Rafting and Lodging Packages: Why Pacuare River Lodge Delivers Real Value
Value is not a low number on a booking page. It is how much of your trip you no longer have to arrange. Here is an itemized look at what one Pacuare River Lodge booking covers, what costs extra, and which package fits the way you travel.
A rafting and lodging package in Costa Rica is worth what it saves you: bookings, transfers, meals and decisions you never have to make.
Most travelers compare rafting trips by price per person. That misses how a river trip here works. The lodge sits halfway down a remote gorge on Costa Rica's Caribbean slope, reached by raft, 4x4 or horseback. There is no hotel next door and no restaurant down the street.
That is exactly why rafting and lodging packages exist here. When the guide, the gear, the bungalow, the meals and the shuttle back to your car are handled by the same team, the pieces fit together. When you try to assemble them yourself, every piece becomes a separate problem.
Below is that ledger, line by line, built only from the lodge's own pages. Where they disagree, we say so.
Package vs do-it-yourself, line by line
The left column is what you would otherwise book yourself. The right column is what the official 2-day and 3-day tour pages list for a package guest.
| Line item | If you arrange it yourself | In the package |
|---|---|---|
| Rafting days | Book an outfitter for each river day and hope the schedules line up with your lodging. | IncludedTwo rafting days on the Pacuare, over 24 river miles. |
| Guides and gear | Check guide credentials and equipment standards company by company. | IncludedProfessional bilingual guides, all professional equipment and a 10 to 15 minute safety talk. |
| A bed in the gorge | Not really possible. The lodge is reached by raft, 4x4 or horseback, so a separate hotel means leaving the canyon. | IncludedA cabin bungalow at the lodge, one of 14 that overlook the river. |
| Meals | Pack food or plan around restaurants that do not exist inside the gorge. | IncludedAll meals from lunch on day one to lunch on your check-out day, including river lunches prepared by the guides. |
| Getting to the river | Arrange a transfer to the put-in and another back from the take-out. | IncludedDrive from the Finca Tres Equis meeting point to the put-in, and a shuttle back from the take-out to the meeting point. |
| Your rental car | Find secure parking for two or three days near a rural highway. | IncludedFree car storage at the meeting point. Moving the car to the take-out instead is listed as an extra. |
| River photos | Hire a photographer or risk your own camera in whitewater. | IncludedPhotos of your final rafting day. The lodge notes that other companies charge extra for this. |
| Pace | Large day-trip groups tend to run on a tight clock. | StatedSmall trip sizes, so the guides do not have to rush you down the river. |
Six things to coordinate on your own. With a package, that becomes one conversation with the lodge.
What is included, what costs extra, what to confirm
A package is only good value if you know where its edges are. This is what the official pages say, sorted into three plain columns.
Included
- Professional bilingual guides and all professional equipment
- Cabin bungalow accommodation at the lodge
- All meals from lunch on day one to lunch on check-out day
- Two rafting days on the 2-day and 3-day tours
- Transport between the meeting point, the put-in and the take-out
- Free car storage at the meeting point
- Photos of your last rafting day
- A guided nature hike on day two of the 3-day tour
Extra charge
- Happy hour drinks: beer, wine and tropical drinks
- Alternative half-day tours on day two of the 3-day trip, with a minimum of 2 people
- Shuttling your rental car to the river take-out, per the tour pages
- A later check-in transfer to the lodge, paid in cash
- Arriving by raft on a lodging-and-meals-only stay
Confirm directly
- Your price, which depends on group size and itinerary
- Your meeting time. Official pages show 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM for lodge arrivals
- Age guidance. Every tour page says to contact the lodge
- The late transfer fee, which appears as two different amounts
- The car shuttle to the take-out, listed as free in one place and extra in another
One more thing to plan around: the lodge does not offer WiFi, and it asks guests not to drive the access road in a rental car, because the road is rough and there is no parking at the lodge.
Which Pacuare River Lodge package fits your trip?
Every option below comes from the official rafting packages page. Pick the one that matches your time in Costa Rica to see what it covers.
2 Days Pacuare Tour
The overnight classic. You raft into the lodge on day one, check into your cabin bungalow, eat dinner by candlelight and sleep above the river. Day two is the longer run, with several Class IV rapids and a short hike to a canyon waterfall with a pool you can swim in.
Best for: travelers with one night to spare who want the full river, not half of it.
- River length
- 24 miles
- Time on the river
- About 1 hour, then 3 to 4 hours
- Meals
- Lunch day 1 to lunch day 2
- Experience level
- Beginner
- Details
- Official 2-day page
3 Days Pacuare Tour
Two nights at the lodge with a full day in the middle. Day one and day three are rafting days on Class III and IV water. Day two is a guided nature hike into the rainforest, or you can swap it for another half-day tour at extra cost, or simply stay at the lodge and rest.
Best for: travelers who want the most time in the gorge per transfer.
- River length
- 24 miles
- Time on the river
- About 1 hour on day 1, 3 to 4 hours on day 3
- Meals
- Lunch day 1 to lunch day 3
- Experience level
- Beginner
- Details
- Official 3-day page
Drive In, Raft Out
In the lodge's own words: we drive you in day one and we raft you out day two. The packages page describes it as perfect if you are exploring Costa Rica with a rental car. You meet the team, ride in, spend a night, and leave the gorge by river the next day, with all meals and lodging included.
