Adventure Lovers Rappelling and Rafting Combo
Arenal ・ Arenal Zone 2 ・ Arenal Zone 3
From
$195
Per Person
Overall
97%
239 Guest
Ratings
Good to Know
Embark on an exhilarating full-day adventure combining waterfall rappelling and whitewater rafting on the Rio Balsa. This all-inclusive tour, departing from the Arenal Volcano area, requires no prior experience and covers round-trip transportation, professional bilingual guides, safety equipment, lunch, and snacks. Guests will descend four rainforest waterfalls before navigating the continuous Class II and III rapids of the Rio Balsa for an unforgettable Costa Rican rainforest experience. The tour typically lasts 8-9 hours, offering a seamless blend of thrills and natural beauty.
Look no further if you are seeking adventure! The rappelling and rafting combo is an awesome full day of thrills and spills! Imagine rappelling down rainforest waterfalls and then wrapping up the day whitewater rafting on one of the most popular rivers in Costa Rica…
The day starts off when you are picked up from your local Arenal Volcano area hotel. You will be brought to the base of a hill on the other side of town. This is where the adventure begins. You will switch vehicles and ride a 4x4 thirty minutes up until you reach the base camp rancho.
Your guide will size you up and suit you up with high quality safety gear and then provide a brief safety and instructional course. Then you will be on your way to rappelling down four rappels of varying height from 45 to 165 feet! No experience is necessary. You will always have the comfort of a secondary safety line that the guide will control. Between each rappel you will scramble through the canyon which is surrounded by lush rainforest that is teaming with life. This is an epic adventure that is usually the highlight of the trip!
After the rappelling tour you will be whisked away to meet the whitewater rafting crew en route to the Rio Balsa. When you arrive at the river your guide will provide safety gear and another instructional safety course. Then you will be on your way down one of the most popular whitewater rivers in the country. The Rio Balsa offers a continuous adventure of class II and III rapids which your guide will navigate you through on a wet and wild adventure!
When the adventure is over you will be treated to a hearty Costa Rican style lunch. Then you will be returned to your hotel. Including transfers this tour usually lasts 8 – 9 hours, though this is subject to change. Please inform us if you weigh over 200 pounds as restrictions may apply or special accommodations may be necessary. No experience necessary for this fun filled day of adventure which includes, transportation, guides, equipment, lunch, snacks, drinks, and loads of fun.
Highlights
- Canyoning and rappelling down rainforest waterfalls
- Scrambling through a jungle canyon
- Whitewater rafting on the Rio Balsa
What to Bring
Clothes that can get wet, secure shoes, dry clothes to change into.
Includes
Transportation, guides, equipment, lunch, snacks, drinks, and loads of fun.
Location and Availability
Available in: Arenal, Arenal Zone 2, Arenal Zone 3
Tour Times
07:30
Tour Type
- Rafting
- Canyoning
- Waterfalls
Location
Lattitude: N 10° 18' 47.63" (10.31323)
Longitude: W 84° 32' 2.25" (-84.533958)
Recent Reviews
Overall
97%
Expectations
96%
Experience
97%
Guides
97%
Logistics
96%
Value
97%
5/11/2026
Amazing experience with both activities
12/24/2025
Both repelling and rafting were tremendous excursions. Excellent safety training and orientation and guides for both excursions taught us much about the nature and the flora and Fana of the rainforest area. From the river, the guides pointed out much of the wildlife when we were in the calmer water. The class 2 to 3 Rapids were plenty of splash and bounce for all of us. I had three sons used to white water. And they were thoroughly pleased with the river, as were those of us who were not used to rafting. Excellent guides.!!!
5/2/2023
Definitely one of the highlights of our trip! We wished the rappelling was a little longer. Lunch was good!
1/6/2023
By far, the best tour for me. Weather worked out perfectly for us as we had a nice sunny day.
Tour picked us up on time, and quickly took us to the Rappelling site. Guides were informative, and very safety conscious- we felt very secure in doing the activity. First time rappelling, so was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we were given a snack, as we had booked a rafting tour next.
1 hr drive to the rafting site, where we were had Jude (Congo) as our river guide- he is very knowledgeable and made the experience more enjoyable. Amazing views of the forest, and river.
