the region anywhere between 6:00am-6:30am. Given that Manuel Antonio is an approximate 3-3.5 hour drive from San Jose, if you opt to take the tour without spending the previous night in San Jose you would need to leave the Manuel Antonio area around 2:00am in order to make it to San Jose in time to catch the tour. Spending 1 night in the San Jose region before planning to raft the next day will allow you to make the drive between Manuel Antonio during the afternoon/evening the day before your tour reservation, raft the Pacuare River starting early the next day, and then continue on from there to either the La Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo region (taking advantage of the tour operator’s complimentary transportation to these areas). Alternatively, if you wish to raft the Pacuare River between la Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo and Manuel Antonio, we would recommend planning for a reverse itinerary: reserving the Pacuare River rafting tour with a pick-up in La Fortuna/Arenal or Puerto Viejo, participating in the rafting tour during the day, and opting for a drop-off in the San Jose/Alajuela region after tour completion. After spending 1 night in the San Jose area, you can depart from there bright and early the next day on to Manuel Antonio.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Read our related response: What Do I Do With My Luggage When I Raft The Pacuare River?

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Filed Under: Costa Rica Questions and Answers, Travelers' Costa Rica Questions and Answers
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  • January 31, 2017 at 2:30 pm #196449
    Alex
    Guest

    How much time does it usually takes for the whole process of reservation (request, feedback from the company, etc.) ? I’d like to do the tour and the discount is interesting but the date i’m looking for is in 10 days!

  • January 31, 2017 at 5:19 pm #196450
    Nikki Solano
    Keymaster

    Alex –

    Thank you so much for your comment! Would it be possible for you to email us at info@puravidaeh.ca as soon as you receive notice of this message? We are concerned because we have sent you 5 emails over the past week and have not received a response to any (3 emails were in regards to the river rafting reservation, 1 email was in regards to the sky adventures reservation, and 1 email was in regards to a different answer response). The email address we are sending the messages to is alexandrebourgeois55@hotmail.com which I believe is correct, but I am not sure you are receiving our emails. Perhaps if you email us at the address provided above we can respond to your message and you will be able to receive our contact that way. 🙂 In addition, would it be possible to check your email account’s junk mail folder? It is possible that our 5 sent email messages may be in there if your account provider marked them as spam.

    Until soon!

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