Recently Viewed
Sarapiqui River Kayak Tour: Wildlife and Scenery
4.9
24 Ratings
La Virgen
Embark on a thrilling white water kayak tour on Costa Rica’s Sarapiqui River. Explore the jungle, spot wildlife, and paddle through class I and II rapids. Perfect for beginners and experienced kayakers alike!
Embark on a thrilling white water kayak tour on Costa Rica’s Sarapiqui River. Explore the jungle, spot wildlife, and paddle through class I and II rapids. Perfect for beginners and experienced kayakers alike!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Sarapiqui River - The adventure kicks off at either 8:30 AM or 11:30 AM from our base in La Virgen de SarapiquÃ. Once equipped, participants will take a brief drive to the tranquil part of the Sarapiquà River.
The experience begins with a safety briefing and basic paddling practice, followed by an enjoyable and picturesque 12 km journey on Class…
- Sarapiqui River - The adventure kicks off at either 8:30 AM or 11:30 AM from our base in La Virgen de SarapiquÃ. Once equipped, participants will take a brief drive to the tranquil part of the Sarapiquà River.
The experience begins with a safety briefing and basic paddling practice, followed by an enjoyable and picturesque 12 km journey on Class I–II rapids — ideal for beginners.
The guide will lead the group, assist in refining techniques, and highlight wildlife and jungle flora.
After approximately 2 hours on the river, the group returns to the base to receive a towel, change clothes, and savor a fresh tropical snack.
What's Included
- Round-trip river transport
- Insurance coverage
- Private parking
- Certified guides
- Safety equipment
- WiFi access
- Pre-river safety instructions
- Tropical fruits and cassava snack
- Safety box
- Dressing rooms
- Lockers
- Round-trip river transport
- Insurance coverage
- Private parking
- Certified guides
- Safety equipment
- WiFi access
- Pre-river safety instructions
- Tropical fruits and cassava snack
- Safety box
- Dressing rooms
- Lockers
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Photos and videos
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Photos and videos
- Lunch
Additional Information
Discover the picturesque landscape of the Sarapiqui area via the Sarapiqui River. This journey offers a glimpse into the multitude of fauna and flora unique to riverside sceneries.
Open to both novices and experts, this whitewater kayak ride (class I and II) brings a chance to explore unfamiliar waters and elevate your proficiency. While not a…
Discover the picturesque landscape of the Sarapiqui area via the Sarapiqui River. This journey offers a glimpse into the multitude of fauna and flora unique to riverside sceneries.
Open to both novices and experts, this whitewater kayak ride (class I and II) brings a chance to explore unfamiliar waters and elevate your proficiency. While not a professional tutorial, it provides a splendid platform to refine your paddling skills under the supervision of a certified guide along a tranquil portion of the river.
Approximately 4 hours in duration, this trip is ideal for participants ready to paddle and adhere to the guide’s directions.
- Minimum age is 7 years
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- You will be required to sign a waiver upon tour check-in
- Recommend you bring: Sunscreen, string or strap to secure your glasses, clothes to change into after the tour
- Recommend you wear: Swimsuit, Shorts or long pants (for sun protection only - no jeans), tennis shoes or water shoes, sandals with ankle straps (no flip flops), light rain jacket and/or polypropylene, wool shirts for cool or rainy days. Cotton T-shirts for sunny days only (they make you colder when wet)
- A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required
Location
Sarapiqui Outdoor Center - Costa Rica
It is important to take into account that we are approximately ***2 hours*** away from San José, therefore routes must be verified and considered in advance to prevent any delays.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(24 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Ryanz432
Mar 24, 2025
Best Kayaking Experience! - Most amazing experience of my life! Such a beautiful view and the kayaking was run by such amazing people! 100% recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
688lonnekes
Mar 8, 2025
Great kayakyour through beautiful nature area - Kayaking through a super beautiful area: Selva NP. Besides turtles, a monkey, iguanas, also really many different birds spotted, thanks to guide David. Great experience, nice company with friendly and knowledgeable people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D8844bxkatrinas
Aug 8, 2024
A fantastic, unique way to experience the jungle! - The office staff (Tatiana) and guides (Miguel and Jordy) were all very friendly and helpful. The trip was well organized, and they did a great job helping to explain everything. Our guides helped us to feel safe on the river, and they also pointed out wildlife (especially birds) as we kayaked. They also took pictures that were available for us to see at the end. After the kayak tour, we also enjoyed the snack (fruit, cassava, and coffee) and got to participate in crushing sugar cane! This was a very fun experience for us.
