White Water Rafting Class III & IV
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Grip it and rip it on the upper Balsa River during the half-day whitewater rafting adventure over class III and IV rapids. Feel heart-pumping action while immersing yourself in Costa Rica's incredible natural beauty. Cap it all off with an authentic lunch chased down with a glass of handmade sugar cane juice that you get to press yourself while learning about local culture.
- Round-trip transfers from La Fortuna are included
- Experienced raft/kayak guides on hand to ensure a good time
- Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as you shoot down the Balsa
- Enjoy a delicious lunch while experiencing authentic Tico culture
What's Included
- Rafting class III & IV River Balsa
- Adventure Rafting
- Lunch
- Pick up/drop off in La Fortuna
- SnacksFruits
- No Gratuities - There are not included in the price.
- Photos
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:30 am
What To Expect
1
Costa Rica Descents
2
La Fortuna
3
The Boat House Bar & Grill
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 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
Emily_W
Great experience! Highly recommend doing this!! The staff are very attentive, carful, friendly, and accommodating! You feel very welcomed when you’re engaging with the team and it made the experience 10x better!
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,247 reviews
Ryan_C, Apr 2026
Amazing time rafting in the river. The guides were extremely informative about safety. Carlos Sanchez was great in organizing and providing us opportunities to stop for the bathroom on our 1 hour drive there and back. There was kids in our group so he personally took them on his boat to ensure safety. My girlfriend and I had Kevin. Who was incredible. Tons of knowledge about rapids and paddling. Was able to give us information about different types of birds, plants, sloths and the indigenous people of Costa Rica. Much more than just a raft floating down a river. 10/10 would recommend and do this rapid run again if I return.
Emily_W, Jan 2026
Great experience! Highly recommend doing this!! The staff are very attentive, carful, friendly, and accommodating! You feel very welcomed when you’re engaging with the team and it made the experience 10x better!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re glad to hear you had a great experience and felt welcomed by the team throughout the activity. It’s wonderful to know the attentive and friendly service made the adventure even more enjoyable. We truly appreciate the recommendation.
Matt_N, Sep 2025
Warner was out guide and led our raft. He was very professional and made our first time experiencing feel easy. It was a great experience and would definitely recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear guest,
Thank you very much for your review!
We’re glad to hear that you had a great first-time rafting experience and felt comfortable throughout the tour.
Your recommendation means a lot to our team.
Best regards,
Costa Rica Descents
Gregory_M, Aug 2025
You will get wet, and you will use your paddle. Warner was an awesome guide. The bus ride to the launch was interesting.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hello,
Thank you very much for your review. We are happy to know that you enjoyed the rafting adventure, the fruit break, and the journey through this part of Costa Rica. Your kind words mean a lot to us.
Best regards,
Costa Rica Descents 🌊🌿
Roberto_V, Jul 2025
Super fun and thrilling adventure. The guides make sure safety is top priority when going through tough areas but once you listen and know what to do, it’s great. Orlando was confident in his and our abilities to work together. 10/10 experience
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience on our White Water Rafting tour. We are thrilled to hear that you found the adventure both fun and thrilling, and that our guides ensured your safety while navigating the more challenging areas.
It’s wonderful to know that Orlando’s confidence and guidance helped make the experience enjoyable and seamless for everyone. Your rating means a lot to us, and we will be sure to pass along your kind words to Orlando.
We look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable adventure in the future!
Kind regards,
Monica_F, Jun 2025
Great experience. Ronald and Carlo were informative and kept us safe. We had a great time. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your kind words!
We're happy to hear you had a great time and felt safe with Ronald and Carlo guiding you.
We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again for another adventure! 🌿🚣♂️✨
Chris_P, May 2025
It was amazing! We took our family of 7 with kids ranging from 8 to 17. We did the Balsa level 3-4. Our guide was fantastic and made it super fun. The rafting was thrilling!
Lunch afterwards was one of our best meals the entire trip! Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your awesome review!
We're so glad your whole family had an amazing time on the Balsa River—sounds like a perfect mix of adventure and great food. It’s wonderful to hear your guide made it fun for everyone, and that lunch was a highlight too!
We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again soon! 🌊👨👩👧👦🍽️
Emily_G, May 2025
Was such a fun experience, our tour guide was so amazing. Made sure to stop several time to see animals / bathroom breaks/ have restaurant suggestions ! The rafting itself was so much fun , our guide Orlando made this so much fun. After our activity we did the lunch and tour of the grounds to taste the sugar cane and coffee. So much fun would highly recommend the tour and our guide Orlando !!!!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your wonderful review!
