Having to wake up at 4 am after getting to Costa Rica and hiking a 12hr day around a volcano the day before made a day of canyoning a bit more challenging but once we got going, it made for a great day of canyoning in the high altitude mountains of Costa Rica. Once we got to the provencia, we got breakfast and gathered extra food for the day. The air temp was rather cold for Costa Rica but being in the mountains at around 9000 feet up, 50 degrees Fahrenheit could have been worse. After breakfast we start on the 4x4 trail down into the valley and eventually we make it to Andres house.

Andres started a canyoneering tour company and has been exploring canyons in the region for a couple years now. Canyoning is pretty new in Costa Rica but this is not the "canyoning tour" people see on adventure tours.

Providenica De Dota Costa Rica Canyoneering

This route consisted of a total of 12 rappels and 4-6 jumps into the plunge pools below. Flash floods, rigging, rappelling skills, and good team work are all required to make a trip like this successful or you are at risk of injuring yourself and other people on the team.  

Providenica De Dota Costa Rica Canyoneering

We set up our first rappel down the waterfall canyon. The first section was more like a series of large boulders that made for 30 to 50ft drops Into the canyon below. After our 6th waterfall rappel we get to a point where we could either exit the canyon or continue to a more technical section with bigger waterfall rappels and more technical skills.

 After a lunch we drop into the remaining 6 waterfall rappels ranging from 30 to 60ft deep. There were a couple sections where we jumped into the water from a ledge with jumps sometimes exceeding twenty feet Into the water below.

Providenica De Dota Costa Rica Canyoneering Photo taken by Andres Alfaro

 As we were getting closer to the final rappel,  the rain starts pouring down which added to the tropical element of being on the 9th parallel close to the equator.

Providenica De Dota Costa Rica Canyoneering

The canyon got more dynamic and the route turned Into a canyon with hanging vines and shear walls to our sides. It was absolutely beautiful. The wetsuits made the conditions warm and comforting so once we got to the final section we were able to exit the canyon safely.

What an amazing day for a waterfall cascading canyon trip in the mountains of Costa Rica. We went back to Andres house to change and relax a bit before heading out to dinner and back to Gustavo's house. It was a spectacular day meeting new friends and enjoying another great day in Costa Rica.