Ave Sol River Sanctuary — Hotel in Pacuarito

Highly Recommend this place!!!||Last week, I spent almost an entire week at Ave Sol where my plan was to get in some whitewater rafting time, some exposure to the jungle and the surrounding nature, and to learn some whitewater kayaking basics. It was hands down my best experience in Costa Rica over the course of the three times I have been to there and I owe it to Alvaro at Ave Sol as he was able to help me fulfill all of these things that I wanted to do. The Ave Sol Lodge was located on a very clear patch of land, a top of a basalt cliff with an amazing view of the Pacuare River and the surrounding mountains. The beauty of the world I could see as I looked out from my cabin where I stayed was one of the most mazing sights to be able to witness every day. In the portion of the river that sits down below the lodge is a rapid that generates a powerful noise of roaring water that we could always hear in the background throughout the day and as a lull behind each conversation, the last thing you heard before drifting off to sleep and the first thing you would awaken to every day-it was the most beautiful natural “white noise” I’ve had the pleasure of listening to as I drifted off the sleep every night. The grounds itself are absolutely stunning with their landscaping design and the collection of rustic-looking yet modernized cabins. The path up to the top of the lodge where the dining are sits zig-zags through the hill passing by waterfalls, native flora, other cabins and it makes you feel like your living in some sort of contemporary jungle fantasy version of a hill-side village. And finally the facility was incredibly sustainable where, for example, they use the power from nearby water sources to power and plumb the whole property. I could say much more on the subject of the property’s beauty and sustainability. ||I was really looking to spend a week somewhere in the jungle near what is considered the best white water river in Costa Rica where I could gain some time rafting and to begin to learn some basics about white water kayaking. Traveling solo, I can imagine this might not be the easiest request to fulfill but Alvaro, the guy who runs and owns Ave Sol, was able to make it happen. He hooked me with an amazing guide named Raul, that knew just about everything in the nature around us plus he knew the area very well. Alvaro also helped me gain some White Water kayaking experience with a handful of lessons for a couple of days with the owner of the Costa Rica Kayaking School, Mario Vargas. Mario is a legend around that area for his skill on the river and his proficiency as a safety kayaker. He’s also an incredibly great teacher too. By teaching me some basic drills, in two days he was able to help me become a better paddlers and also how to properly execute the Eskimo roll, something I was really hoping to be able to learn while down there. ||On another note, Alvaro was able to set me up with a very fun way of getting to the lodge for the first time, he dropped me and Raul off about 1.5 hours up river and we were able to raft our way down river to the property. This was not required but it was an awesome option to be able to have to arrive at your place of leisure for the next several days. One of the additional days Raul and I rafted down the river, we stopped along the side and helped carry some groceries/supplies for a local indigenous family up the mountain into their village….this was no easy hike and it was a very humbling experience. We even continued further past that into a much higher up property of another indigenous family that sometimes does some part time landscaping work at Ave Sol where we were able to stop and eat lunch with them. They were very kind and nice people, a bit shy at first but they opened up, Raul knew some of them through his time spent at Ave Sol working in the past. ||For the first half of the week it was just me hanging out and then there was the staff working there, Alvaro, the owner, Raul, my guide, and the grounds/facilities keeper, Alex. We spent mornings and evenings hanging out, drinking coffee, finding frogs and bugs to look at and just enjoying our time out there with one another, being way from the hustle and bustle of life back in town. The guys were great, very funny and hospitable and do a great job of taking care of the place. By the end of the week, a big group with a Canadian touring company came in and I got to see what it looked like when Ave Sol hosts a crowd, it was very fun and you can see how well this place is set up for taking care of many many people. ||I owe a huge thank you to Alvaro for making that kind of week of adventure become a reality in my life. Thank you very much for letting me stay at Ave Sol for 6 days in what has been the most fun experience I’ve had in Costa Rica so far. I will certainly be back some day and hopefully I’ll be able to hold my own while kayaking down the river by that point in time....

No other place on the Pacuare River like Ave Sol

Highly Recommend this place!!!