We're so happy to hear you had such a fun time and that Orlando helped make it an amazing experience. From spotting wildlife to sharing great tips and guiding the adventure — it sounds like you made the most of it! We truly appreciate the recommendation.
Warm regards and hope to see you again soon! 🌿🚣♂️☕
Kelsey_E, May 2025
The whitewater raft trip was so much fun!! Rowdy river to start but had a great time. Our guides Warner and Nicolas were amazing and very helpful and prioritized safety. We had an excellent lunch after as well. Would highly recommend. Saw 2 sloths on the way to the river & a crocodile and a lot of unique birds
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for sharing your great experience!
We’re happy you enjoyed the thrilling river and the wildlife sightings. Warner and Nicolas will be glad to hear your kind words. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to have you back for more adventures soon!
Anne_S, Mar 2025
Our family of four with kids 11 & 13 had a great rafting experience. Our guide Kevin was super! I would highly recommend!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your great review!
We're so glad to hear that your family had an amazing rafting experience.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future!
Mujtaba_S, Feb 2025
We booked class 3/4 rapids but the rapids.we ended up doing was more of 2/3, so we were a bit disappointed. Nevertheless, the guides were great and we had fun.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for your feedback!
We’re glad to hear you had fun despite the rapids being a bit milder than expected. We truly appreciate your recommendation, and we want to let you know that for those looking for an even more extreme adventure, we offer Class V rafting for thrill-seekers like yourselves.
We’d love to welcome you back for that next time!
Meghan_S, Sep 2024
This was a fun experience down the river. Moses was a great guide, kept us safe and also made sure we had a lot of fun. My only disappointment was that it was a bit tamer than I was expecting. I think we were taken down Class II/III rapids instead of III/IV which was not what we booked.
Tiffany_G, Aug 2024
This was my first time white water rafting, and it was a lot of fun! The intensity was perfect for a beginner like me. I went with my husband, our teen, and his girlfriend, and we all had a great time. Before starting, they provide brief instructions and all the necessary equipment, which made us feel prepared. Just a heads up—you will get wet, so be sure to wear a swimsuit and water shoes. I would definitely recommend this adventure!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
We very much appreciated giving you a recommendation about our company and what we offer, we invite you to come back whenever you like
Julian_B, Jul 2024
Awesome time! One of the most fun activities we’ve done in Costa Rica and our tour guide Graby was great. Plus there’s a farm tour and meal+fruits included! Highly recommend
Response from Host, Jul 2024
So happy that you enjoyed the time you pass with us, thank nyou
Shanna_S, May 2024
All the staff were awesome. The rafting guide (Kevin) was very knowledgeable and helpful. We did not speak Spanish and he was extremely patient with us. The trip itself was great. Highly recommend to anyone.
buzz, May 2024
The rapids could have been more water and a few less rocks. But our guide Kevin was awesome. The people in the boat were awesome. Knowledge of the staff was very good. The tour was everything you thought it should be and more highly recommended
Navarre_M, May 2024
From start to finish, this was a fantastic experience! We were conveniently picked up from our hotel and taken to the excursion which was so nice! Our main guide, Warner, made sure we knew the fundamentals of rafting and answered any question we had. Our specific rafting guide Kevin was so great! He helped us spot wildlife during the excursion down the river and made it a funny, safe, and memorable experience. He had a lot of expertise with guiding us and kept up conversation along the way with us all. The company photographers took excellent photos of us which was such a nice bonus so that way you didn’t have to worry about bringing your phone and potentially losing it! All of our belongings were kept safe on our bus with Humberto who was an excellent bus driver. The trip down river was about two hours long and at the half way point, they cut up fresh fruit for us to snack on. After rafting, we had a great lunch back at their office location and to top it all off, we even had a tour of their farm on their property! We had an interactive sugar cane demonstration where we pressed sugar canes to get the juice. Really blown away from start to finish on this whole day. It’s really worth the money. They really went above and beyond anything I was expecting! Thank you Warner, Kevin, and Humberto for the best day in La Fortuna and on the Balsa River 🙂
Irene_G, Mar 2024
This experience was great! Our guide Orlando was terrific, he was so knowledgeable about nature while going down the river
We saw sloth, blue jean frogs, different birds,many iguanas and plants, trees and local tidbits.
Highly recommend this adventure it was my 19 and 16 year olds favourite in cost rica
Ran_K, Mar 2024
Great tome with our guide, we dont have a lot of water in the river, but waf fun.
