Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Best River Tour
AMIGOS DEL RIO RIVER TOURS
CARLOS RAMIREZ MORALES AND FABIAN RAMIREZ
A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.
Laura Gilpin
“The first time my dad took me snorkeling and showed me all the fish,” recalls Fabian
Ramirez of Amigos del Rio River Tours, “I was like, 'Dad! I want to be a nature guide!'”
It's hardly a surprise that today Fabian works with his father, Carlos, as well as his mother,
Jenny Duarte, and uncle, Evelio Ramirez Morales in the family business, sharing the natural
beauty of the area surrounding Manuel Antonio and Quepos with the world.
The treasures of the local environment mean a lot to Fabian and his family and being
out in the beauty of the natural world has always been important to them. “My father never
bought me video games,” Fabian tells us. “Every weekend he would come and knock on my
door at 6:00 or 7:00 A.M. to wake me up to go to the beach.” If Fabian asked for a video
game his father was likely to offer a boogie board instead — if he was willing to work for
it. The river is in Fabian's blood, a large part of the business his father established some 25
years ago.
“In the beginning my grandfather started with a gas station in Quepos,” Fabian says. “I
believe the gas station was for him - he was the only one with a car! Then more cars star-
ted coming.” Carlos, his father, struck out on his own, opening a hotel. When that venture
folded, he began offering rafting tours and that started what would become Amigos del Rio
(Friends of the River). At first the entire company ran from the small home they lived in
behind Fabian's grandmother's house. “We had the boats right there next to the house,” he
recalls. After a few years they were able to establish an office for themselves and it has con-
tinued to grow steadily from there.
As the business has grown, so too has the nature of the tours. “I've been going to the
river since I was six years old,” Fabian says. “I went rafting every weekend. At 14 I started
guiding with my friends from high school. Rafting trips were a lot different — I have seen
rafting grow so much.” Recently he went 'tubing' in Guatemala and was a little shocked at
the lack of safety equipment and preparations. “I was so scared! I thought maybe Manuel
Antonio was like that 20 years ago, and I asked my Dad and he said, 'No, no, no!'” Carlos
had always taken precautions to ensure things were done securely and properly, a practice
he continues to this day.
