No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta Rica Documentary Following Five Cancer Survivors Heads to Amazon Prime Video

Costa Rica Documentary Following Five Cancer Survivors Heads to Amazon Prime Video

Costa Rica will reach Amazon Prime Video later this year through “Latidos en la Lluvia,” a documentary film that follows five Spanish women who survived cancer as they crossed the country from the Pacific to the Caribbean. The production, scheduled for release during the second half of 2026, follows Verónica Guillén, Mapi Morón, Idoia Fernández, Toñi Delgado and Eduina Rodríguez as they take on the Reto Pelayo Vida Costa Rica 2025, an endurance challenge built around adventure sports, recovery, and life after cancer.

The expedition took place from October 21 to November 4, 2025. Over 15 days, the women moved across Costa Rica by mountain bike, on foot, by raft and by kayak. The route began near Playa Matapalo on the Pacific side and pushed inland through mountain roads, rainforest trails and river sections before ending near the Caribbean.

The challenge covered roughly 160 kilometers by mountain bike, 50 kilometers on foot, 38 kilometers by rafting and 15 kilometers by kayak. The route included areas such as Santa María de Dota, Cerro Las Vueltas, Río Pejibaye, Turrialba, Grano de Oro, Barbilla and the Pacuare River, one of our country’s best-known whitewater routes.

The documentary turns that crossing into a story about endurance after illness, but it also gives Costa Rica a major international platform. Costa Rica’s tourism board, the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), supported the production as part of an effort to show the country through adventure, nature and personal recovery rather than through a standard tourism campaign.

For Costa Rica, the timing is useful. Spain remains an important European tourism market, and local tourism authorities have been looking for ways to keep the country visible in Europe as regional competition grows. A documentary on Prime Video gives Costa Rica exposure beyond travel advertising, placing its rivers, mountains and rural communities inside a human story with broad appeal.

The Reto Pelayo Vida project began in 2015 and has taken women cancer survivors to demanding locations around the world, including Kilimanjaro, the Arctic, the Andes, Patagonia and Antarctica. The Costa Rica edition was the eleventh version of the challenge and one of the most demanding because of the rain, mud, heat and terrain.

The Costa Rica route tested the group almost immediately. One mountain biking stage in Tarrazú included nearly 1,500 meters of elevation gain in less than 30 kilometers, with steep dirt roads, loose rock and heavy rain forcing organizers to pause and shorten part of the route. Other stages combined long hikes, river crossings and whitewater sections.

The final stretch brought the women down the Pacuare River before they reached the Caribbean coast. Four of the participants completed the closing stage, while Eduina Rodríguez, who had faced physical complications during the challenge, remained part of the expedition and was included in the final celebration.

“Latidos en la Lluvia” was presented in Madrid before its planned streaming release. The film is also expected to circulate through international film festivals.

For Costa Rica, the documentary adds another layer to our country’s public image abroad. It is not only a showcase of beaches, rivers and mountains, but a story filmed in difficult conditions, shaped by women who carried their own history of illness into one of the country’s hardest adventure routes.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya Communities Push for Greater Say in Protecting the Sea

Fundación MarViva has published two resources on the Gulf of Nicoya that together make a single argument: the people who have fished, gathered and...

Costa Ricans Back Fernández but Most Say Chaves Still Calls the Shots

President Laura Fernández has passed her first 100 days in office with the approval of nearly two-thirds of Costa Rica. She has also passed...

Costa Rica’s president says US ground operations would benefit national security

President Laura Fernández said US ground operations on Costa Rican soil would be good for national security if they pursued shared targets, while stressing...

Magnitude 5.3 Costa Rica Earthquake Shakes The Southern Pacific Before Dawn

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica early this morning, surprising residents there and in parts of the Central...

Snoop Dogg Announces First Ever Costa Rica Concert

Snoop Dogg will perform in Costa Rica for the first time on Thursday, December 3, at the Centro de Eventos Pedregal in Belén de...

IMF Agrees to Unlock $140 Million for El Salvador After Bitcoin Reforms

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had reached an agreement with El Salvador that could unlock a $140 million loan disbursement, after...

Tropical Wave 41 Crosses Costa Rica With Afternoon Storms and 75 km/h Gusts

Tropical wave No. 41 moved into Costa Rica before dawn today, and the part that matters for the rest of your day arrives after...

Costa Rica Explains VAT Refunds for Hotel Stays Abroad

Travelers paying for overseas accommodation through certain booking platforms with Costa Rican credit or debit cards can face an automatic 13% VAT charge, even...

Costa Rica Begins Major Bridge Replacement on San José Beltway

Work has begun on a new bridge over the Torres River along Circunvalación, starting a yearlong project that will eventually expand this busy section...
🌴 The Weekly Pura Vida

Costa Rica, Once a Week

The week's top stories, weather & insider tips — delivered every Sunday. One email, zero clutter.

🔒 Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel