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Hello All. I will be traveling to Costa Rica at the end of the year. I was wondering what I should do about water treatment. We're not planning on any overnight trips, but we will have plenty of day trips, hiking,horseback riding, etc. Most days we'll start with plenty of water, but I figure there's a practical limit to what we can (or want) to carry.
Will Aquamira appropriately treat the water?
Hi Eric,
I've been to Costa Rica 5 times (month-long stay each time) and have done a fair amount of fishing/hiking and other outdoor stuff. I would like to know more about exactly where you're going in order to give you better advice but I can tell you in general that I don't think Aquamira alone would be enough. I would take a more robust filter as the rivers there tend to be very muddy with a lot of detritus and particulates. Are you going to be on the West coast, East coat, or in the middle?
We are flying into San Jose and then working our way up to Los Angeles Cloud Forest, then Arenal area, then Rincon de la Vieja and winding up with a few days near Playa Grande.
We'll be doing a combination of hiking, paddling, horseback riding, but no overnight trips. Everything will be a day trip, so each morning we'll start with plenty of fresh water.
I have a Pur Hiker Filter and Timberline Filter I could also bring. Do you think I'd be safe with just one of the filters? Or would I be safer to pump the water, then treat with Aquamira?
I emailed Aquamira and this was their response,
Q: Will Aquamira effectively treat the water I may come upon while hiking through the jungle?
A: Yes, you’ll be fine if you follow the directions. I might even double the dosage and waiting time, especially if water is kind of iffy. This is explained on directions as well.
Hi Eric,
Ah, OK. I've been on Arenal too (La Fortuna). Some of the small streams there are clear but there are also a lot of muddy rivers. I was mainly thinking of filtering out all the silt and detritus from the muddy rivers. I think what Aquamira told you is right and if you're going to have fresh water evry day and looking for an emergency backup, then the Aquamira is probably fine. Have you considered taking the chemical treatment plus the Aquamira Frontier Pro just in case you hit some dirty water? It's wouldn't weigh much more. If the water is especially nasty, you could use the chemicals and Frontier Pro in combination:
http://jasonklass.blogspot.com/2008/03/aquamira-frontier-pro-water-filter.html
http://jasonklass.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-new-water-filter-design.html
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