Costa Rica Active Adventure

Join a naturalist guide for a 1.5-2 hour tour in the cloud forest after dark. Learn more about the habits of the area's nocturnal wildlife including mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians, and keep your eyes and ears open on this slow-paced walk. You never know what you might see – it depends on the day and your luck!

Enjoy Monteverde’s breath-giving wilderness by horseback. Spot toucans, bellbirds, and parrots as you ride through private mountain trails along the primary and secondary forest. Meet monkeys, see sloths, and possibly glimpse the Gulf of Nicoya through the clouds. Take photos, inhale the pure air, and let your horse lead you on this memorable meander in misty Monteverde.

Get up high to see the tree tops of Monteverde’s Cloud Forest from a bird’s-eye view. Cross a series of hanging bridges to discover what biologists once required (ropes and pulleys) to glimpse the lush, green vista accented by bromeliads, vines, and orchids. Wonder at this wet canopy, home to 90% of all the organisms in the forest, including thousands of species of birds, small animals, amphibians, and insects.

Pull on your poncho and boots and head into the cloud-covered forest, past over-sized ferns and exotic orchids. Harness your inner Tarzan as you imagine swinging from the forest’s giant vines, trudge along 12 km of trails, watch for wildlife and trek to the top of the observation tower. Be sure to stop and listen too. Hear the haunting hollow call of the bellbird and perhaps catch sight of the brilliant green and red resplendent quetzal. Feel good about protecting the preserve and sustaining the quality of local schools through payment of your park fees.

Step back in time into El Trapiche (the sugar mill), home of three generations of Costa Rican farmers. Explore plantations of sugar cane, coffee, bananas and cacao. Start with a walk through the farm, learn about coffee and cocoa harvesting processes, ride a Costa Rican ox cart, and finally make artisanal sugar cane candy and liquor. Finish the tour with a fragrant cup of coffee made from beans grown right here on the farm!

No trip to Costa Rica is complete without visiting a coffee plantation. Head to Café Monteverde and learn how this fair trade coffee goes from crop to cup. Pick ripe berries, watch how the beans are separated from the husk, then observe the drying and roasting process. Sample and buy some of these excellent beans. The Santa Elena coffee co-op prides itself on sustainable practices: it recycles processing water, uses coffee pulp for fertilizer, and sends plant fibers and husks to make paper.

Buckle up your harness, don your helmet, and prepare to launch. Glide along cables suspended high above the cloud forest canopy. Dare to let go and reach top speeds as you zip past stunning scenery. Forget your fear as you spot a toucans or exotic orchids in this adrenaline-filled experience. Minimum age: 6.

CANYONING (Half-day Arenal) Rappel, down-climb, river-trace, and descend huge waterfalls in the rugged mountains and lush rainforests around Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano. ZIPLINING (Half-day Monteverde) Get a true bird’s-eye view of the rainforest canopy as you soar through the trees on a Tarzan swing, a giant rappel, and a 137-meter-high (450-foot) zipline. Please note the prices listed does not include the IVA Tax. Please note that passengers must weigh between 45-100kg (100 – 220 lbs) and be at least 130cm (4'3 ft) tall to participate in these activities.

Take a walk, taxi, or horse just outside the town of La Fortuna to the nearby waterfall. Once at the gate, pay a fee then start the descent on rough steps (more than 500 of them!) to get to the base of the falls. The water cascades 65m (200 ft) down the side of the dormant Cerro Chato. Sit on the rocks, get sprayed, watch for iridescent blue morpho butterflies and then plunge into the cool waters. Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax.

Hold on tight and get ready to rappel down the face of rushing waterfalls. Fear and fun collide in the rainforest as you throw caution to the monkeys and launch yourself into nature. Get soaked and feel completely alive. Trek through rivers and keep your eyes peeled for exotic birds and wildlife. Let the action begin! Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax. Minimum age: 8.

Take a walk, taxi, or horse just outside the town of La Fortuna to the nearby waterfall. Once at the gate, pay a fee then start the descent on rough steps (more than 500 of them!) to get to the base of the falls. The water cascades 65m (200 ft) down the side of the dormant Cerro Chato. Sit on the rocks, get sprayed, watch for iridescent blue morpho butterflies and then plunge into the cool waters. Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax.

