Costa Rica Introductory Kayak Course

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Course Overview and Tips
Sol Encounter will have kayaks, paddles, personal flotation devices (PFD’s), helmets, skirts and splash jackets for use during the week. Novice kayakers are invited, but please note that this is a beginning course on kayaking and we will start with the basics. If you are interested in an intermediate, advanced, or expert kayak tour, please contact info@solencounter.com. All guides are experienced rescue kayakers and all know each river intimately. There will be a ratio of one guide/instructor per three clients guaranteed. Anyone interested in bringing down personal river gear is encouraged to do so, but it is not necessary. Our goal is to introduce you to the sport and allow you to become familiar with kayak skills, river skills, and river safety skills to kayak on your own after the course. Sol Encounter guides will choose sections of the river to run as dictated by the strength and degree of comfort of the group. When logistically possible and safe, we can split into two groups to run an easier or more difficult section of river. Most accommodations are in or near the rainforest, but very comfortable. Many meals are included, but a few are purposefully not included to allow you the freedom to roam and choose.

Day 1
Fly into San Jose (Juan Santamaria International Airport). A member of Sol Encounter will meet you at the airport and orient you to the city as well as help you exchange money and then drop you off at the hotel. A welcome dinner with the entire group is planned for the evening.

Optional Activities- Depending on your arrival time, you can explore downtown San Jose, visiting the central walking mall and the central market. A Sol Encounter guide will show you around or provide detailed maps and explanations if preferred.

Day 2
Breakfast and Lunch included. After breakfast in San Jose, you will pack your belongings alongside our kayaks and river gear to drive out to the rainforest-covered Savegre River. This is a 4-hour drive from the city up and over the central mountain range and through rainforest. Upon arriving, we’ll check into a semi-remote, but very comfortable rainforest lodge. After lunch, we’ll unpack the kayaks and learn the basics of the boats, gear and then customize a kayak to your body proportions.

Optional Activities- Short guided hikes around the eco-lodge in the afternoon.

Day 3
Breakfast and Lunch included. After a hardy breakfast, we’ll take a short ride downstream to a deep pool along the shores of the Savegre. We’ll spend the rest of the day learning how to paddle a kayak, different paddle strokes, turns, braces and introduce you to the Eskimo roll. Our goal is to get you to feel comfortable in a kayak and be able to maneuver your boat around. After a day of this, you’ll surely be hungry as we head back to our rainforest lodge for a hot shower and meal.

Day 4
Breakfast and Lunch included. Wake up again to the calls of toucans and the noises of the rainforest and get prepared for more flat-water skills and then your first taste of moving water. We’ll spend the morning in our river pool reviewing the skills learned the day before and giving one-on-one attention to you. After lunch, we’ll again pack the kayaks onboard our truck and head further downstream to be able to launch our kayaks in the slow moving current of the lower Savegre. Here you’ll be able to practice the skills you’ve acquired in the pool, but add a twist--moving water. We’ll float up to 7 miles today and be met by our truck to take us back to our familiar rainforest surrounded lodge.

Day 5
Breakfast and Lunch included. Today will be your last day on the Savegre, but it will be a full day of practicing your moving water skills and learning new ones on faster moving water. Before departing the lodge, we’ll pack our bags as we are heading for the beach tonight. As dictated by the level and comfort of the entire group, we’ll launch our boats higher than the day before and encounter our first set of Class II rapids. Be prepared to practice your Eskimo roll toady, but even if you can’t nail it, you’ll probably enjoy a short swim in the tropical Savegre River. We’ll “take-out” today at the same place as the day before, load our kayaks and drive about a half hour to the incredible beach community of Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio has all the amenities of home with a variety of restaurants, bars, discothèques, not to mention a famous national park and pristine tropical beaches.

Optional Activities- A Sol Encounter guide will lead anyone interested on a short hike to a ridge overlooking the Pacific. Always a sure bet for a memorable sunset. Dinner tonight can be found at one of the many restaurants serving international cuisine in Manuel Antonio. Nearby Quepos Town, a five-minute taxi ride away, offers a variety of nightlife including many bars, restaurants and discothèques.

Day 6
Breakfast and Lunch included. Wonder what a kayak instructional course is doing at the beach? We’ve discovered that gearing up and taking your kayak into the small beach breakers of Manuel Antonio is the single best way to practice kayak braces, paddle strokes, charging through whitewater, and of course surfing. And, we will be doing this at a postcard picture location throughout the day.

Optional Activities- Ditch your kayak and spend part of the day in Manuel Antonio National Park. You’ll surely see monkeys, a variety of beaches, and get to exercise your legs hiking through the rainforest trails. Or, enjoy a relaxing day at the beach; surfing, tanning, or drinking a pina colada. Tonight is open so feel free to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of Manuel Antonio and Quepos town.

Day 7
Breakfast and Lunch included. Today, you’ll wake up in Manuel Antonio and get packed to head to the Caribbean slope and the Sarapiqui River. It is about a 5-hour drive along the coast, through rainforest and over a mountain range. The Sarapiqui is a low volume Class III river; just the right mix of challenge and scenery after a day at the beach. This part of the country is known for its tropical scenery, large trees, two volcanoes and numerous national parks and protected areas. We’ll start kayaking after lunch and paddle through rapids such as Confusion, and Superman. After about 7 miles, we’ll pull over and check into a riverfront lodge in the town of La Virgen to sleep to the soothing sounds of a rainforest river.

Day 8
Breakfast and Lunch included. We’ll spend our final day of kayaking on the Sarapiqui and its Class III rapids. If you are feeling comfortable, you’ll have the option of starting the day higher in elevation than the day before to paddle through several additional Class III’s. You’ll have a chance to practice all the skills you’ve learned in the previous week while floating by protected rainforest, wildlife and a few scattered houses. That evening, we’ll load our kayaks for the last time and drive to San Jose to spend the night.

Optional Activities- The day is open for beach activities and can include surfing, sea kayaking, hiking or relaxing on the beach.

Day 9
Sol Encounter will accompany you to the airport and assist with checking in. Don’t forget your $26 exit tax paid in cash-either dollars or colones.

Optional Activities- If you will be staying in Costa Rica longer, a Sol Encounter guide will be available for advice, trip planning and general information.


All dates and itineraries are subject to changed based on safety conditions and local festivals/holidays to enhance your adventure and cultural experience.

All meals included in this itinerary are as mentioned. Please budget formeals not included.

All deposits and payments made for this trip are final and are non-refundable due to peak-season travel and cancellation policies by local hotels and operating tours.