Canyoning in Costa Rica

           Recently I was lucky enough to go canyoning with Serendipity Adventures.  I had never been canyoning, and didn't even know what it was before I heard about Serendipity.  For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s exploring canyons by rappelling down waterfalls. 

I started off the morning by meeting with the group and guides in Serendipity’s warehouse, where we all got fitted into our harnesses.  The guides went over all of the safety procedures with us here, and got us ready for this new adventure. 

When all of the equipment was packed up and ready to go we all got in the car and were taken to our destination.

We drove through the countryside of San Antonio to the town of Santa Cruz, to the mountain where a beautiful canyon was hiding. Once we got there the guides got the rest of our gear on us and we started hiking to the first canyon. 

When we reached the canyon the guides went into more detail about how to safely rappel down.  They taught us how to tie different types of knots that they use for this activity, and showed us different techniques we could use. 

These many safety talks, helped me to feel confident about this activity, and ready to start going down the first section, which consisted of a grassy mountainside. This was the perfect way for us to get the feel of rappelling and more comfortable using all of our gear. Then, we were ready for our first waterfall. 

This is when the trip got really exciting, and I was able to feel the adrenaline rush through my body.  It was more difficult to maneuver down since the water made it slippery, but Serendipity’s guides made me feel safe the whole time and talked me through it step by step. 

At the bottom of the waterfall was a small pool of water that went about waist deep, and was a little chilly to jump into.  As we waited for the rest of the group we got a very good surprise, hot chocolate and tasty cookies for us to warm up with. 

The next waterfall was trickier at the start.  Here I had to lean back a lot more and become more parallel to the ground.  The guides said this position is important to have so that if you slip you don’t hurt yourself by hitting the rocks. 

When I leaned back more it felt much easier to rappel down and I was even able to jump down the waterfall a little at the bottom. 

Our final challenge was a big waterfall. Wao! When I first looked down my stomach dropped, I had never seen a waterfall so steep and been standing at the top ready to rappel down before. 

The guides told me how to place my feet for the first section, and when I was ready I started down.  At first I took it step by step, but once I got into a rhythm I was able to jump and rappel the last half of the waterfall. I was happy facing my fears and seeing what I was capable of.

I didn't know what to expect about my first canyoning experience, but I know I definitely want to go again!  The guides at Serendipity made me feel safe throughout the whole trip and made their instructions easy to understand for everyone in the group. 

This is a great adventure activity for a family vacation and I would recommend it for anyone who likes an adrenaline rush. 

           Once again I thank Serendipity Adventures for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to my next adventure in Costa Rica.