Central America blends the best of a subtropical destination: warm water for swimming, hot climate perfect for rafting, and an incredible mix of mountains and whitewater.
Countries with whitewater rivers include Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Without question, Costa Rica offers the most diverse range of river running with dozens of rivers that are rafted commercially.
A great feature of many rivers in Central America is that the best season for running them is exactly the opposite to the North America season. Whereas the normal rafting season in North America is the summer months of May to September, many rivers in Central America are best October to March.
For example, in Costa Rica, the fall months of October to December are part of the wet season when rivers are high, perfect for rafters looking for heart-thumping excitement. The months of January to March are typically drier and the rivers are lower. Rafting on a beautiful sub-tropical river on a raft during the dry season is truly an amazing experience.
