On our fourth day in Costa Rica, Chad planned a canyoning trip in the town of Turrialba about a 1.5 hour drive east of Orosi. Canyoning involves rappelling down the faces of waterfalls and sounded like a blast so we were all excited. Our driver arrived at 7:30 am and we all jumped in the Adventure Lodge bus to head out for our next excursion.
The drive took us through the picturesque Orosi Valley, up over the mountains and down into the town of Turrialba. We passed many large coffee plantations as well as a few plantations growing ornamental houseplants and a large sugar cane plantation. The area is so fertile that there are farming operations all over the hillsides. It's hard to imagine folks climbing up the sides of these hills to harvest what's been planted but they get it done somehow.
Arriving in Turrialba, we met our guide Paul from explornatura. We drove up to the basecamp where the canyoning tour begins and got fitted in harnesses. From there, we hopped into another van and drove up the mountain. The first leg of the trip began with a short zip line over to the top of a waterfall. From here, they set up guides at the top and bottom of the waterfall itself and rig two descent lines. One person at a time is clipped onto the descent line and starts to go down the waterfall. There was always someone at the bottom holding on to the rope to guide you safely down the waterfall. The last time I'd rappelled was at a YMCA camp in North Georgia when I was about 12 years old. The guides explained everything very simply and made sure everyone was having a good time.
When you get clipped on to the descent line, you have to lean out away from the rocks to keep tension on your harness. The first step is the hardest, leaning out over the edge of a waterfall clipped to a rope was a thrill. Once you get going, it's easy, you slowly release the rope from behind you, find your footing on the rock and step down to the next spot. Two things to note here: first, you're going to get wet (very wet) so wear boardshorts or something like that and, preferrably, a shirt made of some kind of quick-dry material and second, get a good pair of closed-toe shoes. I was wearing Teva sandals which are not suited for this kind of thing. You're working your way down wet rock faces and sandals are not the right shoes for the job.
The guides we went out with were super fun and made sure that everyone had a blast. There was a photographer along with us and he would set up ahead of everyone and take photos as we came down. The trip alternated between waterfalls and zip-lines moving down through the forest. We came to a wooden rope bridge which was super fun as well. Everyone clipped onto safety lines and walked across the bridge planks from one side to the other. The guides would shake the bridge as you got out into the middle just to make it fun.
As we were going through the forest, someone pointed out a basilisk sitting on a log over the river just above us.
The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish. At the end of the trip, you walk out of the forest and you're right back at the ecoaventura base camp. They've got changing rooms where you can get out of your wet clothes and shower. There's also a restaurant upstairs and we all sat down to another typical Costa Rican lunch of Casado. The photographer showed us samples of all of the photos and burned discs right there for folks who wanted to buy them. The price, again, was $30 USD which was the same as the other tour operators we'd been out with.
We all climbed back into the Adventure Lodge bus and headed back to Orosi. Along the way, I took some photos of some of the houses. The thing I noticed was how neat they all were. You'd pass these small houses on the roadside that were all painted and clean, the porches were usually made of a shiny ceramic tile and the yards all looked very well kept. It was nice to see how well the Costa Rican folks cared for their homes.
We arrived back at the Adventure Lodge and relaxed for a little bit before Chad took us into Orosi for a tour. We visited a local shop where an American husband and wife sell souvenirs that are made by local artisans in the area. They reuse everything which was good to see so we bought a few pairs of earrings made from recycled glass. We then took a tour of the museum at the Iglesia de San Jose Orosi, which dates back to 1735. The building is Costa Rica’s oldest church that is still in operation. The Franciscans built the structure out of adobe and tile nearly 300 years ago. Recently restored, it includes an adjoining religious art museum filled with paintings, silver, furniture, and ancient artifacts.
After the tour, we headed back to the lodge for dinner after a full day.
Here's a slideshow of photos from Day Four.
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