Rafters Rapture - Chiriqui Panama River Running

Sanchez moves through a demonstration of paddling technique and a review of the commands his guide will use during the trip. “All forward” he says firmly. “All back” he calls out. “Left forward, right back, right forward,” he commands. He tells us about “high side” which is the order for all rafters to move to one side of the raft if it is forced up by the rapids and in danger of going over. Because we are rafting the Esti River with mostly Class II rapids, we don’t expect to hear that instruction. We learn, however, why whitewater rafting in Chiriqui is the biggest in Central America . The majestic Baru Volcano peaks out at 11,490 feet on a ridge of mountains that run from Costa Rica through the center of Chiriqui province. Panama is a very narrow country and from atop the volcano is a breathtaking view of both the Pacific and Atlantic on either side of the isthmus. When the rains come and the waters rush down the mountainside, they have a very short distance to travel before reaching the sea. The steep descent becomes the fast moving Chiriqui, Chiriqui Viejo, Esti, and Gariche rivers.

Finally, Sanchez goes through the procedure one uses if a rafter goes overboard. He explains how not to get tangled up in the lifeline and be sucked under and how to scramble back to safety if you’re tossed into the rushing current. Hector Sanchez is known for his safe approach to rafting and his students are paying very close attention. It’s as if their lives depended on it, which, in fact, they do. He has never “lost anybody on his trips” he says by way of reassurance, and the neophytes begin to wonder who might be the first. We have signed our liability releases and indicated beneficiaries for our life insurance policies and we are, well, sort of ready to go.

Sanchez leads us to a van where our young guide Leignadier “Len” Santos awaits. At twenty-one Len has four years experience with Chiriqui River Rafting and is one of those seen in the company video skillfully maneuvering the big rapids. We pile in with our gear, wave goodbye to Sanchez, and head south for the hour’s drive to the Esti. Near our put in point we pick up another young man who will drive the leap-frog route down river meeting us for lunch and, we trust, an end-of-day ride back to the town of Boquete .

This part of Panama still feels quite wild, and as we approach the river, we see it is wide and moving very fast. We don our life vests and helmets take charge of our plastic paddles, and with some trepidation slide into the surge. Len works to get us oriented by calling out a number of commands and soon we are doing 360s down the middle of the flow. Over the next two hours we handle the rapids well, gain confidence in our abilities and feel relaxed for most of the morning’s ride. Along the way we see egrets, kingfishers, cormorants, blackbirds, hawks, and impressive vultures hovering overhead. We joke about how they are working this part of the waters in anticipation of our demise. On the river banks we see lizards and large iguana. Thriving in the massive shade trees overhanging the river are numerous epiphytes with varieties of purple and red flowers. We watch a river otter catch fish and then swim alongside close enough for us to look into his eyes. Twice we see Ngobe-Bugle (Guaymi) Indian women washing clothes along the river’s edge. The air smells soft and fragrant with the flowers that surround us. Of the climate in this part of the country it is said to be like eternal Spring. We climb inside our thoughts for brief stretches of time and soak up Panama's luscious nature. In silence we seem to acknowledge that we are somewhat awed by where we find ourselves on this particular mid-week day.

After shooting two hours worth of Class II rapids, Len guides us to a landing under a highway overpass and we meet our number-two man who has lunch already set out. We make sandwiches with cold cuts and fresh bread, slurp sodas like we’ve been in the desert, and polish off sweet treats as though they might be our last. After thirty minutes of rest we are back in the raft and heading for the homestretch.

Underway only a few minutes we get sideways in what appears to be the only Class III section

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Jim Hollister, Jetsetters Magazine Editor – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com