While visiting the Heredia Province we rafted down the Sarapiqui River, one of several rivers that run down from the Cordillera Central in the mountainous central highlands of the country. Costa Rica attracts rafters from all over the world. The 10-mile section of the Sarapiqui River we navigated had a rating of Class I, II and III. The higher the class rating the more difficult the rapids. Our guide told us the most arduous rapids along this river rated a Class V. I had never been river rafting before so this was a new (and I'll admit, scary) venture for me. Our sixteen-member tour group was divided into three rafts. In mine was our tour director, Katia, and four other tour members (three of whom were in their mid-eighties) and a professional rafter who sat in the back steering and instructing us when to paddle. Surrounding us was nothing but rainforest. We were given approximately 10-15 minutes of safety instructions, including how to sit and the proper way to hold and use the paddles. I was not aware that rafters don't actually sit in the raft, but rather hang along its edges with their feet tucked into foot sleeves to hold them in place. It seemed like a very precarious way to sit in a bumpy and turbulent-moving vessel. But after we managed our first Class III rapids, which was pretty intense as far as I was concerned, my anxieties subsided and the whole thing turned into a thrilling, fun-filled adrenaline rush. A member of the rafting company went ahead of us and took the following pictures. I've also included photos of the lodge, La Quinta, where we spent two nights while in Heredia Province. It is located within a private rainforest reserve. Prior to our rafting experience a group of us walked the property with our tour guide...