Tubing
Cover Story Titelgeschichte
Adventure
W W W. C O S TA R I C A-SPIRITS.C OM
©
n effe r St e f f isto Chr
© Christoffer Steffen
There are many ways to drift down a river. One of the most exciting is surely tubing: halfway lying on a rubber tube that is like a tire and halfway sitting in it, cruising down the river: Again and again, one wangles around. Sometimes, it’s slower-going in calm waters. The speed then increases again and the riverbed gets steeper. Lushly green forests form a picturesque periphery for the adventure. It was relaxing for a while again and then the tempo quite suddenly picks up and the tube whooshes towards the next riffle. Rocks tower out of the water but, the tube has its own buffer-zone like a bumper car, and the tube is pushed into another direction, yet again. Sometimes the journey goes forward then, backward and in circles, like a spinning top whirling down river. Whitewater is pure. It’s not at all like sitting stranded in a rubber dinghy; it’s close contact with the water. Whoever doesn’t correctly hold on can sometimes fall out of the tube and so, one should wear a life-
jacket and a helmet. Both on shore and in the river, there are enough helpers who can bring one back to his rubber tube. Ropes are tightly stretched across the river so that one can hold on there and take a break to catch one’s breath. Shortly before the end of the trip, there’s a really steep phase through a small canyon. The adrenaline level re-
ally soars for the last time and the goal is then reached and more than an hour and eight kilometers on the Rio Colorado are done.CRS Location: 30 min. away from Liberia Tour Operator: Hacienda Guachipelin Tickets: www.costarica-spirits.com/activities COSTA RI CA SPIRITS 1/2 0 1 1
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