Travel Costa Rica with Adobe – Day 3: Limon

Are you ready for something new and exciting? Jump into your comfy Hyundai Creta, head out to Siquirres and visit the tour operator “Exploradores Center” for a cool white water rafting experience.

White water rafting

After breakfast and a safety lesson, we’re ready to begin our white-water rafting trip. With its harrowing class III and IV rapids (and V in certain advanced areas) Pacuare is the most fun you can have in Costa Rica.

Adrenalin will kick hard as you are tossed again and again through insane rapids and over waterfalls, paddling for your life. Anybody with some guts can do this.

PACUARE RIVER RAFTING – 1 DAY

Tour Difficulty: Class III-IV
Distance: 30 kms/18 miles
Number of rapids: 38
Approximate river time: 4 hours
Minimum age: 12 years

Assuming you raft on your way to the Southern Caribbean, you’ll be back on the road around 3pm, headed for a dynamic cultural melting pot with funkier accommodations, spicier food and more diverse people than its Pacific counterpart.

The drive will take you past homes on stilts, by children riding oversized bicycles and through vast banana plantations with the fruit protected in bright blue bags.

Soda El Patty

If you find yourself craving a snack as you past the port town of Limón, drive to Soda El Patty, where people line up for the country’s most coveted Patí – a Caribbean turnover stuffed with meat, onions and sometimes fruit.

If it’s a Friday or a Saturday, make a quick stop at the Limón Farmer’s Market for a taste of local farming culture. As you continue south along the coast, don’t be surprised if you have to stop at some point for a bunch of cows to cross the road.

Hotel Banana Azul

Barring serious bovine delays, you should arrive in the Southern Caribbean before sunset. You’ll check into the fabulous Banana Azul, a romantic, boutique retreat just north of the town.

Beach front Hotel Banana Azul is built out of local hardwoods that has 14 beautiful guest rooms, all with private bath and free wireless internet to accommodate adventurous travelers looking for a comfortable, tranquil place to stay while visiting the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.

Located on the top floor, Ocean Rooms are the hotel’s most popular room with spacious adjoining decks, featuring side views of the beach, hammock and hardwood furniture. Each room has a queen bed with the option of adding a twin for a third person or separate beds.

You’ll be welcomed at Banana Azul with a tropical cocktail, which you can enjoy on a secluded, chocolate-sand beach just steps from your room.

Finca la Isla Botanical Garden

If you’ve got time and you’re into plants, squeeze in a tour at Finca la Isla Botanical Garden, an organic permaculture farm just outside of Puerto Viejo. If you like yoga, grab a sunset class Cashew Hill Jungle Lodge, where there’s a brand new platform with ocean views.

Then take dinner at Banana Azul’s excellent open-air restaurant, or head to town to see and be seen at Koki Beach, swanky place with elaborate works of art, electronic music and a to-die for dishes. Save room for the maracuyá (passion fruit) crème brulée.