La Fortuna is a small town in Costa Rica, situated right next the Arenal Volcano. It is popular for its hot springs, captivating hikes and adrenaline rush-inducing activities, such as canyoning. And that’s exactly what I ended up doing! Now I wouldn’t have described myself as a daredevil, and I wasn’t planning on partaking in canyoning in Costa Rica, despite its popularity. But after a mixup I heard I had erroneously been booked onto the tour and was eventually convinced by fellow travellers that it wasn’t that hard. Knowing how clumsy and unathletic I am, I was hesitant, but decided to give it a go.
The Lost Canyon
We jumped on open-sided trucks that took us through lush, green rainforest on a gravelly road, before reaching our destination: The Lost Canyon, the perfect spot for canyoning in Costa Rica. We were kitted out with harnesses and helmets, before having a brief demonstration of the technique to rappel down waterfalls as we descended through the canyon. The instructions felt simple yet complicated and I felt like it was impossible for me to repeat what I had just been shown, but when our experienced guides started leading us down to the canyon, I was not only nervous but actually excited too. I was about to do something I’d never done before, and something I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing just a few days earlier.
Reaching the canyon, I saw it was shouldered by big, shiny rocks and had a rush of water sliding down the middle. The rainforest smelt fresh, the tall trees reaching out to the sky high above us. I admired the stunning view for a moment, before we started making our way into the water, in the water shoes we had bought especially for the occasion. At first making our way down the rocks I felt unsteady and uncertain, after I while I started getting the hang of it. I spent less and less time focusing on trying to not fall down, and more time actually enjoying the amazing surroundings. Soon, we arrived at the first, tiny waterfall we would rappell down as a practice. The waterfall might as well have been the highest in the world, that’s how scared I was to make my way down.
Canyoning in Costa Rica
I felt adrenalin pumping through my veins as I grabbed the rope and swung myself around, so that my legs were in front of me. Then it was time to hop down the waterfall! Amazed at how simple it felt, it only took me a few seconds to come down, but it felt like such a victory. Despite the nervousness and trembling hands, I had just rappelled down my first (mini) waterfall, all without hurting myself. I felt myself smile from ear to ear with excitement.
With some new found confidence, I continued down the canyon bursting with excitement, not even noticing that I was getting a bit out of breath. The gushing water, the majestic nature around us, the nooks and crannies of the canyon- it all felt almost unreal. At that moment, I couldn’t even imagine that a few days earlier I was in wintry London, the complete opposite of the warm and humid Lost Canyon. As we continued on down, our guide stopped us by a hole filled with water, encouraging us to jump in. It felt risky, because the water wasn’t so deep, but the guide motioned us to cannonball right in the middle, telling us we’d be surprised. So off I went, huddling my arms around my knees as I splashed into the water and below the surface. I sank down a lot further than I thought and my toes just and just touched the sandy bottom, before I was sprung back up. I laughed in exhilaration as I burst out the swimhole hidden in plain sight, before clambering my way back onto the next rock, and watching the person behind me jump and disappear as I had just moment before.
Big Boy
Next up was “Big Boy”, the 45-metre cliff, that had water from the canyon pouring off its edge. As we inched closer and I realised how high it was, all my newfound confidence evaporated. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to make it down. I moved over to the edge, holding onto my rope for dear life, feeling stiffer than ever before. But once I let myself go and trusted my harness, I was soon bouncing down the cliff like I had done it a million times before. This time, I had time to actually enjoy how high up I was, how crazy it all was, and enjoy the adrenaline that had kept me going so far. Finally feeling the ground under my feet, I couldn’t have been prouder of myself for what I had just done. For me, it felt sort of momentous. The warm air, the smell of the leaves and flowers around us, the sun beaming down… the perfect place to be pushing my own boundaries.
Making our way to the finale of the Lost Canyon, I felt the adrenaline wearing off and fatigue starting to set in. So when I saw the wooden platform ahead of us, I was back to a nervous, sweating wreck. I peeked down, saw all 65 metres of the last waterfall we would rappel down, and felt nauseated. The ground looked like it was a mile away. A few tears escaped when I realised I had no other way out. I stood on the side of the platform for what felt like an hour, with the guides encouraging me to just do it, before I finally leaned down and swung my legs in front of me. After a few seconds of terror, I relaxed as I my feet hit the wet rock once, then twice. I was doing it! Feeling like I was on the top of the world, I rappelled down as far as I could, until it was time to just let go and zipline all the way back down. The trees whizzed past me as I screamed in delight. At the bottom, my legs were shaking, but I was laughing with joy.
Conquering Fears
The canyoning that I really didn’t want to do in the first place, had turned out to be one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life so far canyoning in Costa Rica. And as we hiked back up from the canyon, showered and sat down to munch on some fresh fruit, I realised that despite what I had thought, I was the kind of woman that could absolutely rappel down waterfalls, instead of just sipping cocktails by the pool. Which also happened to be my plan for the my next day in La Fortuna. I spent a few hours basking in the sun with a giant smile on my face, thinking about what other ‘never-in-a-million-years’ type of things I might end up doing on this trip.
The Facts
Where: The Lost Canyon is near La Fortuna, Costa Rica.
The cost: Around $100
Via: Desafio Adventures
Details: 4 hour tour; bring water shoes and a change of clothes.
