Pure Trek Canyoning — Local services in La Fortuna

Simple advice – if you are in La Fortuna/Arenal in Costa Rica – you MUST take part in the PureTrek Canyoning excursion. It was hands down one of the best, most memorable experiences had. While Costa Rica is full of those experiences, this one stood out. We booked PureTrek through our hotel (Nayara Tented Camps) and it was seamless. But, doing it through the company is a piece of cake as well. We had a wonderful driver who picked us up at the resorts (and picked up a few others around the local hotels) and got us ready for the trip. It was me and my wife (mid 40s) and our 12 and 6 year old very adventurous daughters. The ride in the van is cozy and roomy. The trip is around 15-20 minutes depending on where you get picked up. Once you arrive, you have lockers to stow your gear and if you have a GoPro, bring it as they have helmet attachments for it. You WILL get wet. Bug spray, water type footwear (Keens, Tevas, no issue if open toed, etc.) were great. Bring a Ziploc for your phone because you will get soaked. You are harnessed up so baggy clothes are not ideal since they’ll bunch up and weigh you down. Once you drop of yoru stuff at the lockers, you load up on another vehicle with plastic seats in open air and head on a bumpy dirt road to the canyoning area. Once there,you get fitted with your harnesses, helmets, and start then follow your guide to the first canyon drop. Once your group is assembled, you have a safety discussion and then hold you breath as the first drop is a doozy! AND AMAZING! These guides are fantastic, professional, and have you every step of the way. Regardless if you’re nervous, scared of heights, etc. they do a great job accommodating every type of person. The photographers capture the moments on an SLR and on GoPros. Absolutely get the photo package as you will see the pictures streaming on monitor as you get a well deserved lunch. The swag (the rash guard shirts) are awesome souvenirs as well. The hikes are fun, scenic, and do require a little effort. Not more than 15 minutes at the longest but does involve some up and downhill efforts. Overall – the adrenaline rush of the variety of drops, free falls, waterfalls, water plunges, and sheer rush are well worth it. All of us, and ESPECIALLIY my 6 year old and 12 year old – had a blast. This is a great family trip, and even one for the solo/extreme travelers as well as the conservative ones and those a bit wary. PureTrek was outstanding, the guides were outstanding, the service was fantastic, and it was seamless. Simply put, you MUST do this trek if you’re in the area. You will...

After a ton of research, we opted to use Pure Trek for our Waterfall Rappelling / Canyoning trip. We combined it with the La Fortuna Waterfall Zip Line option (although be mindful this is operated by a separate company that Pure Trek partners with).

As with most other reviewers, we were fairly nervous once we were strapped into our gear and approaching the first waterfall. But like everyone else - the nerves calm down after the first rappel (which happens to be the tallest one - 175 feet).

The instructors are very helpful and make learning how to manage your "speed/breaking" easy. You rappel down 4 waterfalls and the optional monkey drop - all ranging between 50-175 feet. It goes quickly - we were completely down by ~11 AM (went from being super nervous before the first rappel to wishing we had more by the end)!

If you do a combo tour with ATV or Zip Lining - the Pure Trek bus will drop you at that company's facilities on the drive back to town FYI!

Tips: Don't overpack a backpack (like we did). Look up for the pictures & video on Jumps 1 & 5. Consider bringing a GoPro if you have one (strap to a helmet, not your chest). Only way to bring a phone is waterproof phone case worn around neck/fanny pack. Hiking shoes got soaked but we felt better wearing those than Tevas/Water Shoes. Bring $$$ to tip the guys!

Can't recommend Pure Trek enough. Felt very safe and very professional. Use them if you're doing...

You HAVE to do this waterfall rappelling adventure!! The experience was phenomenal… and one we won’t ever forget. The experience was spectacular right from the start. The guides were friendly and welcoming, and fed us a delicious local meal before we headed up for our tour. The ride up to the head of the trail was a fun adventure, on remarkably bumpy roads through beautiful countryside. Then the real fun began. Other than our 18 year-old son, our family (husband, wife and 14-year old son) were all very nervous. And we didn’t feel better by the fact that the first waterfall is the BIG one at 170’! All I can tell you is to have faith! The guides are amazing, and they have a secondary rope to control your decent. So even if you are terrible rappelling on your own, they keep you perfectly safe. (But it’s easy, and you won’t be terrible.) :-) The guides were so professional and confidence-inspiring. And you will LOVE the experience! I couldn’t stop talking about it our whole trip… and for weeks afterwards. My wife was too nervous to do the big drop, and she regretted it for the whole trip. (She did the smaller drops later in the expedition.). No trip to Costa Rica is complete without doing this adventure… trust me. I was unsure at the start and did it on the recommendation of a coworker. And boy was I ever glad I did. Thank you so much Pure Trek!! We had a...