The Pacuare River, or the Río Pacuare, in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
has its source in the
Cordillera de Talamanca
The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...
and flows approximately to the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. It is a popular location for
white water rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
,
whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...
and
riverboarding
Riverboarding is a boardsport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, dep ...
. The rainforests that surround the river are home to exotic animal species such as
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
s,
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s,
ocelot
The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...
s, and a very large number of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s. Also it was considered one of the 5 nicest rivers to practice rafting.
The
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad ( en, Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) (ICE) is the Costa Rican government-run electricity and telecommunications services provider. Together with the Radiographic Costarricense SA (RACSA) and Compañ ...
- Costa Rica's state-owned electricity agency - suggested in 1986 the possibility of building a
hydroelectric dam
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
on the river. This plan was finally rejected in 2005 due to concerns about the pollution and other impacts on tourism and the ecology of the river and its surroundings.
River Sections
The Pacuare River is divided into approximately sixteen sections. Starting from the top the three commonly run sections are known as The Upper Upper, The Upper and The Lower.
The Upper Upper Section
This run is approximately long and contains numerous class II through IV rapids. This section is commonly run due to the logistics necessary to reach the put-in. This section can be rafted and kayaked.
The Upper Section
This more technical section consists of approximately ten miles of whitewater including multiple class IV and V rapids as well as waterfalls. The take-out for this section is Finca La Cruz. This section is most commonly run in creeking style whitewater kayaks.
The Lower Section
This is the section of class III and IV whitewater that the Pacuare River is most known for. Flowing approximately (and dropping approximately ) from Finca La Cruz to the town of Siquirres. The run can be done in a single day trip or as long as a three-day trip. The highlights of this section include the whitewater rapids and the waterfalls that flow into the river in the Huacas River Gorge. The rapids include Upper and Lower Huacas (class IV), Double Drop (class III), Cimarones (class IV) as well as multiple giant
falls known around the world.
History
![pacuareriverrafting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Pacuareriverrafting.jpg)
The first known river running of the Pacuare was done by a group of Polish kayakers traveling the length of Central America on their way to South America in the winter of 1980/81. The first rafting expedition was in Feb 1981 and the party was composed of Nick Hershenow, Sharon Hester, Jerry Kaufman (all USA) and Rudy Koller (Canada). Sharon Hester and Nick Hershenow were rafting guides for Michael Kaye of CREAR. This expedition used a Avon Redshank and Rudy mostly kayaked in a Holloform. The trip was divided into the "Upper and "Lower" sections starting at a bridge crossing and took 5 days to reach the narrow gauge railroad where they flagged a train back to San Jose. In 1978 Kaye started Costa Rica Expeditions to run commercial trips in Costa Rica and started running commercial trips on the Pacuare river in winter 1981/82.
[Sharon Hester and Nick Hershenow participants on the 1st rafting expedition] Between 1980(?) and 1983 Rafael Gallo, a previous employee of Kaye at Costa Rica Expeditions, gathered four rafts and started the company Rios Tropicales. Aventuras Naturales joined the list of commercial rafting companies on the Pacuare River in the mid-1980s. 1986 saw Tico's River Adventures started in
Turrialba, the closest city to the Pacuare River.
In 1998 the nearby Reventazon River was dammed pushing more people and the local rafting companies to shift focus to primarily the Pacuare River.
Flora and fauna
Large cats have been spotted near the river but as always these animals are elusive. A
black panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
was spotted approximately from the river in 1986. Jaguars have been spotted near the Haucas River Gorge.
Anteaters
Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with ...
are common as well as
raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
s, river otters,
iguanas
''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...
,
capuchin monkeys
The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "Street organ, organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some t ...
, and
sloths
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
.
Howler monkeys
Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Ateles' ...
are found on the lower sections after the Dos Montanas canyon.
There are five common snakes found in the area. The venomous ones include the
coral snake
Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (''Calliophis'', '' Hemibungarus' ...
, the
bushmaster and
fer-de-lance. The laura and sopy lota (long black snake that eats venomous snakes) are also common in the area.
The
blue morpho is the most popular butterfly of the area.
The chestnut-mandibled
toucan
Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five ge ...
is most commonly seen when it is raining or foggy on the river.
Parakeets
A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers.
Etymology and naming
The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...
can sometimes be seen after the Dos Montanas canyon. Other common birds of the area are the orependula (oriel), king fisher, tiger and
blue heron, hawks, osprey,
king vulture
The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'') is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexic ...
, sunbittern and
snowy egret
The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...
.
Most of the river corridor is first generation rain forest and has never been touched. Common trees of the area include the sabe tree, the national tree of Guatemala, as well as the red Indio desnudo (
naked Indian tree).
After Dos Montanas, the
heart of palm
Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, most notably the coconut (''Cocos nucifera''), juçara (''Euterpe edulis''), açaí palm (''Euterpe oleracea''), palmetto (''Sabal'' spp.), and pe ...
,
coconut palm
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...
and
banana trees
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distingu ...
become very prominent.
References
External links
Pacuare Costa Rica - Info about rafting Pacuare River.Green Frog Adventures - Pacuare RiverAdrenalina Rafting - Pacuare River Whitewater Rafting & Eco-Adventures- The Pacuare River, Costa Rica: Rio Pacuare Paradise{{coord missing, Costa Rica
Rivers of Costa Rica