Class II-III Rafting and ATV Tour from La Fortuna
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
- 9 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This full-day family adventure from La Fortuna combines an ATV tour with a white-water rafting trip. Ride an all-terrain vehicle (single or double rider) through the tropical rainforest against the scenic backdrop of Arenal Volcano. After lunch, you’ll paddle Class II–III rapids on Rio Balsa with your guide.
- Round-trip family adventure combo from La Fortuna
- Beverages, snacks, and lunch included
- Raft, life vest and helmet provided
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
What's Included
- LunchDelicious typical lunch
- SnacksFresh Fruits in the river
- Bottled water
- Equipment: Raft, Paddles, Rafting Vest and Helmet
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.7:30 am
What To Expect
Board your coach upon hotel pickup in La Fortuna and start your combo tour with an ATV ride. You’ll learn the ropes of driving a single or riding double (ages 8–15 without a driver’s license) from instruction by your guide. It’s an ideal way to view the Arenal Volcano and the scenic valley below.
After guides provide a tropical fruit snack, continue your outdoor adventure with a white-water rafting excursion. Jump into a vehicle that takes you to the Rio Balsa (Balsa River) for an action-packed ride down Class II–III rapids. Guides teach you basic moves, commands, and safety procedures and instruct you on how to paddle.
It’s a thrilling ride past dense foliage of the rainforest; watch for monkeys, sloths, and toucans while you raft. Stop for a swim, tropical fruits, and cold drinks during a break from the action. Help load the gear onto the bus and depart for a typical lunch served at a traditional estate. Savor Costa Rica’s tranquil country life before return transport to your hotel in the afternoon.
Professional photos are available for purchase.
After guides provide a tropical fruit snack, continue your outdoor adventure with a white-water rafting excursion. Jump into a vehicle that takes you to the Rio Balsa (Balsa River) for an action-packed ride down Class II–III rapids. Guides teach you basic moves, commands, and safety procedures and instruct you on how to paddle.
It’s a thrilling ride past dense foliage of the rainforest; watch for monkeys, sloths, and toucans while you raft. Stop for a swim, tropical fruits, and cold drinks during a break from the action. Help load the gear onto the bus and depart for a typical lunch served at a traditional estate. Savor Costa Rica’s tranquil country life before return transport to your hotel in the afternoon.
Professional photos are available for purchase.
1
Arenal Volcano
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Minimum Age 16 for SGL Rider/Own ATV -- must show valid driver's license
- Minimum Age 8 for DBL Rider/Shared ATV
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Weather dependent. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is flooding or other government river closure. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
- Participants will get wet, please dress ready to raft in bathing suit and shoes that will stay on feet.
- Not responsible for items lost or damaged on river, please do not take anything on the river that you are not willing to lose
- Most travelers can participate
- Not responsible for items left on transfer bus or on tour, please check carefully before getting off bus and at end of tours
- Pack a backpack with change of clothing and toiletry articles.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 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
Ana_G
If you are going rafting the first time or have done it before… this is the correct tour and company. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and they make sure everyone is enjoying their time. Highly recommend it!
Reviews
4.9
based on 46 reviews
Karunakaran_T, Dec 2025
We did combo atv and rafting tour with Wave rafting. The atv is not done by wave but was done by outback atv tours. Outback is 3rd party to wave. No problem with that at all.
Cons
The thing you need to know for sure is this atv tour is not for first timers especially those who think they have a driver's license can pick this up. The terrain is filled with rocks and slurry of clay and to make it worse there are long stretches that slopes down 45 degrees. If you have done atv before you wil enjoy this. If you are first timer and you may find it difficult where the guide will give you couple of chances before pulling you out to ride as a passenger based on availability or they may cancel the tour for you. This is something you should be aware of before you take this tour. Take some atv lessons either watching YouTube videos or driving one. One best tip i got from someone who came to our rescue was dont hold the handle too tight and relax your shoulder. That made a huge difference in how I drove after.
Pros
White water rafting we did as a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids [10,15]). We had a blast and the guide we got was Justin who was god sent. He made sure we had maximum fun rafting and also learning to raft. Justin is local costa rican and has done this all his life. He made us sit in different postures to keep the excitement throughout the tour. Eventhough it says level 2-3 , it had mostly 3 but depends on the season and weather. Since we did late December which is right after the rain season. There were lots of birds, sloths, monkeys we spotted but you need binoculars to see them clearly. The birds we saw mostly the ones that were waiting for the fishes. Towards the end they allow you to jump into the river and they made sure you are not swept away by the current. Overall rafting is exceptional but atv not so much but I will still give 5 stars for how it all ended.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review of your ATV + rafting combo. We appreciate you clarifying that the ATV portion is operated by our trusted partner, Outback ATV Tours, and we’re glad the coordination worked smoothly.
