Ecotourism in Costa Rica

This past week was full of eco-tourism adventures. On Saturday we went whitewater rafting on the gorgeous Pacuare River. It was soooo much fun and I had a great guide named Ricky who I got to talk to on the bus ride their. Talking to him made me realize how much I love the people here in Costa Rica because they really are so genuine and nice. Also, we decided he has the best job ever. On the rafts we got the real sense of what "pura vida" means, which is one of the common expressions that everyone in Costa Rica uses. The literal translation is Pure Life, but it can be taken in so many different ways, and one of them is that life is truly amazing. We definitely realized this while taking in the scenery and the excitement while whitewater rafting. The river was in great shape and the rapids were intense. I even fell out once in one of the Class 4 rapids which was actually so much fun! Its funny to notice that safety regulations are definitely not as strict in the U.S. Before jumping into the rafts, we got a few instructions about what to do in certain situations, but for the most part they just kind of put you in the boats and said good luck! It actually makes it much more exciting, and a few people in our had some close calls. Luckily, everyone came out alive and we all had a blast. Throughout the trip we learned a lot about the area surrounding the rapids, including plenty of interesting facts about the native tribes that live along the river. We could see their huts and even rope swings on which they transport barrels of goods across the river. The guides told us much about their culture and how Costa Rica has worked to preserve these areas for the native peoples. Costa Rica is proud of its heritage and wants to preserve it and the environment in any way possible. They try to promote this by educating tourists about the goals and values that they have and why they are so important. Clearly, anything you do in this amazing country involves some sort of ecotourism.

There are a number of indigenous populations throughout Costa Rica, including the Bribri, Cabecar and the Boruca. These three groups live in the mountains of Talamanca located in the southern part of the country. The Bajo Pacuar Indians live along the banks of the Pacuare River, and these are the indigenous peoples that we saw while whitewater rafting. In general, only 1% of Costa Rica's population is of aboriginal blood. Because of this extremely low number, the government and other organizations have been working to preserve the cultures and customs of the natives. In 1977, the government passed a law that established Indian Reserves and protected its occupants from persecution. The tribes that we viewed along the Pacuare all had straw houses in the hills overlooking the river. They are very peaceful groups and they live off the land surrounding them. Also, most have thier own language that is very different from Spanish. We saw a number of families fetching water from the river and I was surprised to see that they all wore western dress. It is important to Costa Ricans that the customs of the indigenous tribes are conserved because of the pride they have in their heritage and history. Every person who chooses to engage in the ecotourism of the country by visitng this river can come to notice the importance of these tribes.