In May, one of Rafa Gallo’s dreams came true. Since 2018, he had passionately supported the Colombian Rafting for Peace (Remando por la Paz) team and their tourism organization Caguan Expeditions. In September that year, he sent two top Rios Tropicales guides, Roy Obando and Max Solano, to train the Colombians in rafting. Then, in …
The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) is proud to sponsor the Costa Rica Youth Rafting Team, carrying forward Rafael Gallo’s legacy of rafting for conservation. “We chose to sponsor the Costa Rica Youth Rafting Team because they are a pivotal part of the community in the Pacuare region. They are the next generation of rafting …
In November, RAFA Co-director and board President Roberto Gallo, Vice President Alejandra Jiménez, and several more RAFA board members, traveled to Colombia for the Second Festival of Rafting for Peace in honor of Rafael Gallo. The event was held from November 5 to 7 in Miravalle, a village in San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá, in …
Rafa Gallo’s legacy lives on in Colombian Rafting for Peace Festival Read More »
Whitewater partnership effort will support river sustainability projects and worldwide digital archive The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) is thrilled with the success of the fundraising campaign conducted with the World River Centre, International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHoF) and the International Rafting Federation (IRF) to further the conservation work of Rafael “Rafa” Gallo, RAFA …
Rafael Gallo’s First Legacy Campaign Exceeds Goal Read More »
by Shannon Farley (This article originally appeared on International Rivers.org.) Flowing from high in Costa Rica’s Talamanca Mountains, past indigenous Cabecar communities, through dense jungle populated with jaguars, the Pacuare River travels 85 miles to the Caribbean Sea. It is one of Costa Rica’s most acclaimed rivers for its scenic beauty and is revered by …
A Tribute to Rafael Gallo, Defender of the Pacuare River Read More »
by Shannon Farley (This story first appeared in Paddler Magazine in May 2021.) The international paddling community recently lost one of its most prominent visionaries and an irreplaceable icon. On March 23, Rafael Gallo, founder of Costa Rica’s Rios Tropicales rafting and adventure company and the International Rafting Federation’s first Honorary President, passed away at …
by Earl Alderson (with Glenna Alderson) In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a small group of University of Tennessee students in Knoxville began their lifelong passion for finding outdoor adventures and paddling whitewater rivers. Some of the group members rented a house on 10th Street and it became the meeting place for paddling trips …