Would definitely recommend this tour
1/6/2023
Would have like the experience to have been more exciting but understandably safety is a priority
8/4/2022
Awesome tour! Bryan was our guide on the raft so much fun! Gustavo and Harry did a great job on bus
6/28/2022
Oh my goodness this tour was incredible! I was terrified for both experiences but the guides made us feel so safe and welcome. It was so cool to rappel off 165 foot waterfalls. There was more hiking than I expected in between but didn't mind it at all. What a thrilling experience. The whitewater rafting was also amazing. Gussy was an incredible guide and teacher. He pointed out wildlife along the river and we all had a ton of fun while getting wet and wild on the river. The lunch afterwards was probably my favorite meal all week. Loved every bit of this tour. You can really tell they love what they do.
6/4/2022
Great
4/17/2022
This was probably our favorite part of the trip. The guides on the waterfall tour were very accommodating when my son chickened out at the last minute prior to the first waterfall. The lunch was delicious!
3/28/2022
The rappelling was super challenging and scary - loved it. Jorge saved my wife who was scared to death. Loved it! Momo was a terrific guide.
3/9/2022
Our favorite day!
2/18/2022
Was happily surprised with the amazing lunch buffet. Our guide Kokie on the rafting trip was so fun!
2/18/2022
Wonderful tour. Our rafting guide Enzo was top knotch. The lunch was also outstanding.
1/3/2022
Loved this so much I did it again in Manuel Antonio
12/25/2021
excellent tours ; great day
12/7/2021
Great combo, however, there was confusion about our transfer between the two sections of the tour. Overall it was a fun day!
10/31/2021
Super fun! They explained well everything and tho I was scared to death it was safe! Lots of guides to help get the customers ready, lots of eyes on us. Great great tour!
9/13/2021
This joint excursion was exhilarating. We started the day rappelling in the forest down scenic rock faces & waterfalls. The second part of the day on the river was awesome. The rapids were challenging & fun and the guides were great! I loved stopping mid-way for fresh fruit & we even got to see a sloth along the way. Another 10/10 adventure
7/5/2021
This was our kids' favorite part of the trip!
2/14/2020
both tours were outstanding with wonderful guides
1/12/2020
So much fun! Glad we splurged on the photo package-- great memories captured. Our tour guides were entertaining and helpful.
1/11/2020
Our favourite activity.
1/1/2020
Many people on the rafting portion so a bit of waiting to get everyone organized but was reasonable
12/29/2019
super day; we had so much fun; i do wish after the rafting there was a better way and cleaner area to change into dry clothes; the rapelling guides and rafting guides were so much fun and safe and my daughters just love it; the farm and lunch were so wonderful; thankyou so much; also one thing that was different from last year was getting pool towels; i dont think this system is necessary;
10/10/2019
Great service all around! The staff knew so much about Costa Rica and we learned so much! Such a fun day and quite the adventure!
8/12/2019
Highly recommended would use anytime again.
8/3/2019
This was so much fun! The rapelling, although scary at first, was my favorite activity on the trip. The white water rafting was also fun. We appreciated the fruit pit stop. Levels 1 2 3 were perfect.
7/29/2019
Most adventurous day of the trip. We really pushed some boundaries!
7/18/2019
Awesome guides, equipment, friendly and very knowledgeable staff. Highly recommended!
5/27/2019
Rappelling crew did a nice job handling all different levels of experience, had a little fun too. Rafting guide, Jorge or 'air Momo' made the ride fun, got everyone into it, even the one scared of the water!
5/25/2019
My FAVORITE day by far!!! Excellent Adventure
4/20/2019
We loved the two experiences but there is a lot of wasted time throughout the day. I guess it was my fault I did not really realize the two experiences were completely separate.
4/16/2019
Both rappelling and rafting were fun. Both tours were VERY large. The rafting portion accommodated everyone well (100+ people). The rappelling portion could not accommodate a group this size (40+) because everyone has to use the same lines. Group sizes should be more limited.
3/2/2019
Rappelling was a hit for all of us. The guides did a great job making sure everyone felt safe/had fun and experienced the day to the fullest.
1/11/2019
Excellent logistics going from rappelling to rafting, no wasted time
12/29/2018
This was so much fun. Both groups were well run. All the guides were fantastic. It was a great excursion!
12/18/2018
This combo tour was our favorite, packed full of adventure and adrenaline.
11/24/2018
The rappelling was awesome and we felt really safe the whole time. Same with the rafting. The staff were friendly and attentive. It was a fabulous day!!
9/5/2018
also, a must have attraction.
