Refreshing Adventure

It is currently storming here in San Jose!

Our day started early again....6:15a....another day trip near the town of Turrialba, which is an hour and a half east of San Jose, for Canyoning. There weren’t a whole lot of clients signed up for this activity, in fact, there was only my friend and I, the other guests on the van were rafters. And that’s going to be our activity tomorrow, with the same company. How I managed to stay awake during the entire drive is a mystery. And I’m glad I did because the drive takes you through lush and green scenery that includes coffee plantations, tomato fields, fern fields, and through the pilgrimage town of Cartago, home of the nation's biggest basilica, the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles. And about 2-3 blocks from the basilica are the ruins of the main church of the city, which was damaged by a huge earthquake around the turn of the last century.

We arrived at Explornatura’s property with breakfast waiting for us…..yummy Gallo Pinto, off course. After breakfast, we we’re greeted by one of the founders of the company, Ronald, and with two other guides, Paolo and Mili. We all drove 10 minutes to the canyoning site. Canyoning includes rappelling down four waterfalls, zip lining down four canopy cables, walking across a 132 foot hanging bridge, and climbing up 15-20 ft up the side of the rock face of a waterfall, without a harness! I haven’t experienced Canyoning before, and I definitely recommend it for eco-adventurers!! This was my friend’s first time for these types of activities, and the scariest part for him he was the hanging bridge. Although, if it were up to him, he wanted to have been wearing full body padding…. .hahaha! After the fear-factor course, we had leisurely hiked down for about 10 minutes, only to find ourselves back in the company’s backyard, literally! Yup, the Canyoning is structured around the company’s base quarters. Then we changed clothes, and do bring a separate change of clothes and good non-slip shoes, to sit down and have lunch with our guides and Ronald, not eating in separate tables, but altogether in one table. An unexpected familial friendliness and coziness that completed a great morning.

If you are going to try Canyoning for the first time, I definitely recommend Explornatura, it is a friendly, generous, patient, and laid-back adventure company.

Ronald drove my friend and I back to San Jose, where we’re greeted with torrential rain....