Rio Corobici in Costa Rica

"Row," shouted our guide, "Now!"

 

We all immediately dug our paddles into the river, developing a rhythmic pattern as we approached the roaring rapids.

Wes Beside Rio Corobici

Stroke.  Stroke.  Stroke.

The raft bounced erratically, and paddles on the other side failed to reach their marks, spinning us dangerously left at the worst possible time.

Boom!

The rear of our craft smashed into the boulder, and shockingly our trained guide flew off his perch on the back. 

His head smashed into the rock, but the rushing river carried him off the rock too quickly to tell the extent of his injury.  For certain, he must be unconscious, I thought, and throwing caution to the wind, I dropped my paddle and leapt from the raft, swimming against the rapids attempting to get back to him.

The rushing water pushed his limp body in my general direction, and I could now clearly see blood seeping from the gash on the back of his face-down head.  I lunged and managed to get my arm around his neck and pivot his face out of the water.

I hoped he was still breathing, but in any case I knew I needed to get him to shore for CPR.

As we bounced together through the rapids, I saw our raft, though still spinning like a top, had managed to clear the powerful whitewater, continuing to float downstream.

Battered by unforgiving rocks, I struggled to survive without losing my grip, and finally we too cleared the worst of it.  I welcomed the calm water and swam for shore. 

 

When my knees scraped on river rocks in the shallows, I struggled to my feet and staggered toward the shore, my guide in tow.  I was grateful to note his chest heaving up and down with the breath of life.

And that's when I saw a three foot iguana watching me curiously from a large boulder.  I paused in my tracks, taking in the wonder of nature, when I suddenly heard a rustling nearby.

Turning my head, I saw my worst nightmare: two large crocodiles hungrily eying me as I dragged what I'm sure looked like injured prey......

The river views from Rincon Corobici Restaurant would enchant anyone.  An open patio where a wall normally would be allows patrons to appreciate the panoramic views of a gorgeous river bend while dining.

Rice and black beans, staples of most Costa Rican meals, were my favorites.  As a little boy, I would order refried beans and Spanish rice with tortillas when my family went out for Sunday meals at La Fonda, and while I now savor everything from escargot to Brussels spouts to calimari, I've never lost my fondness for the simple beans and rice combo.  Because Julie doesn't like beans and tries to avoid carbs in general, that means I also enjoyed her share, but we both were happy with the rest of the meal, including mildly spicy chicken and fried plantains.

Before lunch, we had barely survived the roaring Rio Corobici, although I might have previously exaggerated the details a bit.

Actually, most of the river ride was about the equivalent of "dirt bagging" on Oregon's Rogue River, but without eating Kentucky Fried Chicken from a bucket as we rode.  And our guide never left his perch on the back of the raft.  In fact, the rest of the people in my raft voted to not be involved in any splashing activity, which for me would be the most fun part of the river ride on this hot, sunny day.

Yes, we occasionally paddled, but none of the rapids came close to those we've experienced in the whitewaters of Montana, California, Washington or Colorado.  This was generally a slow float, as advertised.

When we looked at potential shore excursions before our trip, I pushed for the Scenic Train Ride and River Cruise tour, but Julie felt it would not be long enough.  I tabled my concerns that Corobici River Raft Float, Scenic Drive and Lunch may be too similar to our La Boquilla mangroves excursion at our Cartagena stop. 

Without question, we found Rio Corobici much more lovely than La Boquilla, and while the two hour drive to and from the rafting spot may not have been as scenic as hyped, it was more pleasant than riding in Cartagena's city traffic.

Puntarenas itself didn't impress us as a place to spend an extended time, so we never doubted our decision to take an excursion, and it was a good call to try to maximize our port day by getting away from that town for the most time possible, but we overestimated the value of the "scenic drive" and the promised "wildlife" of our excursion.  Based on comments from other cruisers, I have no doubt the Princess Eco-Jungle River Cruise tourthrough Guacalillo Estuary, with its crocodiles and Scarlet Macaws would have easily trumped the lizard and tiny bats we saw.

In all fairness, some people in our raft claimed to see monkeys in a tree and a 3 foot iguana, while others in a different raft spoke of an anteater, but our wildlife, like that of our prior mangroves tour, mostly consisted of a few herons and egrets.

I generally advise clients to choose distinctly different excursions in each port in order to maximize the diversity of their vacation and sharpen distinct memories of amazing destinations.  I believe this excursion would have been a more memorable experience had we not done the mangroves canoe through slow water.  Nonetheless, Rio Corbici is beautiful.

Other activities for you to consider when you visit Costa Rica would be ziplining through the jungle, which is always a blast, or visiting Monteverde Cloud Rainforest.  Whatever you choose to do, always make the most of your experience and love your life.