8/24/2018
It’s was an excellent experience
12/12/2017
Busy but amazing day. Rappelling location was beautiful and activity was fun and exciting. Rafting was great, guide was absolutely amazing and went out of his way to tell us about the environment as we went, even stopped to find a frog for us. Rapids were exciting but not too challenging for first-timers. Saw plenting of wildlife (birds, iguanas, sloths) on the way which was unexpected. Meal at the end was great.
10/21/2017
The guide we had seemed a little bored and I feel he could have made it a little more fun. the guide on the other boat was much more lively and involved.
8/10/2017
We had a wonderful time at the rappelling. The rafting trip was a little bit less organized, but they made up for it with amazing food at the end.
7/24/2017
Both activities were excellent! There was some confusion combining the two together since they are two separate companies and some were not aware of this. Made tipping confusing since you really needed to tip after each separate activity.
3/24/2017
Fantastic organization and execution - the guides were all friendly , professional and knowledgeable - loved the lunch experience
3/15/2017
This was a busy but awesome day. Loved the rappelling and the guides were great. We were with a rather large group, though, and while I never felt rushed I know they were trying to get people through so it was hard to stop and enjoy the scenery. Rafting was a lot of fun--not too technical but never a dull moment either. Great pictures. Saw plenty of wildlife, too. Really enjoyed the farm lunch afterwards and the coffee and sugarcane demonstrations--a pleasant surprise.
2/3/2017
We were so pleased with the guides and how friendly and informative each of them were. The pictures given were awesome action shots in we're glad we purchased them. I was so sore but thankful for the experience. They even if you in the water when you were rappelling off of the biggest waterfall for the ultimate experience
12/19/2016
This was a great way to spend the day. The best part was the end when they gave you authentic food and drinks.
12/6/2016
This was a perfect day! So much fun!
10/28/2016
Such a fun day!! Rappelling was the coolest activity. Our guide for white water rafting was so fun!
7/30/2016
What a blast
7/28/2016
EXCELLENT it was amazing would highly recommend to others.
7/28/2016
The tour was totally exhilarating and exceeded our expectations. It is very memorable and will a highlight of our vacation. The staff make sure everything was safety conscious and the on-site photographer was good to have since we could not take our phones and cameras. I will highly recommend to clients, family and friends. The waterfalls and river rapids were in a beautiful rainforest surroundings.
7/20/2016
Jairo was great!!
7/19/2016
Best part of the trip. So much fun. Still talking about it. Gerald was our guide and he was amazing. My son got very scared at one point of rough rafting, and Gerald pulled him over to sit next to him during the calm parts of the river and comforted and reassured him. Gerald was charming and great fun. My son would go back to Costa Rica just to raft with him again!
6/29/2016
The waterfalls were great, the guides were fun too. The whitewater rafting was ok. The river was low and I'm not sure the guides are very in control. Our first raft actually punctured, which I didn't even this was possible they seem so tough. That was a bit scary. It was not as neat as the waterfalls, they don't really provide any information about anything other than paddling. I give the rafting a 5/10 and the waterfalls a 10/10.
6/24/2016
Absolutely loved both of these! We would have wanted to do a longer experience at both but it was one of the best days of our vacation. The companies you used couldn't have been any better they were all so nice. Our Rafting Guide was so fun and friendly.
6/24/2016
Sign me up to go again!!!!
6/22/2016
This was an awesome experience. Everyone was to happy and made you feel very comfortable
6/15/2016
The kids loved this tour combination. All of the guides were helpful and kind especially with the children.
6/4/2016
The guides were excellent for both rappelling and rafting. The transition between activities were seamless and the food was great!
5/24/2016
It was a nice surprise to learn that this tour included an authentic CR lunch AND a sugar cane processing tour and samples.
5/24/2016
excellent
5/24/2016
The guides were very efficient in the guide and helped us rapell safely through the courses. The whitewater raft tour was excellent. Our guide took every opportunity to show us a good time and even found wild life along the way for us to see. He also stopped at a rope swing for the teenagers to jump from.
5/16/2016
Very exciting and great guides. Water was not released from the dam the day we rafted, so the river was running a bit slow
5/9/2016
My favorite
4/10/2016
Again, wonderful guides. Slight problem with the transfer but it worked out so all is good.
3/29/2016
They needed to do a better job making sure that we were to the front of the line of the rappelling so that we could get to the rafting with more time to spare. If it weren't for some people telling us to go ahead, we would never have made it.
