Costa Rica Coast to Coast – From Sugarcane Fields to Rafting in the Rainforest

by Alan Cole · Saturday, May 23rd, 2026

The Road to Rio Pacuare

I slept a bit, but not much, so I was thankful for a fairly early start today and a quick breakfast in the hall before climbing back onto our bikes once again.

We started with a pleasant ride along easy roads beside the Rio Pejivalle and then through endless sugar plantations where trucks were being piled high with harvested sugarcane. We were, of course, still keeping an eye out for the elusive sloth and had a couple of false sightings, both of which turned out to be insect nests — termites, bees, or wasps.

We stopped briefly at a junction before heading up into the mountains with a decent climb to start the day. I put in a bit of effort for the first time here and soon left the others behind. I didn’t go too hard though, as I still had to keep a lookout for sloths as I climbed. I didn’t want to miss one only to discover later that the others had spotted it behind me!

At the top we had good views out towards the volcano of Cerro Pasquí in the distance before stopping at a small roadside shop for supplies. We would be camping for the next couple of nights with no resupply stops, so everyone stocked up on snacks and essentials. Somehow this message largely passed me by, so I only bought some ibuprofen and a drink, which I immediately consumed at the shop.

From there we continued along the road for a while before stopping at a busy roadside restaurant for a huge lunch. Afterwards came an easy descent down to a private estate, where we headed off-road onto dusty tracks baked hard by the sun.

We stopped at a viewpoint overlooking rainforest-covered hillsides before beginning a long, fun descent down towards the Río Pacuare. I couldn’t resist letting off the brakes and leaving the others behind on the descent. We’d worked hard to gain all this elevation over the previous few days — I might as well enjoy losing it again. Although, it has to be said, the brakes and suspension on the bike could have been better.

Rafting Recon

At the river we changed into rafting kit, met Alfonso — our second rafting guide — and had a briefing from Doty. We then climbed into the raft and started negotiating the Class II+ rapids of the Rio Pacuare.

Today was something of a rafting reconnaissance session so we could learn the basics and the guides could see how we handled ourselves on the water. I jumped into the small packraft with Alfonso for a while, where we practised rescues, jumped off rocks into the rapids, and generally messed about having fun on the river.

The water was pleasantly warm, the sun was shining, and between the rapids we drifted serenely downstream, hemmed in on either side by dense rainforest. Indigenous lands lined one bank while the occasional remote campground appeared on the other. We passed local people fishing with throw nets and saw hand-pulled cable cars stretched across the river, used as makeshift bridges.

Everyone in the group seemed to enjoy the rafting, including S, who had been a little apprehensive about it beforehand.

Pacuare River Camp

All too soon we arrived at our camp, perched on the banks of a bend in the river with steep jungle-covered slopes rising behind it.

The camp itself was fantastic. Well-maintained gardens surrounded raised wooden platforms, each with large tents beneath suspended tarps. There were flushing toilets, “I’m a Celebrity”-style showers, and a central building containing a kitchen, dining area, and upstairs chill-out space with hammocks. The river flowed right alongside the camp, complete with a cable-car crossing leading to an upmarket lodge on the opposite bank.

We had the entire place to ourselves and soon spread out and relaxed.

Vultures soared overhead, toucans flew across the river, and tiny multi-coloured lizards scampered over the rocks outside my tent while birds called from deep within the forest. Meanwhile cicadas screeched loudly in an attempt to drown out the constant roar of the river, and butterflies with wings the size of my hands drifted lazily through the camp.

What a place. This was much more like the sort of camping I’d hoped for — far nicer than the indoor camping we’d experienced so far.

I found myself thinking how much Anna would love somewhere like this. She’d be completely in her element snoozing in the hammocks. Although she might need a little convincing about the camping, rafting, and various creepy-crawlies!

We had another good dinner before everyone else disappeared off to bed surprisingly early. K wasn’t feeling great, and I don’t think S was either. Perhaps knowing tomorrow was a rest day had finally allowed their bodies to relax and the exertions of the previous days had finally caught up with them.

Regardless, everyone else was in bed before 7 pm, so I spent the evening gloom on my own listening to the ever-increasing cacophony of insects and frogs rising from the rainforest around me. Eventually I retired at around 11 pm.