Upper Balsa River White Water Rafting Class 3/4 in Costa Rica
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take advantage of some of northern Costa Rica’s best white-water rafting on this full-day, guided tour with traditional lunch included. Paddle through the rainforest and over the rapids of the Balsa River stopping along to swim and rest in nature. After your adventure is done enjoy a Costa Rican style lunch at a local restaurant.
- Class III and IV white-water rafting adventure
- 9-miles (15-kilometers) of paddling down the Balsa River
- Enjoy a break to swim, relax, snack and have a beer
- Lunch at a local restaurant after your rafting trip
Sample Menu
Main
Costa Rican Casado
A casado is a meal using rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, and an optional protein source such as chicken, beef, pork, fish and so on.
What's Included
- Fruits on the river
- Lunch
- Bottled water
- Transportation from hotels located less than 6 km away from our main office
- Towel
- Pick up time may vary up to 20 min depending on hotel's location.
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase) at the end of the tour.
- We do extra pickups in some hotels for a charge of $40
- Pick up service at hotels located over 6 km away from our main office
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:20 am
What To Expect
1
Arenal Rafting
2
Rancho Mi Tata To Go
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Eric_D
Our guide, Carlos was amazing. Informative, funny, nice, and high energy. Transportation to inform was seamless, with all important information discussed during the transit. The rafting itself was incredibly thrilling. We were not expecting that intensity, but it was a blast. The Shoreline stop with fresh fruit was great. Scenery was amazing and they pointed out several sloths and monkeys along the way. The ending lunch was actually delicious and a big surprise. Highly recommend these people. If you end up with Carlos, consider yourself lucky!
Reviews
5.0
based on 1,951 reviews
Rochelle_A, May 2026
This was a great activity that our whole family enjoyed. I don’t think the rapids were actually class 3/4 at the end of dry season in April, but we had a great time on the river. Guides were experienced and very fun. They made sure to point out birds, iguanas and a sloth in the forest as we passed. The tour was well run - we stopped off at a little souvenir shop on the way for toilets and purchases (turned out it had the best prices we found in Costa Rica). The lunch after the trip was very delicious!
Emily_B, Apr 2026
A fantastic trip with great guides and thrilling rapids! We have rafted before and this was by far the best experience to date! Tom is the best!!
Lindsay_I, Apr 2026
SO much fun! Great time with family. I would highly recommend Arenal Rafting company. Professional and easy to work with. Highlight of our CR trip!
josh_w, Apr 2026
YES! BOOK IT! We went on day one of our trip and also did ziplines, night tours, Manuel Antonio, and more. This was the favorite activity of ALL members of our family. You get a great rush and it is for people of all ages! The guides are fantastic! DO IT!
Chad_M, Apr 2026
all of the guides were awesome! They enjoy their job and make sure you have fun also. highly recommend for a fun day!
kamryn_y, Apr 2026
it was incredible. Edwin was our guide & he made the experience so great, truly. you can tell all of these guides love what they do & want to make your experience the best. so grateful for this experience! we saw tucán, iguanas, and a sloth. lots of cool wildlife!
Eric_D, Apr 2026
Our guide, Carlos was amazing. Informative, funny, nice, and high energy. Transportation to inform was seamless, with all important information discussed during the transit. The rafting itself was incredibly thrilling. We were not expecting that intensity, but it was a blast. The Shoreline stop with fresh fruit was great. Scenery was amazing and they pointed out several sloths and monkeys along the way. The ending lunch was actually delicious and a big surprise. Highly recommend these people. If you end up with Carlos, consider yourself lucky!
Jill_J, Mar 2026
Tugui was an amazing rafting guide! He made our adventure fun, exciting and informative. The Balsa river did not disappoint today! Great staff at Arenal Rafting! Would highly recommend
Ashley_R, Mar 2026
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would!! This was an intense, exhilarating, and fun experience. The guides truly love what they do and make sure that everyone is safe the entire time. The photos they are are 1000% worth buying! (Only $40 for 100 photos!) must do in Costa Rica
Miranda_R, Mar 2026
So fun!
Carlos Was great. Our driver Mario was smooth and my husband who gets car sick felt fine which is HUGE!
Axel was our guide and did the entire trip in both Spanish and English for our group. He was amazing, request him! He was so kind and inviting and made the trip so much fun for us!!
Simran_K, Mar 2026
It was super fun! We went with Didi and he
made it a great experience. We stopped at a little store on the way to the rafting !
Pedro_F, Feb 2026
Roberto was great. Had an amazing time! The whole group enjoyed and it’s an experience I’d definitely recommend to anyone
Jayson_W, Feb 2026
Great experience! Exciting rapids, great water temperatures. Delicious fruit. Overall a highly recommended adventure.
Naresh_M, Feb 2026
White water rafting in La Fortuna was easily one of the top five experiences of my life. If you are anywhere near La Fortuna, rafting is a must. The scenery alone is worth it. Lush jungle the entire way, monkeys in the trees, exotic birds flying overhead, and even cows casually hanging out along the riverbanks. It felt wild and untouched but somehow peaceful at the same time.
Our guides, Cuca Daveed, were incredible. He constantly pointed out wildlife, made sure everyone felt comfortable, and really understood people’s individual limitations. At the beginning they go through detailed safety instructions, and I will admit that if you are already nervous it can sound intense. Do not let that scare you. It is purely to prepare you. Once you are actually on the river, it is very doable. They are professionals and you genuinely feel safe the entire time. They even have medical rafts for assistance, and if you carry an EpiPen (like me) for emergency medication, the captain of your raft will hold it securely for you.
