Rappeling Down a 400 Foot Waterfall!

In Costa Rica adventures never cease! Most recently I had the opportunity of rappelling beside the raging waters of the 400 foot Catarata del Toro waterfall. I was playing tour guide that day to a family from Puerto Rico who were visiting by means of a Package Costa Rica arranged vacation. Actually, they had purchase the Pure Adrenaline package and on this day they were definitely in for some adrenaline pumping action. The tour is run by my good friends Donais and Will. The have the only means of gaining entrance to the waterfall and their property includes a restaurant (best "gallo pinto" in Costa Rica) and three cabins with numerous hiking trails and lookouts (see Catarata del Toro website). The tour is certified by ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Ministry) and is completely safe. Will started us out by providing instruction and they have a place where you can practice the technique before taking the tour. Safety is further supported by the fact that they use two ropes to apply "brakes" on your descent from below and above. If they see that you are in any kind of trouble they can immediately stop your descent.

The scariest part of the whole deal is taking that initial step off the platform. It will definitely get your adrenaline pumping. However, once you take that initial step and you find yourself hanging just to the side of the thunderous waterfall, it is an exhilarating experience. It is best to take your time on the way down. The guides can control your descent as well, but if you signal to them they will give you more rope and allow you to descend more rapidly. The normal time to get to the bottom is about 15 minutes. You can also stop (you have to signal to them to brake you) and take a photo. However, don't look down if you are afraid of heights! The family I was with that day included two young boys, both of whom had nerves of steel with no fear whatsoever. I am afraid that the dad was a little scared of the whole idea when he saw his youngest teetering on the edge of the platform. Once we were all safely at the bottom we felt very good about the whole experience. I actually kind of wanted to go again. Like the canopy, once you have done it, the fear melts away and you are ready to repeat the experience maybe this time with less "sweaty palms" and more courage to really take in the experience (as opposed to just get in over with!).

Catarata del Toro is in my opinion one of the most beautiful locations in the country. Just ask Mel Gibson. Our new famous Costa Rica resident made a surprise visit one day. After the rappel, enjoy a delicious lunch at the restaurant and a cold Imperial.

Pura Vida!