Add dates

La Fortuna River rafting

Our most recommended La Fortuna River rafting

La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Upper Balsa Class 3 and 4 Rapids

1. La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Upper Balsa Class 3 and 4 Rapids

After being collected from your hotel, you will make your way to the rafting site. Once there you will undergo a brief orientation session, before taking to the river to experience class III and IV white water rafting on the beautiful Balsa River. You will navigate 10 kilometers of white water rapids, stopping along the way to rest a bit. You can also indulge in a little swimming, and enjoy some fresh Costa Rica fruit. Following your white water rafting, you will receive a clean towel and cold complimentary water. You will then be taken to a local restaurant to have a Costa Rica style lunch and coffee, before eventually being returned back to your accommodation.

La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Balsa River Class 2 & 3 Rafting

2. La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Balsa River Class 2 & 3 Rafting

Get picked up from your accommodation in La Fortuna and set off for the beautiful Balsa River. Meet your expert guides who are rafting specialists who have competed around the world. After a quick orientation and safety instructions, climb aboard your raft to begin your wet adventure. Begin your 2.5-hour rafting tour as you navigate thrilling class 2 and 3 rapids. As you paddle downstream keep your eyes peeled for native wildlife including sloths, monkeys, exotic birds, and a lot more.  Halfway through the trip, take a well-earned rest stop on the riverbank. Here, take the opportunity to freshen up with a swim or enjoy some fresh Costa Rican fruit as a light snack.

From La Fortuna: Zip-Line and Rafting Adventure

3. From La Fortuna: Zip-Line and Rafting Adventure

Feel the rush of whitewater rafting and zip-lining on this full day tour from La Fortuna. Keep your energy up during your action-packed day with complimentary snacks and drinks. Savor authentic flavors with a fresh lunch at a rural farmhouse.  Be picked up from your accommodation in and relax on the drive to the zipline. Put on your high-quality gear and soar through the the rainforest canopy with exceptional views of local birdlife.  Get your heart-pumping as you cruise through the class 2-3 rapids on the beautiful Balsa river on a guided rafting tour. Stop at a community farmhouse for an organic meal prepared by a local family on a wood stove. Soak up the atmosphere rural lifestyle in Costa Rica before returning to your accommodation in La Fortuna. 

Rafting Class 3-4 "Jungle Run": Río Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

4. Rafting Class 3-4 "Jungle Run": Río Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Take an exciting break during your travels to your new vacation destination! Bring on the adrenaline and enjoy the "Jungle Run" on the Sarapiqui River. This is the perfect rafting trip for adventurous paddlers! Get piked up from your hotel and travel through small Costa Rican villages to the quaint town of San Miguel de Sarapiquí. There, your professional rafting guide will give you the 101 on rafting including safety tips and technical instructions before heading on your 2 hour journey down one of Costa Rica’s most exuberant rivers! During your descent down the river, you will experience over 30 exciting rapids along 10 km of lush, vibrant rainforest. As you make your way through exciting rapids like "The Pipeline," "The Terminator," and "Dos Locos", you will get your adrenaline pumping! About half way down the river, you’ll stop and watch the rapids from the shore, while enjoying refreshing tropical fruit and relaxing with the rest of the group. Then, after the second leg of your rafting journey, you’ll finish the day with an unforgettable homemade lunch before heading to your next vacation destination!