We also appreciate the specific feedback you shared about the ATV terrain and overall experience. Comments like yours help set clear expectations for future travelers and help our team continue improving how we communicate tour details.
We’re very happy the rafting side was a highlight for your family. Justin will be thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed the trip—especially the coaching, the variety he brought to the ride, and the fun, safe atmosphere throughout. It’s great that you also had strong wildlife sightings during your float.
Thank you again for choosing Wave Expeditions in La Fortuna and for the five-star rating. We’d love to have you back on the river on your next visit to Costa Rica.
Matthew_H, Dec 2024
My wife and I have never white water rafted before and we went out on a day that the rapids were quite big. The experience was more challenging than we expected but we had a fantastic raft guide, Miguel, who did an amazing job helping us and we ended up having a really great time!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Excellent review, thank you!
We’re so glad to hear that Miguel made your first whitewater rafting adventure a fantastic experience. Taking on big rapids can be challenging, but it sounds like you handled it like pros! We hope to see you again for even more adventures.
Pura Vida,
Wave Expeditions 🌊
Ana_G, Nov 2023
If you are going rafting the first time or have done it before… this is the correct tour and company. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and they make sure everyone is enjoying their time. Highly recommend it!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thanks for sharing your river story with us!
We are glad to hear that you enjoyed so much your Rafting trip, whitewater rafting is an experience everyone should try once in a lifetime.
We hope to see you on the river again soon.
Pura Vida,
Wave Staff
Margaret_a, Oct 2022
Wonderful full day experience for our entire family. Highly recommend both the atv and rafting. Everything was smooth from pick up to drop off. Thank you!
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Thank you so much for this nice comments,
It was a pleasure to share this amazing adventure with you!
We hope to see you again soon!
Pura Vida!
Wave Team
Sharon_S, May 2019
I thought at 57 and a little overweight that I was pushing it on this one. We had a great guide & such a fun boat. it was sooooooo great. would do it again.
Blessilda_E, Mar 2018
We had a blast!! The price is worth every penny. The tour guides were so friendly, fun and helpful. We felt perfectly safe in both the ATV and Whitewater rafting tours. Highly recommend!
JOSHUA H, Aug 2017
This was one of my absolute favorite tour packages in all of our tours of Costa Rica. The guides were great, and they were very helpful. For the package, we were picked up at our hotel and taken to the ATV rental via a comfy tour van. The ATVs and safety equipment were all new-ish and well maintained. The guides went through a quick safety briefing and we were off for the trail! We went through a short beginner course to get everyone up to speed. My girlfriend rode on the back and was laughing and giggling the whole time. Lots of bumps, hills, and mud! After the farm area, you are guided through a jungle trail, then to a waterfall/river. The whole ride was about 2.5 hours. Two guides go with the group the entire time and were great at getting people out of jams, and keeping the group going. Absolutely amazing and fun! Next up was the river rafting. We were shuttled a few miles down the road via tour van to the Balsa River to be met by Carlos and our boat mates. After a quick safety briefing and instructions, we were off to paddle our way over mild to rough rapids. Class 2 and 3 was perfect for my girlfriend, who was a bit hesitant about rafting. She had a great time though. There was a spot in the middle of the trip where we got to jump in the river for a swim. Water was cool and fun. One of the safety guides is also a photographer for the group, so was taking pictures along the way for purchase later. Our boat captain/guide was great at commanding the boat and making sure we avoided obstacles, etc. In fact, I'm pretty sure he could have got got us through the rapids on his own without us even rowing, LOL. Anyway, absolutely amazing trip! My favorite package of our entire Costa Rica trip, and we did everything from horseback riding to walking tours to nature hikes to zip lining, etc. etc. This was the most fun of all of the tours we did!
Rachel P, Mar 2017
From start to finish, this was one of the best experiences we have had. It is well worth the price and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Angelo_D, Aug 2016
This adventure is very fun! My husband and 2 kids had a blast! This was our first time to do white water rafting. Anyone should try this fun. Our guide was Carlos and he was awesome!
From $150.31
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Class II-III Rafting and ATV Tour from La Fortuna
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