IMAGES: PACUARE LODGE, COSTA RICA; BÖËNA WILDERNESS LODGES, COSTA RICA
COSTA RICA
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recariously perched at the nose of the bucking raft, I stab my paddle into the foam of a rapid, as the soothing noises of the rainforest — just moments ago layered birdsong and
sibilant river — are replaced by the frenzied roar of water meeting rocks. Behind me, an urgent shout: “Forw–ard! Forward!” I try to row but the inflatable boat pitches and I find myself aloft, sliding from my seat, feet slipping from their holds, my oar meeting nothing but air. What a terrible mistake this has been, I think, as the raft slams back into the water and I find I’m still on board: I am sure humans are not meant to contend with these forces, let alone sail them for sport. “Get down! Get down!” — another command from the guide at the stern. Our team of four rowers clumsily grab for the safety ropes, raise our oars, slither onto the cramped floor space and brace, all this in a second as the raft collides with a giant boulder and ricochets powerfully into calm, flat waters. What grade had that rapid been? A fearsome
IV? A death-defying V? “You survived your first grade II,” Marcello Delgado, calls out encouragingly. “Great work! Now, forward!” Despite a patter of well-tested jokes about this being his first day on the job, Cello (as we’re asked to call him) is a whitewater fanatic, passionate about spending his days instructing on the Pacuare River, the main artery of Costa Rica’s rafting scene. So too is the ‘safety kayaker’, Alex Cordero, a nimble scout who shoots down the rapids ahead of our raft to plot the route and scan for obstacles. It’s Alex, up in front, who models
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how to respect — not fear — the currents: he dances with the Pacuare, dipping, diving, twisting, turning and even floating backwards down her churning courses. When Cello moors the raft in a protected
bend for us to swim beneath a waterfall, the song of the rainforest fills my ears again — an indistinct, chattering chorus of insects and birds that seems amplified by the sheer sides of the gorge. As we tread water in the sun-dappled plunge pool, fish flitting at our ankles, he draws my eye to an iridescent blue morpho butterfly, as large as the span of his hand, flapping lazily between trees. “They like the water,” he says, simply, “like me.” Before we head on, Alex playfully conducts Eskimo rolls in the shallows — capsizing his kayak while still inside and righting it with core strength. This strange river, this impenetrable forest, on my first full day in Costa Rica — they’re transforming minute by minute into an enchanting playground. And that’s before we reach our destination. I’m rafting to one of the country’s most
notable eco-lodges, a water-turbine-powered retreat no roads can reach in the Caribbean- facing Limón province. Arriving soaked to the skin and sweating from exertion sets the tone for my days at Pacuare Lodge. Despite the elegance of its open-sided dining pavilion and 20 villas (all polished wood, sweeping terraces and fluttering drapes), this is a place to run wild. Somewhere to grow tanned as you hike in rubber boots through muddy nature trails; to float in an infinity pool during a rainstorm; to work up an appetite as you rappel down waterfalls and whizz along zip lines; and to enjoy the crackle of a bonfire as you dine on the river shore.
Clockwise from top: rafting the Pacuare River; rappelling, an experience available at the Pacuare Lodge; the open-sided dining pavillion Previous pages: Costa Rica is home to 53 species of hummingbirds
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