Arenal Volcano Raft and ATV Tour Adventure

5. Arenal Volcano Raft and ATV Tour Adventure

Get the best Adventure Tour in Costa Rica. Start your day with a bang with our Rafting and ATV Adventure Combo in Arenal. In the morning, the guide will pick you up at your hotel for your adventure. After safety instructions and a bit of practice you’ll soon be off and running. You will feel the power of the La Fortuna Waterfall and experience the beauty of the canyon walls on your morning ATV Quad tour. Relish breathtaking views of Arenal Volcano as you pass through tropical plantations of banana, papaya, yucca, avocado along with black pepper and fruit trees. Next stop, white water rafting in Rio Balsa. Your rafting guide will teach you everything you need to know and give you some time to demonstrate your skills before taking off on an action-packed two hour rafting tour, which winds through the heart of the Rainforest. Known for its fun, thrilling white water rapids including magnetic rock and dredges and the Balsa River is one of the best in the area. Don’t forget to take in the natural beauty between rapids! Perhaps you will spot a monkey or sloth along the route. You guide will stop along the way, so you can jump off the banks or take a swim. They will prepare fresh tropical fruits and offer you a refreshing ice cold drink. At the end of the tour, you will be treated to a well deserved Costa Rican lunch.

La Fortuna: Half-Day Wildlife Safari Float

6. La Fortuna: Half-Day Wildlife Safari Float

This safari float on the Peñas Blancas River offers a relaxing way to enjoy the abundant wildlife surrounding the banks of this lush paradise. Use your hands to take pictures of the rainforest canopy teeming with monkeys or take a closer look of a tropical bird with your binoculars while you float in this oar boat where your expert naturalist will paddle and you will relax like the iguanas nearby sunning themselves on the branches. The trip begins with a twenty minute drive from Fortuna to the river. You will float down the river for the duration of approximately 2-hours during which you will have an opportunity to see much of Costa Rica's famous wildlife and have an interactive conversation with your expert guide. At the end of the river portion of this trip, you will arrive at a local working farm where the owner is a well-known Costa Rican horse breeder and trainer. His wife also makes delicious typical homemade snacks and serves these treats with a world-renowned coffee made the old fashioned way in a special “sock”. If you prefer juice over coffee, then there will be something for everyone's desires. By the way, everything you eat at this farm comes directly from the land to you.

Costa Rica: Río Balsa Half-Day Rafting Adventure

7. Costa Rica: Río Balsa Half-Day Rafting Adventure

See amazing wildlife and enjoy plenty of whitewater fun on this half-day rafting adventure, right near the base of the Arenal Volcano! Perfect for families and first-timers! Challenge yourself as you paddle through fun and safe rolling rapids with names like "Congo Loco" and "Rock around the Croc", plus the challenging “Las Dragas” section. Then play around in tranquil river pools in an isolated rainforest river canyon. Your professional, experienced bilingual guides will give you a safety talk and paddling instruction, lifejackets and helmets before you begin. You'll spot wildlife including monkeys, sloths and tropical birds such as ospreys, Oropendolas and toucans. This unique river trip is the perfect combination of adventure and nature. We call this our “Whitewater & Wildlife” tour. Enjoyable for kids and adults alike! After nearly 30, fun, easy-rolling rapids, you’ll have some delicious fresh fruit and end at our private take-out to change into your dry clothes in our dressing rooms. We then take you to have a delicious, home-cooked, traditional Costa Rican meal, which is guaranteed to please!

Arenal Volcano Raft and Canopy Tour Adventure

8. Arenal Volcano Raft and Canopy Tour Adventure

Double your fun and save money with Wave Expedition’s Raft & Canopy Combo tour. This action-packed duo combo tour offers maximum thrills and adventure.  In the morning, get picked up at your hotel for your zip-line adventure.  After gearing up and getting safety instructions from your guide, you will experience the excitement and fun as you zip from tree to tree with the rainforest canyon below. But the fun doesn’t stop here.  Next stop -- the Rio Balsa -- is known for fun-filled, thrilling Class II-III white water rapids including “Magnetic Rock” and “Dredges.”  Your two-hour rafting tour winds through the heart of the rainforest along this beautiful, tropical river.  Enjoy a delightful swim in the Balsa River.  Then, refresh yourself with fresh tropical fruits and a cold drink.  At the end of the tour, enjoy a tasty Costa Rican lunch. The tour is pure fun, great for adults and kids aged 8 and older. 