One tip: Be sure to wear clothes that can get completely wet. They will have you practice escaping from a flipped kayak, just in case it happens to you. Don't worry too much- there were a few small rapids but we never felt unsafe nor did we tip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Spencer_s
Mar 3, 2024
ADVENTURE AWAITS! - Awesome experience for kayaking and seeing wildlife along the river. Great introduction to kayaking with lots of safety instruction at the start, such as practicing a kayak flip exit and learning basic paddle maneuvers. David was an amazing instructor and made sure we all felt safe and comfortable before going on the river.
Review provided by Viator
Mkloomis
Feb 28, 2024
Highly recommended! - Sarapiquà Outdoor Center is a gem. Tatiana and David were so friendly and helpful. The kayaking was spectacular. David is a good guide and a good teacher. Our kayaking skills are pretty basic and he made sure we had a good time while staying within our abilities. We saw many different birds and enjoyed the quiet river and forest. The fruit snack afterwards was generous and delicious! We also stayed over at one of the "glamping" huts and it was about the most restful night of our whole Costa Rica trip. The setting is charming, with rock work and a small river. There were monkeys right there in the forest. The whole setup is rustic and homey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jim_c
Jan 18, 2024
Super fun! - We loved that the rapids were almost constant. Rarely was there calm water which made it exciting the entire time!
Review provided by Viator
Claudia
Dec 9, 2023
An unforgettable day on Sarapiqui River - I can highly recommend this great tour. I am a kayac novice and David's introduction was very good, highly professional and made me quickly feel comfortable in my kayac. We saw so many birds and other animals, we even saw a crocodile up close. David was very good in finding and pointing out the animals.
After the tour I had a snack and coffee offered at their lovely place outside close to the river. If you are in the area, don't miss this tour. It is a memory of a life time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger39246818372
Aug 6, 2023
Wonder family-friendly tour! - We had a wonderful time with our Sarapiqui Outdoor Center tour. We originally booked a kayak river tour. Upon arrival, our tour guide David was concerned that our youngest son (10) would be a little small for the kayak, and it wouldn’t be safe. He offered a whitewater rafting trip instead. None of us had ever been whitewater rafting, but David was a great guide! He provided thorough instruction, and did a great job throughout the trip keeping us safe while pointing out the amazing wildlife along the Sarapiqui River. Arturo accompanied the raft in a kayak took many pictures and videos which they emailed to us a day later. After the trip, David and Arturo provided fruit, yucca, and freshly squeezed sugar cane while they explained the many different ways the food could be prepared. After the trip, our youngest son asked how long we were on the water. When I told him we rafted for about an hour and a half, he replied that it was the best hour and a half of his life. Thank you David and Arturo!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larissa_z
Jul 27, 2022
Incredible trip & lovely family business - This trip was truly incredible! My boyfriend was more experienced than me, so I was quite scared at first, but our guide ("Bob") made me feel so at ease, he was very experienced and kind. And it was amazing to see the wildlife from this perspective, we even saw a monkey swim! Besides, he made some really nice pictures and videos for us/of us which we received for free. Also his family was really kind by the way, because (I think it was) his wife cooked a lovely meal for us and he showed us how they prepare their food, such as sugarcane. He also showed us the river from their backyard, which was a beautiful sight. Super grateful for this amazing experience! Definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Ricarda
Apr 9, 2025
Excursion with ups and downs - We booked the kayak tour a day before by trip padviser. When we arrived, none of us knew and we had to wait a bit until our guide came, who had to be called and the equipment was gathered.
Unfortunately, they did not choose the boats well or let us proown them at the site. So we were driven 20 minutes to the boarding point and then we realized that we are too big for the kayaks (we are normal size). But no other boats had been taken. So we had to squeeze in, which was quite uncomfortable especially in the long run. We both had bruises on our legs afterwards...Otherwise it was a nice exit. Unfortunately, the guide did not speak very good English, although booked as an English tour. So there was a bit of information about the surroundings, but it was rather difficult to communicate. The snacks at the end were delicious again 😋 Overall a mixed experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
More activities from this operator