Zip up your life jacket, grab a paddle and get ready to be wowed by beauty in every direction. Admire Arenal Volcano as you kayak the blue-green waters of Lake Arenal, Central America’s second largest lake. Scan the shores for more than 300 species of birds, listen for howler monkeys and fish for sharp-toothed rainbow bass. Take time to float and soak in the stunning scenery of the rolling hills, secret coves and sky that stretches forever.

Hold on tight and get ready to rappel down the face of rushing waterfalls. Fear and fun collide in the rainforest as you throw caution to the monkeys and launch yourself into nature. Strapped securely in your harness, descend deep into the canyon, get soaked and feel completely alive. Trek through rivers, wobble across a hanging bridge and keep your eyes peeled for exotic birds and wildlife. Let the action begin! Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax. Minimum age: 12.

Travel north to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge near the Nicaraguan border. Take a guided tour by covered boat through one of the world’s most important wetlands; home to a vast array of plants, birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals. Keep your eyes peeled and you may see a three-toed sloth or a Jesus Christ lizard. Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax.

Grab a long wide board and show those surfer dudes how it’s done without waves on Lake Arenal with the volcano looming above. Tour picks up from the hotel and includes a tour of the west-end of the Lake while you’re getting the hang of the paddle board. Enjoy the amazing view, with chances to spot wild birds like Great Blue Herons or even Howler Monkeys. Learn more about the area while exploring the lake and snack on some tropical fruit before heading back to the hotel. Please note the price listed does not include the IVA Tax.

The natural hot springs at the Los Lagos Hotel, Spa & Resort are fed directly from pristine rainforest springs. Soak in the healing pools, feel your muscles relax as you luxuriate in the warm water heated by the Arenal Volcano. Enjoy the tropical jungle setting and let your senses soar.

Grab a mask and snorkel and head out to explore the marine life off the coast. Check out the beaches of Punta Uva (Grape Point) and Manzanillo for some of the country's best snorkelling. See coral, fish, octopus, sea turtles and harmless nurse sharks.

Just outside the town is a tropical farm, part of which is set aside as a botanical garden. Finca la Isla is a working farm and botanical garden built from the remains of an abandoned cacao plantation. Sample homemade natural chocolate, drink tropical fruit drinks, learn about the production of black pepper and nutmeg, as well as ornamental plants. Shoot some colourful photos and be careful where you walk. Visitors are guaranteed to see the red poison dart frog, along with other frogs, reptiles, toucans and birds.

Punta Uva is known as one of the world's best 'fun fest' beaches. You decide! Grab a paddle and hop into a kayak for a relaxing trip along a river. Spot a zoo full of wildlife, including monkeys (howler, whiteface, spider), turtles, spiders, sloths, lizards, iguanas, and birds, as well as several medicinal plants and trees, such as the big fig tree, indio desnudo, bread fruit, ylang ylang and more.

Beginning at the Cocles River south of Puerto Viejo, the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge extends through beach communities, jungle, marshland, coves and coast all the way to the Sixaola River and the border with Panama. Begin in Manzanillo and wind your way through plantations of cacao, strangler fig and almond trees, look for capuchin and howler monkeys, sloths and raccoons. White sand beaches lead into aquamarine water, filled with 35 species of coral and tropical fish, sea turtles, lobsters and sting rays. Wear light clothing, walking shoes, and bring lots of water and insect repellent.

Rent a bike from a local shop and head out to explore.

Grab a mask and snorkel and head out to explore the marine life off the coast. Check out the beaches of Punta Uva (Grape Point) and Manzanillo for some of the country's best snorkelling. See coral, fish, octopus, sea turtles and harmless nurse sharks.

Just outside the town is a tropical farm, part of which is set aside as a botanical garden. Finca la Isla is a working farm and botanical garden built from the remains of an abandoned cacao plantation. Sample homemade natural chocolate, drink tropical fruit drinks, learn about the production of black pepper and nutmeg, as well as ornamental plants. Shoot some colourful photos and be careful where you walk. Visitors are guaranteed to see the red poison dart frog, along with other frogs, reptiles, toucans and birds.