Best for: road-trippers who want one night in the canyon without a river day on arrival.
- Nights
- 1
- Rafting
- Day 2, out of the gorge
- Meals and lodging
- Included
- Details
- Rafting packages page
1 Day Pacuare Tour
Not a lodging package, but it belongs in the comparison. The one-day trip covers 19 river miles of Class III and IV rapids in 3 to 4 hours, with a waterfall stop, lunch on the river and trip photos. You leave the gorge the same afternoon, so there is no night at the lodge.
Best for: tight schedules. If you have even one extra night, compare it with the 2-day tour first.
- River length
- 19 miles
- Time on the river
- 3 to 4 hours
- Meals
- Lunch on the river
- Details
- Official 1-day page
Traveling with younger kids? The packages page also lists a Pacuare family rafting trip for all ages on a Class 2-3 route. The lodge does not publish a minimum age, so contact them about your group. Prefer to skip rafting entirely? There is also a lodging and meals only option.
What the ledger cannot price
Some of what a Pacuare package gives you does not fit in a table.
You arrive by river, not by lobby
On the 2-day and 3-day tours, the first rafting day ends at the lodge itself, halfway down the river. You step out of the raft and into a place with no road traffic, no power lines and no WiFi. The lodge runs on solar energy and describes the break from screens as intentional.
A day trip shows you the gorge. A package lets you stay in it after the last raft has gone.
A bungalow that looks at the river
The lodge has 14 rainforest cabin bungalows, and the tour pages say they all overlook the river. They are simple, screened and made of wood, closer to a cabin than a hotel room, which is the point. At night the soundtrack is the river and the forest.
For a closer look at the rooms themselves, see our guide to Pacuare River accommodation with meals included.
Meals you never have to plan
Every rate includes all meals from lunch on day one through lunch on your check-out day. The staff cook in an open-air kitchen, dinner is served by candlelight, and breakfast comes with percolated coffee before the boats are loaded. On river days, the guides stop and prepare lunch on the riverbank.
Inside a roadless gorge, that is not a perk. It is the only way the trip works, and it is already in the package.
Small groups and an unhurried river
The lodge's own explanation of its value is simple: other companies keep a strict schedule because of large group sizes, while it keeps trips small so nobody is rushed down the river. Many guests only raft the Pacuare once, and the team plans around making that one time count.
Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but more unhurried hours in the gorge simply mean more chances.
Five ways to protect the value of your package
- Ask for a quote with your real group size.
Pricing depends on group size and itinerary, so a precise request gets a precise answer.
- Confirm your meeting time in writing.
The official pages show more than one time for lodge arrivals at Finca Tres Equis. Lock yours in before you plan the drive.
- Decide what to do with your rental car.
Storage at the meeting point is free. Ask whether you want the car moved to the take-out, and what that costs for your trip.
- Budget for the extras you want.
Happy hour drinks and alternative day-two tours are extra. Knowing that up front means no surprises at the lodge.
- Pack from the official list.
Secure river shoes, quick-dry clothing, waterproof sunscreen, insect repellent, dry clothes for the take-out, a flashlight and a light rain jacket for the evenings.
Still deciding between trip lengths? Our day-by-day guides to the 2-day Pacuare rafting trip and the 3-day Pacuare rafting adventure go deeper on each itinerary. If you are weighing a day trip against a night in the gorge, read 5 reasons to stay overnight while rafting the Pacuare, take an inside look at the gorge bungalows, or start with our Costa Rica rafting holiday planner.
Rafting and lodging package questions
What do Pacuare River Lodge rafting and lodging packages include?
The 2-day and 3-day tours list professional bilingual guides, all professional equipment, cabin bungalow lodging, all meals from lunch on day one to lunch on check-out day, two rafting days, transport between the meeting point and the river, free car storage and photos of your last rafting day.
Are Pacuare rafting packages all-inclusive?
Nearly. Guiding, gear, lodging, meals and river transport are included. Happy hour drinks, alternative day-two tours and some car shuttles cost extra, so confirm those with the lodge.
How much does a Pacuare rafting and lodging package cost?
The lodge does not publish fixed prices. It says pricing depends on group size and itinerary and asks you to contact it for an exact quote.
Is the 2-day or 3-day package better value?
Both include two rafting days. The 3-day tour adds a second night and a full day in the gorge with a guided nature hike, so it gives more time at the lodge for the same river.
Where do packages start, and what time?
All trips meet at Finca Tres Equis between Turrialba and Siquirres. The official pages show different arrival times for lodge packages, so confirm your exact time directly with the lodge.
One booking, the whole river, and a night inside the gorge
A Pacuare River Lodge package replaces a stack of separate bookings with one team that guides you, feeds you and puts you to sleep above the river. Tell the lodge your dates and group size, and it will quote the package that fits.
Details in this article reflect the lodge's official pages at the time of writing. Meeting times, fees, routes and activities can change with water levels, weather and operations, so confirm current logistics before you travel.