Costa Rica Testimonials

COSTA RICA WHITEWATER TRIPS

So glad that you guys enjoyed South America. We hope to be there with you next year. I’d love to learn more about the earthquake in C.R. I feel like our timing was perfect! The rain was not prohibitively terrible, the Sarapiqui was fantastic and a challenging highlight (and sunny!!!) and the group was fantastic. The trip was definitely a tremendous highlight for last year.

Please give my best to Ken and the rest of the crew. It was a pleasure meeting you all and boating with you! Hope to do it again soon!

Warm Regards,

-Adrienne, CA 2009

THANK YOU! I am still in a state of….JOY from our Costa Rica trip. Everything was perfect. I am relieved to be done with Cimarron, to have paddled again with you and Craig, and to have been treated so very special for my birthday. It goes down in the books as one of my most favorite vacations. ERA spoils us!!! I too appreciated connecting with you a little more on this trip. Sometimes when I do these things, I think we are supposed to stay a little “separate” from the “guides”…my shit or my way of remaining a loner over the years. That’s not how I feel anymore as I find I love being in the group as much as I love being alone. And, it’s hard to be “separate” when someone stands by my side and holds my hand as the doc shoots needles in my face!!! LOL. The point here is, I appreciate your friendship and talking with you. I hope to share more in Ecuador….and a couple Cuba Libres!!! And to reiterate, we would all welcome you for a CA visit.
- Hugs, Carin 2008

I had a great time on the trip…thanks for all the tips and guidance on the rivers. As I told you, I now, actually ENJOY wall shots! Hope you have great weeks to wind out the season….you guys do a really nice job with your international travel….very much appreciated.
-thanks, Karol 2008

I just wanted to thank you and Ken again for a fantastic time. I am back at work today, but I am here refreshed and with a much healthier perspective. The great thing about the trip is that not only do I have a great week, but all my colleagues benefit from me being less of a pain in the ass for some time to come.

Cole, of course, wanted the detailed description, as he is weighing when he wants to come. So far the limiting factor (to him) isn't his paddling skills but the fact that he doesn't like sandwiches and doesn't know what he'll eat at lunch... I imagine we'll find a way of overcoming!

Again, I am so thankful for the fantastic trip that you, Ken and team assemble and execute. I sometimes hope that y'all overhear some of the "private" client chatter about the trip, but I am sure you must know from the repeat performances that you all are universally loved. It is astounding and a true testament to the job that you do that you are able to please so universally when so many of the circumstances are beyond your control.

Have a great holiday in Ecuador. I will see you in the Spring for another Ocoee trip because next year I think I may need to buck up and do the class III trip (if you think I can :) ).
-THANKS AGAIN, Brooks 2008

Your professionalism, grace and true caring for me in Costa Rica were so appreciated. To me, E.R.A. is an awesome group of people with equally awesome trips/adventures.
I hope to see you both again SOON!

-Love, Carin 2007

I just wanted to thank you again for a great week in CR. It was a really good paddling week for me - especially when I look back at where I was 2 years ago.
- Kirk Weir 2007

On this end, going back to work sure is no fun at all. I haven't quite broken it to the wife that she can expect me gone same time next year yet, but I think you can count on seeing the reservation check by March! Had a great time. My best to Ken, Brian and Craig. Happy Holidays.
-Brook Dobbs 2007

PS Happy New Year! So you will be glad (I hope:) to know that I already have spousal approval for the 2008 Costa Rica trip! Also my 7 year old, Cole, now fully expects to be taking lessons with you sometime this summer (you have a big reputation to live up to I am afraid).

Thanks again for a wonderful trip. Y'll have really figured out a great formula for your trips that is the perfect combination of a foundational tructure and flexibility that just works very well!
Hasta pronto! Que tengas un buen dia!
Mary Jo Arrington 2007

We just wanted to drop you a quick note and thank you for a wonderful trip. We had a great time.
Dawn & Brent Davis, CA 2007

I just wanted to thank you again for a great week in CR. It was a really good paddling week for me - especially when I look back at where I was 2 years ago.
Kirk Weir 2007

Juliet, you and Ken and everyone associated with ERA are on my "A" list. everything about how you handled this and simply the quality of people, the quality of the trip and all the associated experiences are first class. Please give my warm thoughts to the guys. And to yourself.....a HUGE hug! It is wonderful to be part of the ERA family!
Hugs, Carin 2007