One very important tip. Use the bathroom before you depart. There is about a one hour and forty five minute drive to the river, and there is no bathroom when you first arrive. You can go before leaving town and again after rafting before the drive back, but once you are on the river, which is about two to three hours, you are committed. Plan accordingly.
After rafting, they take you to eat and the food was AMAZING. Fresh, filling, and exactly what you want after being out on the water.
I had a slightly embarrassing moment when tipping because I remembered the medic’s name but blanked on my raft captain’s name.PThey handled it so kindly. No awkwardness, no pressure. They even explained that tips are shared among the team. Costa Rican culture is very Pura Vida and not pushy at all, but please tip. They work extremely hard and truly care about your experience.
If you are debating it because you are scared, do it anyway. It is thrilling without feeling reckless, adventurous without feeling unsafe, and something you will remember forever. I would absolutely do it again.
Jade_S, Feb 2026
This is one of the best tours we have ever done. It was a well oiled machine but also very friendly and funny. After a brief welcome we drove one hour to the rapids (sarapiqui river) whilst having a laugh with the guide Oso about what was to come! We were in the Titanic with Bryan who had the best laugh, he kept us safe whilst making sure we had loads of fun. We had some fruit half way down the river and then a really yummy lunch of our choice. Highly recommend!
Jim_P, Feb 2026
Great experience, new, young, old, all can be accommodated.
We had Viktor guide us, explained everything thoroughly initially and then explained the trip when the rapids lessened. Great experience recommended for all!
Ryan_S, Jan 2026
Axel was a fantastic, knowledgeable and friendly instructor! Carlos our bus guide was Carlos amazing and very friendly! We highly recommended! All the way from 🇮🇪
Mark_O, Jan 2026
Great time. Highly recommend this event. Well organized. Great and friendly guides. Food average, but edible.
Kate_M, Jan 2026
We have done white water rafting a few times around the world, this was definitely the most fun! Great rafting. Knowledgeable guides, helped us spot interesting wildlife along the river including an osprey, tiger heron, sloth and iguanas. Very nice lunch at the end. Recommended.
Alicia_A, Jan 2026
We loved everything today! Our tour guides, Carlos and Andres, were fantastic and the seated meal at the end of the trip was a perfect ending to the day.
Karen_M, Dec 2025
We had so much fun! Water temp was perfect. Everyone was so friendly and so organized. Lunch was delicious. But our favorite part was our guide, Braulio Machillo. We can’t say enough good things about him!
Tasnim_H, Dec 2025
Even though I had done white water rafting before, I felt nervous choosing the class 3/4 rapids, but i hadn’t needed to be! The experience was a lot of fun.
Once back at the office after the excursion, there are long lines to use the restrooms and dressing rooms. Lunch was included, but honestly, I wish there was an option to skip it with so many restaurants available in town.
Karen_F, Dec 2025
Thanks to our highly skilled, fun loving and passionate guide, Braulio M, our family, including 2 teenagers, had a BLAST! The hilarious joking and camaraderie made the entire trip. Highly recommend this guide and company, who kept safety their first priority with room for so much fun adventuring. What an incredible experience that has been a highlight of our CR vacation!!!
Scott_O, Dec 2025
Arenal picked us up at our hotel and made everything' really easy. They even stopped to show us a sloth in the tree by re road. Moises was our guide and he made sure we were safe
But also made sure we had fun. Very professional in his approach. Rapids were challenging but never too much. The rafting was great and the lunch with local favorites was delicious. Highly recommend for a day of fun.
Mehul_S, Dec 2025
The company is very professional & our experience was amazing & safe. Our raft guide Joseph is the BEST, ask for him if you can.
Juliette_N, Dec 2025
Fantastic trip, Ruper was an excellent guide. Full on and exhausting at the start & more relaxing towards the end of the trip.
Eduardo_A, Dec 2025
Our Balsa River White Water Rafting Class 3/4 experience was excellent from start to finish. Carlos González was our guide on the bus, and his charisma immediately made everyone feel welcome despite language differences; he gave clear safety instructions in both English and Spanish, and once we joined the other groups, it became obvious that our group had received far better guidance. On the river, our rafting guide, Julio González, was outstanding—professional, experienced, and always focused on safety while still keeping the experience fun. He gave us helpful tips, pointed out wildlife along the way, and made sure no one ever felt unsafe. His ability to switch between English and Spanish made the entire activity inclusive for everyone. This is a tour I would absolutely repeat
VICTOR_G, Dec 2025
Overall great experience. Steven, our guide, did a great job gettting us down the river. A must do in La Fortuna.
Jeffrey_K, Nov 2025
Our first time rafting, and it will not be our last. Rupert was our guide, he was AMAZING. They went out of their way and stopped along the way to show us sloths.
Refreshing fruit break while rafting and amazing food at the end of it all.
Leslie_G, Nov 2025
The rafting experience was amazing. Never felt unsafe at all even when Carlos flipped us out of the boat. They swiftly picked us up and we continued on. Our guide was funny and crazy jumping up in the boat. Lots of fun and exciting.
From $77.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Upper Balsa River White Water Rafting Class 3/4 in Costa Rica
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