3/14/2016
This is really two different tours with two different groups; however, we didn't know it at the time and failed to give a tip to the first group for the rappelling. Rappelling was a thrilling new adventure, and so much fun. They provide good instruction, but it can be so scary at first that I don't think I let go of the rope at all, but they have ways to navigate around that and release you down in the same manner. After a few rappels, I remembered how to use the release and break they taught for the remainder of the rappels. The white water rafting in the Arenal region is superb as well as our guide. It was thrilling as I kept thinking we should start paddling before we washed into the bank, but learned to wait until the call was given. I don't know how they got such great pictures, so it must've been done from other areas or other rafts outside of ours. We went during March which is the dry season, but they open the dam a few hours a day so that the white water rafting is very much white water thrilling! Great snacks of watermelon and pineapple, followed by an enjoyable meal.
3/14/2016
Again, too many people. Was rushed on every rappel and rafting. Again, TOO MANY PEOPLE.
3/7/2016
Guides were great, all I would change is the meal in between the two tours
2/19/2016
Super fun staff, who made sure 'Safety First' at all times. A must do activity
1/19/2016
They forgot to pick us up in the morning but made it up to us with free pictures and sincere apologies. The overall day was a blast!
1/1/2016
loved it - fun, yet we thought they focused on safety properly. A lot to do in one day.
12/14/2015
Rappelling was the highlight of the trip. a total blast. very safe but thrilling, would do it again. Rafting on the Balsa river was also a lot of fun. Good class 2-3 rapids but nothing that one couldn't handle. Great pictures by the photographer. The drive up the mountain on the rocky pitted road left a little to be desired but you got used to it.
12/13/2015
The rappelling company was amazing. Friendly, informative, made us all feel safe and fun. Love, loved them
The rafting was great too.
11/22/2015
Loved it.
8/9/2015
Absolutely awesome!
8/3/2015
The guide and experience was excellent. I am still talking about it. AMAZING!!!!
8/3/2015
We had to cut the rappelling short so they could take us to the rafting trip in town. We would have been happy to go earlier to have the entire tour. Or take a group of rappelling and rafting together so we go at a speed that allows us to enjoy both rappelling and rafting. Both rappelling and rafting were excellent experiences - our best excursion day!
7/26/2015
This was the highlight of our trip. Both tours were amazing. I can't say enough on how professional both groups of tour guides were. Rappelling was awesome and scary and the same time. The rafting ended up in this restaurant where they made a demonstration of making coffee and served some great coffee. In addition a demonstration on sugar cane. Just wonderful. Would do this again in a heart beat!
7/2/2015
Stupendous!!! so much fun, the experience exceeded our expectations!
7/2/2015
The guides for the rappelling were very professional and super-friendly. We felt very safe in their hands! As for the rafting - Fabio & Melvin were very professional and it was an awesome experience. This was my first time doing white-water rafting, but definitely not the last with this group. We will be back and bring our friends with as well!
5/24/2015
The only reason why I gave it 9 points instead of 10 is because there was ~30 people on the rapelling tour so there was a lot of standing around and waiting. Still a great experience. Rafting was wonderful and the lunch after was great!
3/30/2015
I was really expecting more rappelling,
3/17/2015
Awesome experience! Maria was right - this was one of the highlights of our trip (even for me and I hate heights). The guides at both Pure Trek and Wave expeditions are incredibly professional and fun. The added trip to the sugar / coffee farm was a very nice addition and the meal was great. This should be advertised as part of the experience.
1/5/2015
Another amazing excursions, great tour company, very safe and professional
11/12/2014
The rafting and rappelling were excellent, but the logistics were not good and we were told that no pictures had been arranged. Later on we found out they were arranged, and we received all the pictures. Better late than never, but they are GREAT.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What activities are included in the Adventure Lovers Rappelling and Rafting Combo?
This combo tour includes rappelling down four rainforest waterfalls, ranging from 45 to 165 feet, followed by whitewater rafting on the Class II and III rapids of the Rio Balsa.
Is prior experience required for the rappelling and rafting tour?
No prior experience is necessary for either the rappelling or whitewater rafting activities. Professional bilingual guides provide all necessary safety instructions and equipment.
What is included in the Rappelling and Rafting Combo tour?
The tour includes round-trip transportation from local Arenal Volcano area hotels, professional bilingual guides, all necessary safety equipment, a hearty Costa Rican-style lunch, snacks, and drinks.
Are there any weight restrictions for participating in the tour?
Guests weighing over 200 lbs are asked to inform the tour operator in advance to ensure proper gear accommodations and address any potential restrictions.
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