Some of my best adventures yet have been in Costa Rica!  You can read about them here. It is a gorgeous country with chances for adventure around every turn. It is also a safe and easy country to travel in. Read on to see why Wendy from Adventurous Retirement calls it her best adventure yet. Her story may help you decide your best place to vacation in Costa Rica to experience your pura vida.

With its sunshine (November to April) and eco-tourism, outdoor adventures abound in Costa Rica!  You can go with a group, on private tours, or rent a car to explore on your own.  We did some of each.  It was good to have a driver and tour guide for early adventures to learn about the roads, get a comfort level with traveling in a foreign country, and become familiar with local driving laws.  

Quanacoste Costa Rica Excursions

We did 2 private tours with a driver/guide and on the river boat excursion in Guanacoste and linked up with other groups.  Our river excursion was on the Tempisque and Bebedero Rivers to Palo Verde National Park.  Upon arrival, we were met by a guide on the bank of the River.  The area’s dense forests give it a rich mix of mammal, amphibian and reptile life, including the famous crocodiles.  Bird watching is excellent here, too.  We loved the jungle river trip with crocodiles in the river, and unique birds and monkeys in the trees. Book your Palo Verde National Park boat ride.

Visiting another Guanacoste area park, we zip-lined in the treetops amongst the monkeys – it was exhilarating.  That excursion included riding horses through the jungle to the mud baths where we covered each other in mud, and luxuriated in hot springs.  These activities and more were part of our private tour. Book your zip-lining tour in Guanacaste.

Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast

For the sea adventures, we were recommended to use Ocotal Dive at Ocotal Beach Resort, and were quite pleased with the operation and service.  Diving in the Pacific Ocean is unlike any we had done up to this point.  From from big animals like whale sharks, manta rays, flying ray schools, dolphins, and octopus swimming in the open during the day, to tiny gobies and clown shrimp chomping on starfish arms, it was amazing.  We did most of our diving in the Flamingo-Cocos area, and had great dives exploring the volcanic formations, soft corals and abundant fish life.  At the surface, dolphins surf the bow waves as the dive boats go out daily.  Sometimes we would go out slowly and play with the dolphins; the captain would create waves for the dolphins to surf on, or offer us an opportunity to slip in the water with the dolphins.

After we rented a car, we traveled through valleys, over steep rises, and through streams when heading south to the southern Pacific Coast.  We visited Tamarindo, the surfing town, and then headed to Costa Rica’s turtle research project in the evening where they provide tours to watch turtles nest and baby turtles hatch on the Pacific coast.

With our rental car, next we went to Arenal in the central part of the country.  Arenal is an active volcano, and a treat to watch erupt.  The cloud forests in the central part of Costa Rica offer hanging bridge tours.  We loved all we learned about the cloud forest on the tour we joined; we saw sloths and snakes in the trees here.  On our night hike at Danaus Eco Center, we saw a poison dart frog, snakes, and nocturnal hunters.  

The outdoor adventures and local fresh foods are always our preference when traveling.

You can read more about Wendy on Adventurous Retirement.  

I would love to hear about Your Best Adventure Yet.  What is your favorite thing to do in Costa Rica? Let me know in the comments.

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