Exciting activities abound in Costa Rica
Are you ready for lots of excitement and memories that will last a lifetime? Costa Rica offers an incredible amount of things to see and do, starting with a hot air balloon or helicopter ride over the countryside.
Do you prefer to keep your feet firmly on the ground? Why not visit one of Costa Rica’s many rainforests or national parks? Perhaps one of the most attractive things about Costa Rica is its incredibly beautiful rainforests and the exotic wildlife that lives there. In each area you will find a different variety of creatures and flora as diverse as the land around them.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest, just under four hours from the capital city of San José, simply must be seen in person to be appreciated. Hidden in this misty wonderland are beautiful birds such as the scarlet macaw, toucan and quetzal, a rather solitary bird that lays only two blue eggs once a year.
Central America is home to some of the most experienced horseback riders in the world. Take advantage of your experience and visit a riding farm where you can take a thrill ride across the country or follow a beginner’s route while you learn.
Or maybe you’d like to try your hand at mountain biking, which is allowed in many of Costa Rica’s national parks, or hiking and backpacking through the country’s forests and mountainous regions.
After you’ve had your fill of the thrill of inland adventures, relax in a hot spring heated by one of Costa Rica’s volcanoes. Some of the most popular in the country are those near the Arenal Volcano and the Borinquen hot springs in Rincón de la Vieja.
Costa Rica’s beaches offer year-round swimming in the warm waters, especially on the Pacific Ocean side, where there are plenty of family-friendly and surfing beaches. Swimming beaches located on the southern Pacific coast and the Osa Peninsula include those near Puerto Jimenez, Drake Bay, and San Josecito, which can only be reached by boat.
On the central Pacific coast is Jaco Beach and Manuel Antonio National Park Beach, both of which are great for swimming, but can get quite crowded at times. On the other side of the country, on the Caribbean coast, there are few swimmable beaches, but they still offer plenty to see, such as Playa Negra, a black volcanic beach, or Playa Cocles with sparkling white sand.
If you’re interested in snorkeling, Playa Manzanillo, located south of Play Uvita, one of the most romantic beaches in the Caribbean, offers the prime spot as do Costa Rica’s two coral reefs, also located off the Caribbean coast in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge and the Cahuita National Park. Park. Experienced divers come from far and wide to dive beneath the waters of Isla del Cano, where marine life is so abundant that the number of fish species you’ll see is mind-boggling.
Regardless of what you decide to do in Costa Rica, you can be sure that you will want to return for more time and time to see what other treasures are hidden in this beautiful country.