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Adventures – What to do when not relaxing
While Alex and Sharon’s wedding may get you to Costa Rica, these activities are what will have you wanting to never leave.
Costa Rica has so many fun things to do you will need about a week to get in enough activities to make the flight down south worthwhile. To get the most bang for your buck, some might mistakenly look into package deals to plan ahead. After our two week trip to Costa Rica in April, 2006, we found package tours to be largely unnecessary.
Consider the absurdity of paying someone to “lead you to spot seagulls on the beach in California” or “coordinate a tour to find fireflies in Ohio.” Equally absurd is paying a tour operator to set-up the easy to find activities in Arenal and La Fortuna. In fact, a nice tip to the front desk staff at the Lost Iguana will go a long way as they provide helpful driving directions or call to reserve you discounted prices to any activities you’ll want to explore.
Sharon and Alex plan to arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica on Saturday, March 17th, 2007. We’ll enjoy a week with family and friends, wed on Friday, March 23rd, then depart to Panama for our honeymoon on Sunday, March 25th. Whenever you plan to arrive, we welcome you to join us for some of these activities below.
Keep in mind that corresponding websites for each activity is a reference for photos only and that arranging these activities can be easily done upon your arrival in Costa Rica.
Canopy Tour – zip lines with Sky Trek ($60 pp)
Strap on and hook up to a sturdy cable and zip out among the tree tops hundreds of meters in the air at nearly 40mph! This adrenaline raising adventure is very safe and extremely fun! It lasts 2 hours from start to finish and is the best money you’ll ever spend!
Begins every hour on the half hour. Groups of 12.
http://www.arenal.net/tour/skytram-skytrek/
Catarata La Fortuna – swim under the waterfall in La Fortuna ($6 pp)
A 6 km drive outside of the main square of La Fortuna and then a few bucks takes you 600 meters down stone steps to a refreshing waterfall that feels so cool in the heat of the day. The waterfall, or La Catarata, provides the backdrop to some fantastic photos with the lush greenery on the canyon walls. A relaxing hour of swimming and photos may re-energize you to find the swimming hole with a rope swing popular among the locals. The rope swing is located just after the turnoff to the road up to the falls, off the paved road, under a bridge.
The trail to the falls is open daily from 8am to 4pm. Groups of all sizes.
http://costa-rica-guide.com
Canyoning – Rappel down waterfalls ($85 pp)
Jump into a jeep and head for the hills deep into the forest until you reach waterfalls where you’ll rappel down the face of the rushing water! Gorgeous! In four hours you will rappel four waterfalls into a canyon that will remind you of something out of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Jurassic Park’! Begins at 7am and 12 noon. Groups of 12 per time slot.
http://www.puretrekcostarica.com/canyoning.html
Hanging Bridges – Walk among the tree tops ($15 pp)
Costa Rica has 500,000 species of wildlife (animals and plants). Come check out some of them up close and personal as you enjoy a peaceful, self-guided walk on bridges perched high up in the tree tops. Bring your binoculars, camera, and bug spray to see creatures that look
more like they’re from the Star Wars Cantina than anything else on this planet! Enjoy the onsite restaurant with tasty, affordable eats and sweeping views of both the lake and volcano. Open 7am-4:30pm. Guided tours by appointment at 6am or 6pm. Groups of all sizes.
http://www.hangingbridges.com/
Whitewater rafting – Sarapiqui River ($75 pp)
Cool off as you splash down the river with family and friends. Perfect for first timers or seasoned river runners seeking a wild day of deliverance from the heat. Bring binoculars as birds and animals will be “people watching” you from the trees as you drift underneath, soaking up the scenery. Sarapiqui is one of Costa Rica’s three white water rivers in the area.
All day trips are from 8am-4pm and you must book 24 hours in advance. Group sizes vary.
http://www.costaricatours.com/oneday/oneday02.html
http://www.arenal.net/tour/rafting.htm
Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge ($50 pp)
Sharon is anxious to spend a day exploring these Central American everglades. The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Rio Frio are biological humid areas considered to be one of the richest in biological diversity in Costa Rica. Here you can find a great variety of birds plus three different species of monkeys, also iguanas, sloth, turtles and caimans. The tour starts at 7: 30 a.m. from the Arenal Volcano area when we pick up all nature lovers from their hotels in a very comfortable bus for the 1-½ hour Transfer to Los Chiles, a culturally mixed village only 4-km from the Nicaraguan border. Here your boat waits for your river adventure, at that time we begin our 4-hour floating safari through Tropical Rain Forest and pastures until we arrive at the marsh. An experienced English - Spanish speaking guide leads the tour. You’re back at your hotel by 4:30 pm.
