(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 03, 2009 ) COSTA RICA—When an earthquake rocked Costa Rica in January, it shut down the Sarapiqui River for rafting trips. The Sarapiqui is a favorite of whitewater enthusiasts as it winds its way through a tropical rainforest lush with vegetation and abundant animal and insect life. Unfortunately, mudslides turned the water a dark brown and the mud choked all the oxygen out of the water, killing all the fish and animal life in the water. The river was also blocked by tree trunks washed into the river by the slides, causing the government to close the river to rafters.
Fortunately, the SarapiquiÂ’s tributaries were not harmed, so have been replenishing the larger river. The Costa Rica government has announced that the river is now safe to run and Aventuras Naturales has announced they will again be operating on the La Vigen-Chilamate and Venados-Chilamate sections of the river. They are also keeping the option of Chirripo del Atlantico trips open, in case conditions on the Sarapiqui River change. .
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