Upper Balsa River Costa Rica: White Water Rafting Adventure Class 3/4

Experience the thrill of white water rafting on the Upper Balsa River in Costa Rica. Class 3/4 rapids, swimming stops, and fresh fruit await. Suitable for ages 5+.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Calle Coopezamora - Arenal Rafting’s Class IV adrenaline-packed white water rafting adventure is a thrilling rafting experience within the Costa Rican rainforest. For those in good physical condition, we’ll take you for a 15-kilometer ride down the river you won’t forget anytime soon! Stop along the way to rest a bit, do a little swimming, and…
What's Included
  • Transportation from hotels located less than 6 km away from our main office
  • Pick up time may vary up to 20 min depending on hotel’s location
  • Fruits on the river
  • Lunch
  • Bottled water
  • Towel
What's Not Included
  • 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
Meal Options
  • 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.
Additional Information

The balsa river is the best white water rafting choice in the northern area of Costa Rica this great class 3 &4 on the upper part,
Balsa River for an adventure you won’t forget anytime soon! Stop along the way to rest a bit, do a little swimming, and enjoy some fresh Costa Rica fruit. After white water rafting, you will get a clean towel and a water…

Location
Arenal Rafting
If you do not need to pick up, you can get to our office at 9:15 am. We are located 100 meters north from the police station, avenue 333 street 460. You can find us on Waze or google maps as ARENAL RAFTING COMPANY.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(1937 Ratings)
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Y5629fodavidk
Jan 10, 2026
Good trip - just right (not to calm, not frightening) - Easy trip, very fun, and great guides. Great lunch included. Many boats have to launch at same time because there is a window of rafting opportunity based on when the dam releases water, but they keep it moving and never felt crowded. Rapids good ones - not too scary, but challenging and you are going to get wet. Overall great fun and highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jerry
Jan 6, 2026
Carlos was amazing! We had so much fun and felt very safe - even though it was a challenging day on the water. - Carlos was amazing. We had so much fun! This was a challenging and fun day on the water even though it was one of the most challenging we have done ! Great job carlos!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pavery922
Jan 5, 2026
Rafting in Costa Rica! - 5 of us took the Balsa river class 3/4 trip. The guide on the bus was Kevin. He was very informative on the bus ride to the drop off. He explained so much about things along the route (towns, farming, wildlife, etc). We stopped a couple of time to see sloths along the way. We were also fortunate to have Kevin as our raft guide. He was helpful and fun! The scenery was beautiful on the river! Lunch was very good also. 4 of us have spent a lot of time in the PNW so have experience ww rafting. Even with that, this experience was so special. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Costa Rica!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y5549vrmichaelc
Jan 3, 2026
Roberto is excellent! - Had an outstanding and eventful trip on the Rio LaBalsa with Roberto as our guide! it was a blast, especially all the "extra" adventures! It was a large group given the holiday but the staff handled it well. Great experience I'd recommend for anyone visiting the area!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alicia_a
Jan 1, 2026
We loved everything... - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Rohans2026
Jan 1, 2026
Great Experience - This was an amazing and adventurous experience. The river was rushing and it was just enough of an adrenaline rush. The guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. Axel was excellent. He was patient and made us feel safe and comfortable. Carlos was on our bus. His instructions were clear and his demonstrations were very informative and funny. It was a great day and well worth the price. This trip is highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pahar702
Dec 31, 2025
Best experience in Costa Rica - This was amazing!! The company is well organized and thought of everything - water, coffee, snack break, towels, etc. Edwin was AMAZING and had fun with all the guides. We felt safe, but he knew how to make the ride exciting for us. I was a bit worried about class 3/4 rapids with my kids, but they rode through them just fine. I would 1000% recommend Arenal Rafting to anyone wanting to raft in Costa Rica!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
516lillyh
Dec 28, 2025
Great fun! - We did the rafting today and it is our favourite activity in Costa Rica so far. It was so much fun, even from the pick up on the bus. Our rafting guide was called Julio, we recommend you get him! He was a great laugh and made sure we were all having fun (and were kept safe!). Highly recommend! 🌟
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G8636ltnoram
Dec 28, 2025
Entertaining, Energizing Morning - We were lucky enough to get Carlos Rosales not only as our guide on the way there and back but also as our raft captain. He runs an incredible tour and is really talented at being an entertaining guide. If you’re able to request him when you book, do it. You’ll be in good hands and learn more about Costa Rica than you bargained for.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Imansaleh
Dec 27, 2025
Amazing rafting in La Fortuna - Just amazing! We enjoyed the rafting trip so much. Excellent organisation, taking care of every detail, punctuality. We got all the needed information for our nice guide CARLO. We felt very safe with our guide DANNY. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $80
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).