I'm here to tell you that you guys are already the big winners. You bring the beauty of the rivers and a sense of accomplishment to so many of us. What a gift. It was a great week for me. Enjoyed the rivers, the comradeship, and the sense that my boating days are still improving. Thanks so much to you, Ken, Brian and Craig--and Miquel y Fabian. You will certainly see me again.
Winston 2007

Just wanted to quickly thank-you again for showing Schuyler and I the wonders of Costa Rica. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves -- Doug and Ryan were awesome -- I remain indebted to them.
We plan on returning next year -- same time, same place, same Endless Rivers. Thanks!!
John Svendsen 2004

Never did I imagine my paddling trip to Costa Rica would be so enriching and so rewarding. With everyone's knowledge of the many rivers as well as local cultures all my expectations were far exceeded. I walk away from this experience with many awesome memories. Thanks for making it all worth wild .... hope to see you again next season !
-Mark Woods 2004

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for putting together such an awesome kayaking adventure in Costa Rica. Not only were you and your staff extremely knowledgeable about the country and the whitewater, all of you made the experience a welcoming and enjoyable one. I certainly look forward to paddling with you in the future (I have my eye on the Ecuador trip) and would recommend your company to other paddlers enthusiastically and without reservation. Please remain well and SYOTR. PS – Where can I find the photographs that were taken during the Costa Rica trip? Thanks.
-LT Matthew H. Jamerson, Ph.D., MSC, USNR 2004

Wow, two Costa Rica trip in one year and thanks to you we have two great sets of memories to share. One thing the paddler at home didn’t have to worry about was the paddler in Costa Rica. Like always, you took great care of us. Hope to see you again sooner than four years!
-Chris Kiehl and AnnCorey 2004

I got home late last night. Three hour delay out of San Jose.Temperature was 18 degrees F when I got home, quite a difference from our great week with you. I just wanted to express my gratitude to all of you for everything that you did for us. Not only was this a marvelous week of paddling, it was quite a relaxing week of vacationing. You and your staff obviously had dotted all of the i's and crossed all of the t's for us and I wanted you to know that it was appreciated. With the exception of the lost boat after Martha's being worked in "Herzog's Hueco", it was a positively charged experience. Even my experience up against the wall at "Ledgehammer" on the RIo Toro, could not dampen my spirits. By the way, my shoulder is still sore. I may need to have it looked at.
I am working on organizing all of my photos and will copy them to CD to send to everyone on the trip including you. Feel free to use them however you would like.
I would also be very interested in seeing the video that you shot during our week. I know that you plan on putting a video together from all of your southern trips and I would be interested in that as well. But I would like to see our week before editing if at all possible. I would certainly be willing to compensate you for this. Even better if you can somehow email it. I am working on putting together a presentation for my local Rotary Club and would like to include some of the video, if possible, with your permission.
I am happy to be home but I want you to know that I miss you guys already, especially Craig's wry little "hee-hee" laugh. You can be certain that I will highly recommend your services to others and expect to see me in the future whether it is in Costa Rica, Ecuador, or on a river in the States. Let me know if any of you is coming to northern WV or Maryland to paddle. I would enjoy coming down to share some river time. Say hola to Miguel and Carlos and watch out for payback from them.In summary, what could be better... good friends, great rivers, beautiful country. Muchas gracias,

