www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 43

Cuppachino monkeyPhoto Jennifer Goetz

inH2O: Words by Adam GrayPhotos by various photographers

I boarded a plane In MunIch that was

destIned for costa rIca, only to arrIve

three days later. to be honest I dIdn’t

care where I was, I was just happy to be

done wIth flyIng.

Apart from paddling, Costa Rica, which means 'Rich Coast', has a lot to

offer. Rich in Latin American culture, the people are a proud and peace-

loving nation, having abolished its army back in 1949. Wherever I went I

was greeted by happy, smiling people and was constantly overwhelmed

by how friendly and willing they were to help you. Although it is a small

country in size, just 464km from north to south and 274km from east to

west, it has an ecological diversity that hosts four percent of the world's

total biodiversity, long stretching mountain ranges and a number of

active volcanoes. To the east you'll find the iridescent Caribbean Sea,

to west the Pacific Ocean and in-between you'll find tropical rainforests,

lush green valleys, clear rivers and turquoise waterfalls. Coffee and

farming form the backbone of its economy, along with tourism, especially

ecotourism. The country is ranked fifth in the world, and first among the

Americas, in terms of the 2012 Environmental Performance Index. Its

environmental protection laws go as far back as the 1950s and today an

extensive national park system protects 20% of the country's land mass.

Costa Rica has a great public transport system, so getting around is

not a problem. However, travel by bus or car in and around the cities

and little villages is often hair raising, especially the very narrow winding

passes, high up on foggy potholed roads, which I don't recommend

travelling at night because it's scary and reckless, and a simple 200km

road trip can take four hours! (The Costa Ricans have one saying for

every situation, 'pura vida', which means pure life.) Passing beautiful

rainforests and coffee plantations I'm headed to Turrialba, the kayaking

capital. My plan is to meet other kayakers at the hotel, but nobody has

stepped forward. That evening I had a meal in a small, typical local-

style soda (restaurant). Everyone speaks Spanish and that's when it all

becomes very real and reality kicks in. I have been dreaming about this

trip for such a long time and having spent two years living in Guatemala,

I am looking forward to touching up on my Spanish. Returning to the

hotel I met Dutchman Kees van Kuipers, who I'd heard about from

other paddlers. In the days that followed we met up with Kylee Marland,

a Canadian kayaker, and a Spanish couple, Javier and Isabella Infantes,

who both paddle for Team ROC ROI.

The next eight days were spent paddling

together on a river that ranged from

extremely terrifying to wow! The scenery

always picturesque. In this part of Costa

Rica the most popular rivers to kayak are

the Rio Pacuare and Rio Reventation,

both world renowned for excellent high-

volume commercial rafting trips. Some easy

class 2-3 paddling can be done on the

Rio Pejibaye, so even if your are running

class 4-5 rivers it's always good to paddle

something more gentle and relaxing, just to

have a day to enjoy your surrounds and let

your mind rest.

We tackled the Rio Vereh, a tributary to the

Rio Pacuare, which is a fully committed

run that entails a mandatory eight-metre

waterfall and many continuous grade 4-5

boulder gardens, all enclosed in dense

jungle gorges. Next up was the Rio Orosi,

a dinosaur boulder garden with tight runs

and small eddies to make - it was seriously

technical and hectic. We ran this twice and

with its many, many siphons and undercuts,

I'm still trying to figure out why once was

not enough for us.

40 • DO IT NOW June | July 2012

KayaKing

CostaRiCa

Paddler Adam GrayPhoto Javier Infantes

www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 41

42 • DO IT NOW June | July 2012

The days that followed were spent paddling various other sections of these rivers, and the part that really sticks out in my mind was Rio Reventation. It had been raining for the past two days and we were worried that too much rain would mean no paddling. After speaking to a few locals and being told that it was a no go, as the river was too high, Kees, Javie and I decided to have a go at a 58km run, in seven hours.

Having paddled this section three days prior with less water I was feeling comfortable about the challenge ahead. But we soon realised that all the rapids were pushed up a class due to all the rain. Throughout the morning we stopped often to take a breather. Already in the first hours of paddling I'd taken two serious spankings, my lifejacket barely able to contain the furious beating of my heart. As the section was so long we didn’t have time to scout, but we also weren't keen to see what lay ahead because it was so intimidating. Four hours later we finally arrived at our take out. The day had been trying, but that's exactly what I love about kayaking, what draws me to this sport. I am totally in the moment and nothing has my attention except the river.

A few days later we said goodbye to Kees, who was on his way south to Columbia. Having pretty much paddled all that was possible, it was time for us to move on too. Javier and Isabella had a rental 4x4, which meant there was no put in or take out we couldn't make. We packed up and headed south west to San Isidro de El General, a bustling metropolis that is the gateway to southern Costa Rica. It is the region’s largest town and a major agricultural and transportation hub, and boasts some beautiful architecture. Although it is not on any of the tourist routes, it is home to the Rio General, a river known for its large, rolling rapids. Here we met Fillipe Lopez, who runs a little rafting operation and has a wealth of knowledge on the area.

On our first day Fillipe took us to the upper reaches of Rio Buenavista, a section he hadn’t paddled before, but he knew of the two portages, a tricky 14km section and that it's steep and doesn't have many big eddies. The river was beautiful, framed by green rolling hills and steep gorge cliffs, which also made scouting difficult. Kylee, Javier and I enthusiastically took to water, but unfortunately Kylee's boat cracked and she had to walk out. This allowed Javier and I to pick up the pace, but a little further down we were forced to do a one-kilometre hike through dense jungle to scout around a blind corner. Unfortunately the scouting wasn’t worth the hike, but the paddling was well worth the effort. We eventually got off the water just before sunset, happy after such a rewarding run.

Our next adventure took place on the Rio Chirripo Pacifico, a river that holds much respect amongst the Costa Rican kayaking community for its must-make lines, tight slots and big boofs. The water was quite high on our first day, so we paddled the lower section, enjoying the ride until we got to a rapid that's graded by the guide books as a grade 6. Unaware of what we were getting into, we took a line that ended in tears, a bent boat and a lost paddle and elbow guard. We were lucky considering what could have happened. That night we sat under clear skies contemplating risk vs. reward.

By the next morning the water levels had dropped and the upper section was good to go. With the previous day still fresh in our minds we cautiously entered the canyon and scouted a lot more this time. By the time we left the river that night, you couldn't wipe the smiles off Javier's or my face. Rio Chirripo Pacifico is a river I've wanted to paddle for a long time and the experience was everything I had dreamed of and more.

Many people have asked me why Costa Rica? For me as a paddler it's simple. Costa Rica has an incredibly exciting geography; south east of San Jose is a mountain range called Cordillera de Talamanca that splits the country from north to south, which means on the east and west sides there are run offs that produce an unbelievable network of rivers boasting endless whitewater runs. And being in the tropics, where rainfall is abundant, the rivers powerful and the scenery amazing, what more could a paddler want?

My tIMe In costa rIca was truly MagnIfIcent, thanks largely to My fantastIc sponsors fluId kayaks, whItewatertraInIng.co.za and X-kajaks lofer. I was prIvIleged to have paddled soMe sectIons that have never been paddled before and seen soMe places that wIll only be seen by the few who paddle there. pura vIda costa rIca! •

Rio Bueno Vista - Adam Gray Photo Javier Infantes

Adam Grey pointing at an iguana Photo Jennifer Goetz

Rio Pacuare - Adam Gray & Isabella InfantesPhoto Javier Infantes

Cuppachino monkeyPhoto Jennifer Goetz

Rio Bueno Vista - Javier InfantesPhoto Adam Gray