Guides and Staff
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Jane (New Zealand) and Fraser (Scotland) Tyrrell - owners of Costa Rica Rios, have a background of travel and adventure. Coming from different sides of the globe they both set out backpacking at a young age, travelling through the different continents until they eventually met by chance, while working in the Caribbean, several years ago. Always looking for a life less ordinary, they found Costa Rica Rios and decided to head over to Costa Rica to check it out. After falling in love with the country and being totally inspired by the business they decided to make Costa Rica home. They are committed to continue providing fantastic trips and service, and to expand the company so many more people can experience the magic of CR.
info@costaricarios.com
**Updated August 2008 - Jane and Fraser have welcomed their first son into the world,in Costa Rica, making them a tri-nations family! |
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Brett Shelton
Spending four months kayaking in Costa Rica while furloughed from his airline pilot position in 2001, Brett was approached by Ray McLain about purchasing Costa Rica Rios. After discussing the idea for several months, Brett purchased the business and put together a very talented staff to carry Costa Rica Rios into the future. He is back flying an MD-11 all over the world, and spends much of his free time kayaking in Costa Rica. Brett loves paddling and biking with our guests and is pretty easy to beat at pool. Brett has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Chico. Having celebrated five years cancer-free, Brett always lives life to it's fullest.
Email: brett@costaricarios.com |
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Pablo Leiva
Born and raised in Turrialba, Pablo brings many years of experience raft guiding and kayaking to Costa Rica Rios. His guiding skills and knowledge of the local rivers are among the top in Costa Rica. Pablo leads our Week of Adventures and Week of Rivers tours with confidence that can only be achieved from so many years of having fun outdoors. Equally skilled as a kayaker, raft guide and mountain biker, in his spare time he competes in adventure races and is one of Costa Rica's top competitive mountain bikers. Pablo has also spent some time guiding in California. |
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Luis Madrigal
100% Turrialban! Luis learnt to kayak as a teenager on the local rivers. He has gained considerable skills as a guide and is now one of Costa Rica Rios' most popular and experienced guides. He has been guiding since 1999 and has travelled to Canada to guide on the Ottawa river for 4 summers. Luis speaks excellent english and he will keep you laughing with his jokes and good sense of humour. When not guiding a Week of Adventures or Week of Rivers Luis trains and participates in competition biking. A father of two, Luis welcomed his second child into the world early in January 2010. |
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Deivis Montenegro
Hailing from the countryside around Turrialba, Deivis brings a wealth of knowledge of all things Costa Rican to Costa Rica Rios. Combine that with his exceptional kayaking and guiding skills and he is a true asset to our Week of Rivers and Week of Adventures tours. Deivis also enjoys mountain biking, and paddling in his spare time. In May, 2009 Deivis competed for Costa Rica in the World Whitewater Rafting Championships in Bosnia. |
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Marielos Fallas
Marielos is in charge of our our B&B's facilities and guest rooms. Born in Turrialba, she is a mother of three children and two grand children. She worked six years for Ray Mclain, and now also has seven years working for Costa Rica Rios. Marielos enjoys the teamwork at the B&B and is always willing to help out when and where necessary. She especially enjoys the rewards of seeing clients happy and with a smile on their face all week with CRR. |
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Danny Peled
From Montreal, Canada, Danny brings over a decade of whitewater experience to Costa Rica Rios. At 12 years old he participated in his first Canoe expedition in Canada and by the age of 16 he was guiding them. He is certified by Canadian Recreation Canoe Association (CRCA) as a moving water canoe instructor. While not in Costa Rica Danny instructs Swiftwater Rescue courses in North America for Rescue 3 and is the guide manager for Esprit Rafting on the Ottawa River in Canada. His sense of humor, high energy and experience make every trip he's part of a great time for everyone. |
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Millissa Martin
After being born and raised in the busy city of Toronto, Canada, Millissa found a refreshing passion in whitewater. Since completing the WILD program in 2005 Millissa has been returning to Veracruz Mexico as guide manager for Esprit Adventures. Millissa has guided many different types of rivers and has constantly expanded her skill and knowledge. Millissa also guided many rafting trips in the pristine canyon on the Antigua River. She enjoys guiding on the fast technical rivers of Mexico but will also jump at a chance to guide on the powerful Ottawa. During the Summers Millissa dedicates her time to a non-profit kayaking camp, First Descents. First Descents helps share the thrill of kayaking with young adult cancer survivors. She is also a qualified EMT. Millissa’s main driving force and source of joy is bringing people down the world’s most beautiful rivers and sharing the experience of whitewater with others. |
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Caleb Nelson
The flat terrain of his hometown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan did not provide Caleb with the adventure he was looking for. So at an early age Caleb set off looking for adventure. He found himself attending Summit school of the Outdoors honing in skills he already possessed. Caleb enjoyed rock climbing, mountain biking and ice climbing but he was crazy about whitewater kayaking. This caused Caleb to explore Canada looking for new rivers and new skills. Eventually Caleb found himself enrolled in the WILD program with Esprit, and this course was the tipping point for Caleb’s skill. He went from intermediate to advanced kayaker and became a well-known kayak school teacher in Canada. He spent a season working in Veracruz Mexico but his sense of adventure soon sent him out yet again looking for more rivers to explore. Caleb is also a proficient raft guide, and whitewater canoeist and hopes someday to return to the “motherland” and share his stories with friends and family. |
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Flor Araya
We are very sorry to lose Flor this year to retirement. She was a valued part of the Costa Rica Rios team for many years and we will miss her and her fabulous cooking. We wish her a relaxing and fulfilled retirement and look forward to seeing her around Turrialba. All our Bed and Breakfast dinners will now be cooked by our new chef, Racquel. Racquel has spent many years cooking for large companies and has a true talent, flair and love for excellent food. You will be treated to a great variety of dishes using fresh local ingredients. |
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