-Brad McGowan 2003

Hi Ken/Juliet! (and Craig/Ryan) (and Trish and the office gang!)
Today it would be good to be back in Costa Rica - while the temps here in Maine are in the mid-30s, the wind is blowing a gale (50+ mph) and it has a real bite to it - the house is rattling/creaking and the ocean is pounding the shoreline - a good day to stay indoors.
Got back here earlier today after spending Thanksgiving with wife's family in New Hampshire - now it's time to get back to work - lots of things put on the back burner during the CR trip and the holiday.
While going through the pile of backlogged mail, I opened up the most recent issue of PADDLER magazine (Nov/Dec 03) and read an article which I'm sure you'd be interested in reading, too. On Page 37, the article Equalizing in Ecuador - Near deaths, sketchy shuttles, fantastic whitewater and the first no-portage decent of the Upper Oyocachi - it would be interesting to hear your comments/evaluation of this article, but from my perspective, it sounds like a bunch of cowboys with suicidal tendencies - gives kayaking a bad reputation - I'm sure no similarities between your operation and the one described in the article. But I'll look forward to checking out your Ecuador program, perhaps next year. Meanwhile, we all had a great time with you in Costa Rica this year. The weather could have been a little brighter, but the water was great and your group did its usual fantastic job of guiding and assuring smooth logistics. It was great to be able to spend some time with you again, getting caught up with all your activities. Being able to paddle with you again is a real highlight for me, and it was great fun to be able to get together with my old Washington area gang. All in all, and superb week.
I hope your Thanksgiving week went well, with your raft trip for the school kids - I'm sure they really enjoyed it. It's a wonderful gesture on your part. Bye for now, and I'm sure we'll be staying it touch as we look forward to next year and another reunion! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-John S. 2003

I just want to relay to you how much fun I had on the Costa Rica trip with you and with Endless Rivers. Hopefully you returned from your trip refreshed and ready for winter.
Please pass on my appreciation to Ken and Juliet. They run a great trip! I don't know how they have survived the worry of a client self-destructing on one of these outings for so many years. Boaters are very lucky to have them creating the opportunity to paddle such incredible rivers.
Cheers, bob 2003
P.S. Please say hello to any of those knuckleheads that we
paddled with if they poke their heads in!

Wanted to let you all know how much I enjoyed our trip. Thank for all your hard work and help.

-Cathy Webster

Best set of rivers I ever paddled and you guys made it happen. Thanks for the safety, the paddling tips and the camaraderie. Stay safe and have fun.
- Charles McDonald

Just wanted to tell you that you put together a great trip in Costa Rica. I would recommend it to anybody, and wouldn't change a thing".
-Tommy Usdin

After that trip to Costa Rica, I just want to confirm my membership in the South Florida branch of the Endless River fan club. Continuous rapids, triple canopy jungles, legendary guides, great food, conversation, and company: Pura Vida! Thanks for all of your talent, experience, and hard work that made my trip a memorable one".
-Thomas Logue

"No paddling season is complete until you get your last great surf, that perfect launching ender, or simply the pleasure of great Class IV-V boating. Add in a jungle run and great company and you'll find yourself in Costa Rica".
-Lance Muckelroy

"The trip surpassed our expectations. You guys thought of everything and took such good care of us that we could have stayed another week. It was the best foreign paddling trip that we've been on"!
-Lois and Harrison Williams

"I have been on two other trips in Costa Rica and yours was by far the best. I can assure you that although the mechanical part of a trip is essential, the personality of the leaders and the paricipants are what really makes a trip memorable.
-Tom Cowden

Thank you for making our trip to Costa Rica the trip of a lifetime!
-Carol and Drayton Wear

I had such a great trip and I will be back. The rivers and scenery were such a marvelous experience, but getting to boat with such great people was the best. You made my first (of many) out of the country kayak trips so special.
-Jeannette Crane

For a paddling couple, our trip to Costa Rica with ERA was one of those special experiences in life that comes by far too rarely. We'll always remember paddling together in Costa Rica - and the folks at ERA made it possible.
-Ken and Fran Strickland

Thanks for a great trip - we all had a great time. Everything went so smoothly it looked easy. But we know a great deal of effort and work went in to making it look that way.
David
Tom Logue
Randy Duvall

My sincere thanks for two excellent weeks kayaking, the high standard of organization, accommodation and first hand knowledge made it a trip to remember, and certainly provided some of the most concentrate Class IV/V water I've paddled anywhere in the world so far!
-Martin Burgoyne

The water's warm and the runs are legendary. Costa Rica is an inner circle of paradise.
- Paddler Magazine

Thank you so much for providing the most wonderful week of my entire life. The time I experienced with you in Costa Rica will remain with me the rest of my life. - Bill Dement

Wanted to again thank you all for the great week of kayaking in Costa Rica - I find it amazing that you're able to pull a super week of paddling out of a disastrous week of flooding. Well done!
We were all able to get out of San Jose right on time, with no problems making our connecting flights in Miami. I finally got back here in Milbridge, Maine late yesterday afternoon - it was a bit of a shock to experience the -40 F wind chill factor last night, and, while it was bright/sunny today, the high temp was only 13 F. (I didn't get out paddling today!)
Hope all is going well with the new group in Costa Rica, and I hope T&T got home to North Carolina OK - have power? Have a great holiday season, and we'll certainly stay in touch. Bye for now.......
-John S.