Last week, I spent almost an entire week at Ave Sol where my plan was to get in some whitewater rafting time, some exposure to the jungle and the surrounding nature, and to learn some whitewater kayaking basics. It was hands down my best experience in Costa Rica over the course of the three times I have been to there and I owe it to Alvaro at Ave Sol as he was able to help me fulfill all of these things that I wanted to do. The Ave Sol Lodge was located on a very clear patch of land, a top of a basalt cliff with an amazing view of the Pacuare River and the surrounding mountains. The beauty of the world I could see as I looked out from my cabin where I stayed was one of the most mazing sights to be able to witness every day. In the portion of the river that sits down below the lodge is a rapid that generates a powerful noise of roaring water that we could always hear in the background throughout the day and as a lull behind each conversation, the last thing you heard before drifting off to sleep and the first thing you would awaken to every day-it was the most beautiful natural “white noise” I’ve had the pleasure of listening to as I drifted off the sleep every night. The grounds itself are absolutely stunning with their landscaping design and the collection of rustic-looking yet modernized cabins. The path up to the top of the lodge where the dining are sits zig-zags through the hill passing by waterfalls, native flora, other cabins and it makes you feel like your living in some sort of contemporary jungle fantasy version of a hill-side village. And finally the facility was incredibly sustainable where, for example, they use the power from nearby water sources to power and plumb the whole property. I could say much more on the subject of the property’s beauty and sustainability.

I was really looking to spend a week somewhere in the jungle near what is considered the best white water river in Costa Rica where I could gain some time rafting and to begin to learn some basics about white water kayaking. Traveling solo, I can imagine this might not be the easiest request to fulfill but Alvaro, the guy who runs and owns Ave Sol, was able to make it happen. He hooked me with an amazing guide named Raul, that knew just about everything in the nature around us plus he knew the area very well. Alvaro also helped me gain some White Water kayaking experience with a handful of lessons for a couple of days with the owner of the Costa Rica Kayaking School, Mario Vargas. Mario is a legend around that area for his skill on the river and his proficiency as a safety kayaker. He’s also an incredibly great teacher too. By teaching me some basic drills, in two days he was able to help me become a better paddlers and also how to properly execute the Eskimo roll, something I was really hoping to be able to learn while down there.

I owe a huge thank you to Alvaro for making that kind of week of adventure become a reality in my life. Thank you very much for letting me stay at Ave Sol for 6 days in what has been the most fun experience I’ve had in Costa Rica so far. I will certainly be back some day and hopefully I’ll be able to hold my own while kayaking down the river by that point in...

The best rafting experience of my life

Short review : The passion and love that Alváro and Raúl put into their work & in protecting the nature of their country made this trip to the best rafting experience of my life (and i have done plenty of rafting trips): adventure, passion, fun, sun, amazing food, fantastic landscape y mucho mas. Muchas gracias amigos! Pura vida!

Long review: A friend and I started our two day trip with Ave Sol on January 4th 2022. Since we had our own car, we met in Tres Equis with Álvaro, parked our car at a secure location and took his car down to the river. There we met Raoul, the second guide who turns out to also be our cook, rock scientist, safety kayak, joker, environmentalist.... :)

After the safety instructions and after our luggage (a small backpack with things we need for one night) was safely secured on the raft, we set off on the river towards the location where we are supposed to spend the night - the eco friendly Ave Sol lodge. On the river, Álvaro and Raúl gave us lots of background information about trees, rocks, wild life, the history of the indigenous people and how they are trying to protect the river, the wild life and all that comes with it. You can really feel how passionate they are about their job, the nature and their country. I was deeply impressed by their ideas and visions and what they have already achieved.

During the trip, we went through different types of river runs (all very fun and exciting) and we were stopping at different sights to visit a waterfall, an indigenous village and have lunch (which was super delicious with fresh fruit & vegetables).

Arriving at the lodge, we were amazed by the beauty of the place and how they managed to built and run it completely eco friendly. They produce their own electricity and get water from a source in the mountains above. The place has different, basic rooms/cabañas with own or shared "open" shower (currently only cold water) and two verandas where you can hang out in hammocks and eat. The dinner was again super delicious and we got to try a super tasty "river punch". For the night, we received a anti-mosquito-cuil and we went to bed hearing the river and plenty of animals.

The next morning we had a great breakfast, jumped into the Pacuare river from Ave Sols rocks (optional ;)) and took off for another amazing journey on the river with Alváro and Raúl. We saw again plenty of different birds (Tucan, king fisher, hummingbird, tiger heron...), different exotic tress (e.g. the naked indian :)) and we even were lucky enough to see a monkey. This part of the trip was especially beautiful since we went through two gorges, were able to jump into the water and float next to the raft and had some exciting river runs. It was hard in the end to get out of the water and back to civilization.

Once more, i would like to say thank you to Alváro ans Raúl for an amazing time that I will definitely never forget. I wish you all the best for your plans in creating an association for rafting/canopy guides, training local Ticos in becoming guides themselves, in building the Costa Rica trail from Ave Sol to the indigenous village, and enlarging the eco friendly lodge. All the best to your...