February 14, 2010 Quito Airport Time to go home. There is so much of Ecuador that I will miss. For starters, I will miss the closeness of everything. I will miss crowded buses and packed markets. I will miss the jungle pressed tight against me, the intimacy of the...
Adventure Travel
Time to Say Adios to Your Favorite Place
Whether your first trip paddling in a foreign country or a destination you have called home for years, sitting in the airport preparing to return to the "real world" can be a downer. Team ERA's Brian Snyder has spent the past five years guiding/living/boating/sharing...
First Descent down the Rio Cofanes, Ecuador
First descents. In most countries they start out with the most obvious runs– roadside boating, the runs that have access, the runs that have the most potential; eventually goals are set on those that have a drop that looks the best on television/ in a magazine/ or for...
First Descent on the Rio Cofanes, Ecuador
First descents. In most countries they start out with the most obvious runs-- roadside boating, the runs that have access, the runs that have the most potential; eventually goals are set on those that have a drop that looks the best on television/ in a magazine/ or...
Eddying out for a litte jungle time at Cuyabeno Reserve
The rivers of Ecuador are so awesome that oft times the surrounding jungle gets little more than a second glance. High forest cloud forest, low altitude jungle--the river we do on any particular day determines the backdrop of scenery. For once, we decided to leave...
World Class Kayak Adventures
Our friend Marie has published a great article on paddling with us in Costa Rica--slide show and all. A wonderful read.
2200 Miles South in Sunny Ecuador
Ecuador is 2200 miles south of the border--and the weather is a whole lot better in Ecuador than in the States right now. In fact, some have complained that there has been too much sunny weather here in the Oriente. Not us!! While the rivers have been lower than in...
Traveling abroad: Unique Experiences
Some brush off the idea of international paddling because of the quality of whitewater found in their own backyard. And while that may be true, and while at the same time we might wax eloquent on the thrill of exploring new rivers in new places, paddling is only part...
Ecuador 2010: Back on the Quijos!
Even after 14 years, it is still part of our program to do a familiarization run down the rivers of Ecuador before starting a trip—just as we do in Costa Rica even after 20 years. In Costa Rica it is because the rivers change routes like a lady changes her mind….in...
Clean Up in Costa Rica
We said "adios" to our final friends heading back to the States this weekend. And after cleaning up the boats and tucking them away for the season, we now sadly say "hasta la vista" to Miguel and his family, and the toucans and monkeys and oro pendulas and...
Sunday Morning Traffic Jams in Costa Rica
To Boof or Not to Boof….
Sometimes you do not know the answer to that question until after you have done it!
Costa Rica stamps NKarasa
Costa Rica stamps ball sunsets disappearing into burning skies rivers with bubble necklaces hanging them onto your eyelashes a full green, overlaying green valleys with shoulders too steep to fall into sun eating away the leaf edges, leaving cracks of sunshine smooth...
Asleep Under A Full Moon Boating NKARASA
viewing into reflections of the water seeing itself being the enchantrice dropping into a tongue, one tongue exploring the next tongue to tongue as if it was beckoning to lick exploring each hollow or your knees, clavicles, intentions skin of smoothness, skin of...
Bringing out the Poet in a Costa Rica Trip
Costa Rica stamps ball sunsets disappearing into burning skies rivers with bubble necklaces hanging them onto your eyelashes a full green, overlaying green valleys with shoulders too steep to fall into sun eating away the leaf edges, leaving cracks of sunshine smooth...
When you cannot get away from the office….you can still be paddling far away!
We understand that this year is a tough year for folks to get away. So we are working super hard to keep you with us via the ol'computer..... Each week we are working to have photos posted for everyone to enjoy--whether you were with us or not that week 🙂 We are...
Sarapiqui River, the costa rican river that refuses to be washed away
In January of 2009, Costa Rica suffered a devastating earthquake - which has come to be known as the Cinchona Earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was very near Poas Volcano. What was of particular interest to the whitewater community was the damage done to the...
Toucans on the Pacuare River
On our fist trip down the Pacuare River this week, a group of four macaws lit out from the trees, sounding their ubiquitous squawk and spreading their wings to display gorgeous color contrasting against the backdrop of the trees. Yesterday was toucan day on the...
Saving the Best for Last: Rio Pacuare in Costa Rica
The Pacuare River has been slated for an expansive hydro project for more than 20+ years now. The project has met with resistance nationally and internationally. No matter the sentiment of the rest of the world, national sentiment is what counts. Several years ago,...
Advance Team on the Lower Rev: the ultimate run in Costa Rica
[Juliet's note: if you took one stretch of river anywhere and called it "world class" most of the ERA Team would say the Lower Reventazon/Pascua Section here in Costa Rica. We have been running/guiding on the Pascua Section of the Reventazon since 1990....with guests...