Everyone at Endless River Adventures,
We wanted to thank all of you for making our trip to Costa Rica absolutely fabulous. We were so pleased with all of your efforts in making sure the trip went smoothly! We also appreciate all of the extra time put forth by our guides, Craig and Juliet, to help us both improve our paddling skills.
Thanks so much for helping Reeves with his leg on the first day! What a way to start out the trip! We through we were done for the week after that! It has healed really well, thanks to Deb Buck, our wonderful nurse! Amy survived with just a chipped tooth from her battle with the rocks. We wanted to thank you so much for your continued encouragement!
Thanks so much for the play tips! We really enjoyed your company, and would still like to come out in the spring for some more.
Thanks so much for an unforgettable trip!@ We hope to see you again!
-Reeves and Amy, 2002

I want to thank you for the wonderful time that I had in Costa Rica. Being a stranger in a strange land I was a bit apprehensive of the trip. You two went out of your way to make me feel really comfortable, especially the last day when my flight was delayed. Juliet’s suggestion of the park was wonderful. I saw quite a cross section of Costa Rican society there. I’ll have to tell you about the well-dressed drunk who hassled me for $5.00 at the park sometime.
Enclosed you’ll find a few thank you gifts that represent a bit of he taste of my home here in Kentucky. The Honey is straight from my father’s bee-keeping operation. The Bourbon is for sipping, no mixing. The bourbon balls…hey, everyone likes bourbon balls.
I hope you Ecuador season went well. Someday I will make it there to paddle…. I will be down on the Nantahala with some beginners, sometime this summer. I’ll stop by the shop and look you all up.
Regards,
-Kevin Jones

Thank you again for a great trip, I don’t exaggerate when I say it was my best international kayak trip ever.
-Michael Horne

To my favorite river guides, who just happen to be some of my favorite people, and who also run a “reputable” company.
Thanks to each of you for another great paddling adventure! Despite the fact that I was wearing fully engaged and well-tuned hole magnet for much of the week, I still had a great time and I fully intend to return and do it right next time.
Special thanks to each of you:
Juliet- for her ever-present smile, wonderful personality, and great river-leading skills. I’d follow you down any river, or into any bar!
Ken-for his patience and rock-steady leadership. I don’t know how you do this year after year. Thanks, too, for straightening me out on my roll. As for your pranks, well, let’s just say that I ain’t forgettin’!
Craig- for his youthful but level-headed enthusiasm and energy amongst a bunch of has-beens. Special thanks for dragging me out of the water a couple of times.
Hope to see all of you this spring in the Gorge.
-Robert Hanford

Dear Ken, Juliet, Doug, Craig, Arturo, Miguel, and Carlos,
Thank you so much for proving the most wonderful week of my entire life. The time I experienced with you in Costa Rica will remain with me the rest of my life. The comradery that evolved with my fellow paddlers is a special bond that could only be developed with such an experience. The folks at Endless River Adventures have done a miraculous job with logistics ,guides, and equipment. Besides having a wonderful week of kayaking, I gained a much better ability to read water, I now have a much higher confidence level, and I got to see some water conditions I have only read obout. I have dreamed about doing a Costa Rica trip. Your trip was better than I have ever dreamed about.
-Bill Dement

Just wanted to say thanks for a great trip. Especially appreciated Doug taking us down the hard stuff. This was my favorite trip of them all and am looking forward to Mexico. Can just imagine the new practical jokes in store.
-Mike

You run a class operation with class people and everyone on your team is proud of what they do and having fun doing it. It shows in your guests.
-David Reid

I had an incredible time last week. Everything was great- the country, the group, the rivers. Thank you especially for getting me over the hump on the river- I learned a lot and am looking forward to building on that in 2000.
-Wayne 1999

Thanks so much for the video—it brought back pleasant memories of you guys, our group, beautiful scenery and the biggest whitewater I have ever paddled….
Thanks again,
-Bob Dobrzynski