The guide was very nice, with nice local luncch
Jennifer_W, Jan 2024
Amazing experience! The rafting was super fun for the 1st half of rafting...nice rapids! Our rafting guide, Pablo, was awesome...he asked if we wanted the challenging river ride and provided just that...5 stars!!! He also provided us with practice and safety instructions for rafting. The guide on the bus was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Our belongings were safely locked in the bus while we rafted. The fresh pineapple and watermelon were a nice surprise...delicious! The lunch provided to us after rafting was absolutely wonderful...one of our best meals! The rafting pictures were incredible...worth the purchase!
CAROLINE_M, Dec 2023
Our family had the most memorable time rafting together. Cesar with our awesome guide and had us jumping out of the raft to float and riding "cowboy" style down segments of rapids. The morning started off misty and ended up being a perfect day. Great team of guides, and add'l safety support of single canoers. My kids (14 & 11) said it was the highlight of the trip. Would do it again in a heartbeat!
Michael_M, Dec 2023
We had an amazing time on the river. The rapids were constant and our guide Pablo made the day fun. We really enjoyed the entire experience which included lunch and visit to a small farm.
Jennifer_A, Nov 2023
Had a great time! They were responsive to questions before the event, picked up on time, and were very knowledgeable. Had a ton of fun and felt completely safe.
Benjamin_F, Nov 2023
Great time on the river, although class 3/4 may be a stretch at times. For the price, you can't beat it. Our guide did an incredible job, and made the trip fun for us all
Julie_E, Nov 2023
Our guide Warner was fantastic. He hustled all day from our punctual hotel pick up, to guiding us on a safe trip down the river, to serving a delicious and authentic meal. After the meal he explained how to prepare coffee without a coffee maker, and gave a tour of their small agricultural area behind the meeting place which included pointing out various trees, pressing sugarcane to get the juice for sampling, petting goats and feeding the pigs limes.
My family of 4 (including twin 14 yr olds) really enjoyed it. We felt very safe throughout.
While the river was low (due to circumstances beyond their control) leading to class II and III rather than III & IV, they explained the situation and apologized. But we still had a great time.
Jon_P, Jul 2023
Oscar, Shamo and the entire crew helped to make it a fun and adventurous day for everyone and there were few experienced paddlers in the group. The food after was excellent and my entire family appreciated the tour of the farm. We saw sugar cane broken drained and held baby goats, it was a lovely day.
Scott_S, Jun 2023
The people at Costa Rica Descents are the best.
I accidentally booked the wrong day for our group of ten, and when we showed up on Tuesday for a tour booked on Wednesday, they very quickly took care of us so that we could go rafting on Tuesday. With such a big group, the only thing we had to do was drive to the drop-off because they didn't have enough room on the bus. This turned out to be a bonus for us because one of the guides rode with us, so we received an individual tour from John Carlo, who was a total delight. We lucked out because of the nice people at Decent and my mistake.
The raft trip was excellent. We were taken care of by everyone; they were fun and made the day one of the best of our trip. John Carlo and Kervin, our other raft guide, plus all the other guides, were the best. We had great lunch and the end of the day. Also, a sugar cane & coffee talk that was unexpected but capped off the wonderful day.
If you are looking for a tour, I would definitely use Costa Rica Decent hand down; they are the best.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Hello,
Thank you for your wonderful comment and recommendation. For all the staff of Costa Rica Descents it was a pleasure to have your family in this beautiful experience of adventure and adrenaline, thank you for the confidence placed in our service and allow us to be part of your family vacation. It was a pleasure to make your day... A great day!!!
Best regards,
Heylen Muñoz
MICHAEL_L, Jun 2023
Great family fun!!!! Loved every minute on the river!! Teens and tweens loved it too!
Great transportation and AMAZING guides!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Hello, Thank you for your message and recommendation, it is a pleasure, for all of us at Costa Rica Descents, to know that your rafting experience is now a pleasant reminder of your vacation in Costa Rica.
Best regrads,
Heylen
Vincent_B, May 2023
Great time on the water, staff was great and would recommend!!! Pick up was good and the drive is not bad to the water. Only thing that would be better was more time on the water.
Response from Host, May 2023
Hello:
Thank you very much for your comments and recommendation, which we will take into account. For all the staff of Costa Rica Descents it has been a pleasure to have you on this day.
Best regards,
Heylen - Costa Rica Descents
Jenny_B, Apr 2023
Warner was our guide and he truly made it memorable! He made sure we all had a blast and he was also serious about our safety.
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$76.61
per personWas $85.13
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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