http://www.arenal.net/tour/Cano-Negro-photos.htm
Tabacon Hot Springs ($50 pp)
This resort hotel is originally where Alex and Sharon planned to get married. While the hot spring resort is very nice and certainly worth a visit, the hotel itself left much to be desired for all of the elaborate marketing that brought us there (we toured it but did not end up staying). Tabacon’s hotel rooms are located on one side of the street and the hot springs are across the street and down the hill with shuttles taking you back and forth. We did not prefer Tabacon because very few rooms have volcano views, but mostly because the décor is very “Generic Americana,” not reflective of Costa Rica’s rich, colorful scenery. Tabacon does have handicapped accessible rooms with ramps and wide pathways.
We did very much like the idea of sitting under waterfalls heated naturally by an active volcano. How often does that opportunity present itself? The lush gardens surrounding the natural hot springs are exquisitely landscaped, with dozens of thermal pools and rivers inviting you to soak and relax after a hard day of zipping through trees, diving through waterfalls, and hiking around an active volcano. A swim-up bar indulges all tastes and spa treatments abound to relax you from head to toe. A lunch and dinner buffet is included with paid admission depending on when you go. Overall, a posh spot worthy of consideration.
Rates vary from all day 11am-10pm and then evening 6pm-10pm.
http://www.tabacon.com/hot-springs
Hike the Arenal Volcano Lava Fields ($7 pp)
Enter Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal and it’s like walking on the moon. Defy, not gravity, but logic as you hike toward one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Enjoy some breathtaking views of Arenal Lake as you rise above where the vegetation has stopped and hot magma begins. Lava rocks as souvenirs might be the best keepsake in all of Costa Rica.
Open 8am to 4pm. Groups of all sizes.
http://www.arenal.net/arenal_volcano_national_park.htm
Mountain Bike Rentals ($20 pp)
In the town of La Fortuna there are several spots to rent bikes, like the one shown in the video invitation. From easy cruising along the smooth paved roads, to the off-road gravel roads, up to bouldering among the lava fields, there are enough challenges to keep you riding for days!
Bike shop hours vary. Prices vary. Groups of all sizes.
http://www.arenal.net/tour/mountain-bike.htm
ATV Rentals ($40 pp)
Hiking and biking not your speed? Well then hit the throttle with quad runners that will cover a lot of ground while expending little energy that can be rationed for hammocking and hot tubbing! After a day or two of driving the same roads around La Fortuna in a rental car, you’ll find yourself wanting to rip around through the back country in something a little more adventureous. ATV shops located in la Fortuna. Store hours vary. Groups of all sizes.
http://www.arenal.net/tour/la-pradera-atv-tour/
Horseback Riding – waterfall and volcano rides ($40-50 pp)
Mosey on down the trail straddlin’ a saddle as your horse clip-clops along. Ride through rivers and tropical rain forest while also enjoying the magnificent views of Arenal Volcano. Finding a merchant that feeds and cares for his stable of ponies is most important. Many guide books encourage visitors to not award your money to those who ride horses too hard or who malnourish them. So while prices may vary, so too will the quality of horses. Keep in mind the influence your buying power has in a place largely dependent on tourism.
Horse rentals are plentiful in La Fortuna. Hours and prices vary. Group of all sizes.
http://www.desafiocostarica.com/horseback%20riding.htm
Venado Caves ($20-30 pp)
Go spelunking with Alex in caves that are millions of years old. Enjoy the Venado Caves with its numerous stalactites, stalagmites, coral, and chimneys as you journey back in time. The twisted, curving stone formations are formed by an underground river punctuated by small, underground waterfalls one would find in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. The length of the tour into the caves is 1 ½ hours, during this time you’ll find marine fossils, and also bats, spiders, and other things that go bump in the dark. Not for those who don’t want to get muddy or are claustrophobic. Helmets and rubber boots are provided – you bring clothes that can get wet, then a change of clothes for after. A game of mud football would then be ideal.
Open 8am to 4pm. A 30 min drive from La Fortuna. Groups of all sizes.
http://www.puravidatrips.com/vidcavernas.htm
http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/caves/
Watch Arenal Volcano Erupt with Fire! (priceless)
From the porch of the Lost Iguana Resort you can see the volcano erupt with hot magma (FIRE!) For those seeking answers to the random questions about volcanoes that you don’t remember from your Geology merit badge days, check out this site for FAQ:
http://www.arenalvolcano.com/FAQ's1.html
Again, keep in mind that corresponding websites for each activity is a reference for photos only and that arranging these activities can be easily done upon your arrival in Costa Rica.
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