Arenal Volcano Raft and Rappel Adventure

9. Arenal Volcano Raft and Rappel Adventure

Give your Costa Rica vacation a kick-start into action with this full-day rafting and rappelling adventure from La Fortuna. First, take a 30-minute 4x4 drive outside of La Fortuna. Visit a picturesque area in the shadow of Arenal Volcano, then feel the excitement of rappelling into a pristine rainforest canyon. Enjoy five rappels in all: one along a dry rock face, and four alongside or inside waterfalls. Afterward, take a short trek out of the canyon onto a rainforest trail, where you will again jump into a 4x4 and head to the Balsa River. Here your guides will explain the proper safety procedures and provide you with rafting equipment. Once ready, you'll launch into the water for two exhilarating hours of whitewater rafting action. Get wet and wild as you raft through class 2-3 rapids, such as the “Magnetic Rock” and “Dredges”. End your journey at San Carlos Bridge where you can swim and enjoy some fresh tropical fruits before being treated to lunch at La Casona Rio Fortuna. Experience the genuine and peaceful way of country life in Costa Rica as you dine on a delicious meal prepared on a wood stove and served in the traditional Costa Rican manner.

Costa Rica Whitewater Rafting Class 3/4 from La Fortuna

10. Costa Rica Whitewater Rafting Class 3/4 from La Fortuna

If you want more than just scenic views of Mt. Arenal, how about a 13-kilometer river ride through a canyon with class 3/4 rapids and heart-pumping excitement? And the volcano in the background, of course. This run along the Toro (bull) River, fed by waters from the Poas volcanic region, offers some of Costa Rica’s most thrilling rafting - big waves, technical rapids and continuous whitewater. The dramatic rain forest and canyon setting only heightens the experience. Your full-day adventure, usually about 7 hours, begins with a scenic drive from La Fortuna through the eastern part of central Costa Rica, past pineapple, papaya and yucca fields. Once we reach our destination, our experienced guides will review the rules and safety guidelines for the river, and your job as paddlers. Then we take the plunge and head downriver. With half the thrills behind you and another half to go, we will “re-fuel” on the riverbank with some delicious tropical fruit while soaking in the tropical surroundings. River time varies between 2.5 and 3 hours, depending on changing daily water flow. At the end of our journey, a cold drink and dry towel await you before a short ride to a spot where you can change into dry clothes and enjoy a delicious Costa Rican lunch.

33 activities found
Sort by:
Page 1 of 3

Frequently asked questions about La Fortuna

What top attractions are a must-see in La Fortuna?

The must-see attractions in La Fortuna are:

What are the best day trips and excursions from La Fortuna?

The best day trips and excursions from La Fortuna are:

Arenal Volcano

Other Sightseeing Options in La Fortuna

Want to discover all there is to do in La Fortuna? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about La Fortuna

Overall rating

4.8 / 5

based on 38 reviews

Great experience, one of the highlighjts of the whole trip to Costa Rica, highly recommend. Both part are amazing, during zip line you will see amazing views and fly over two waterfalls, rafting is just pure fun and also during calm ("safari") part you ahve a chance to see some animals (sloths, iguanas, bats!). Would like to also highlight our amazing rafting guide Mario!

Had a great time with all they guides Myron, Brian and Carlos! They were all super knowledgeable about the area and very accommodating to anything we needed. The lunch was amazing as well, it was Costa Rican food which was entirely grown from the property. I would definitely recommend this tour if you are looking for a full day of water activities!

We had the funniest Rafting Tour Guido Immanol with us and were really lucky to see monkeys, sloths, Red frogs and even a tucan! In total we were busy from approx. 9am until 2pm. (Only minor criticism: I felt a bit rushed after getting out of the boats. There was barely enough time get changed before getting back on the van).

I can't even put it into words, super great experience, the team is great, the trip is a pure adventure and the food is fantastic, you just have to try it.

Efficient, safe and Allen was so good as a guide. Wet, fun and exhilarating. Thank you Arenal Rafting Company.