Class 2-3 Balsa River Rafting: Swift Rapids Amid Costa Rica Rainforest from La Fortuna

Experience the thrill of Class II and III rapids as you paddle through the Costa Rican rainforest on a 2-3 Balsa River rafting tour. Look out for monkeys, sloths, and birds along the way, and enjoy a delicious lunch at Hunters and Gatherers restaurant. Hotel transport included.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Unnamed Road - Experience an unforgettable day rafting on one of Costa Rica’s top family-friendly rivers! Just 45 minutes from La Fortuna, the Río Balsa offers exhilarating class 2-3 rapids, perfect for adventure seekers, with the added thrill of spotting diverse wildlife along the way. This is more than just a rafting trip—it’s a true Costa Rican…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Use of safety equipment
  • Lunch
  • Photographer (photos available for purchase)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Paddle through Class II and III rapids on this fun white water rafting tour down the Balsa River in Costa Rica. On this 2-hour trip downriver, your guide will lead you through the easy and exciting rapids that flow through Costa Rica rainforest. Keep an eye on the land and sky for monkeys, sloths, and birds. After rafting, reward your efforts with a…

Location
Desafio Adventure Company
We are happy to pick you up at your hotel or rental home, but you can also easily fin dour office in the center of La Fortuna, 100 meters West of the Central Park.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(289 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
V8189bepauls
Jul 22, 2025
World class whitewater - Wow. We thought we had world-class white water here in New Mexico, but this was non-stop roller-coaster for 90 minutes. Elvis is the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road41363865396
Jul 15, 2025
Awesome white water rafting experience! - We had an awesome time white water rafting. The guides were all super friendly and made the experience fun for everyone involved. Rollo was amazing, friendly, funny, and super knowledgeable. Would 100% recommend this company for your experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cphfl65
Jul 1, 2025
Great time whitewater rafting. - We had a great experience whitewater rafting with our family of 6. The young adults really enjoyed the rafting, but their parents did as well. We were picked up in La Fortuna near our Airbnb and driven to the Sarapiqui River starting point. Midway through we pulled off the river to enjoy fresh fruit and we even spotted a sloth along the way. We enjoyed a delicious meal after rafting and then driven back to La Fortuna. Highly recommend this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C4902tfchristopherh
Jun 26, 2025
Fun and exciting rafting adventure - Highly recommend the Desafio rafting trip out of Fortuna. A great group of simultaneously fun and highly qualified guides took us down the river. Our guide Emanuel (aka Fluffy, aka Pelusa) was friendly, funny and skilled. The transportation was smooth, the rapids were the perfect size for family, great mix of adventure moments and chill moments, and the lunch afterward was a tasty Costa Rican meal. A must do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katrina_r
Jun 25, 2025
So much fun! - So much fun! Our guide, Gian Carlo made sure we were safe while having a blast. The Balsa River had enough excitement for our group. I highly recommend this company, entire crew was very professional and it was nice seeing all the guides work together. The included lunch was very good too. The photographer took great pictures, it's an extra cost but well worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Matthew_t
May 27, 2025
Great family experience - It was a great experience. We were new to rafting and felt very safe with class 2/3 rafting. Our guide Alonzo was fantastic. He was professional and made our experience very enjoyable. My kids (ages 26,,22&19) all had a fun time. It is so nice to create such fun memories as a family. I also appreciate that this excursion was able to provide us with a round transportation to and from our resort since we did not have a car. There was also an extra perk of having an authentic Costa Rican lunch at the end of our rafting experience. We were also able to buy some family photo and video from our experience, which was a great value totally worth it. 100% I recommend them!
Review provided by Viator
Robbie
May 17, 2025
The Balsa River was beautiful & the rapids were fun but not too difficult for a boat load of beginners. - Great time for 1st river rafting experience. Friendly knowledgeable guides who had excellent knowledge of the river and the animals along its banks. Fluffy the guide was a blast.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bill_h
May 13, 2025
A wet and fun day - my wife and I had a great experience on this trip. On the walk to the rafts, it started to rain heavily. Fortunately, it was a warm rain, but it didn’t really matter much because once we started going down the river, we got even more wet! Our guide was great and he gave us great instructions. The river is just wild enough to give you a fun experience without it really being dangerous. They have a guy who rides separate from you in a kayak, and he takes photos at key places along the river. We ended up buying that package because the shots were really pretty good and the included lunch at the end was quite tasty. Overall, it was experience I would like to repeat.
Review provided by Viator
Paradise737899
Apr 13, 2025
Family favorite in Costa Rica - Based on the reviews I had really high expectations for this experience - and it absolutely delivered. This activity was perfect for our family - we had only rafted once before but like adrenaline-y type activities. We felt completely safe after a good safety walk through and with our guide, Diego (who was an absolute blast!). I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time. We did a lot of things on our Costa Rica trip - and our kids (ages 16 and 14) rated this as one of their favorite experiences - and it was my absolute favorite. Thank you Diego and crew. Five stars.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_k
Apr 19, 2025
Do again, probably not. - Our reservation was scheduled and confirmed and when we showed up we were told that time didn't exisit so we have to wait 40 mins. It was a lot of fun but you have to stop frequently and wait for the other rafts which we weren't expecting. Our guide was super nice
Review provided by Viator
From $80
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).