Costa Rica

10 Days exploring Costa Rica

By Wander with Jill

February 23^rd, 2018

Costa Rica has been on the top of my countries to visit list for a few years now and last month I was finally able to make a trip to the beautiful country. Winter is my least favorite season, so once November comes around I look for any reason to escape the cold in New York. Normally Im the one who plans out every detail of my trips; from Hotels, Places to see, Places to eat, etc., but instead I wanted to sit back and relax for once and chose to join in on a 10 day multi adventure tour curated by a friend named Olivier. Here are some highlights of my trip:

Samara

We started our trip in Samara, a small beautiful beach town along the southern Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Guanacaste of Costa Rica. Its ideal for relaxation by the beach or for adventures such as horseback riding, paddle boarding, or surfing. I chose to go Horseback riding along the beach and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. I also scheduled a gyrocopter tour over the coast. I had no idea what a gyrocopter even was before going but it was an amazing experience to see the beautiful coast from 2000 feet up in the air.

Barra Honda National Park

We left Samara and drove 2 hours towards Nicoya to check out the Barra Honda National Park for a Cave tour which was amazing. The tour starts with 4 km hike to the caves which takes approximately 30 mins. The deepest of the Barra Honda caves is Santa Ana which drops to 249 meters below surface. This is the deepest cave I have ever toured in and was quite a sight to see.

Ziplining in Monteverde

I have never been zip lining before so this was a major highlight of my trip. Our group went to 100% Aventura Adventure Park located in Monteverde, which is known to have the longest zip line in Latin America. The Superman Zipline and the Tarzan Swing are the favorites here.

Tree Climbing

After our Zip lining tour we decided to make a short pit stop and check out a well known Ficus tree in Monteverde, where you could climb into and reach the top. Located down the winding Perro Negro road, this Giant tree is in the woods on the right, just before the sign for the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Follow the small trail into the forest and you can’t miss it!

Nauyaca Waterfalls

On Day 6 we visited Nauyaca Waterfalls. Hidden deep within the forests of Costa Rica’s South Pacific, approximately 10kms inland from Playa Dominical, this Waterfall consist of two falls. The upper waterfall plummets down from the height of 45 meters onto a rocky bed unsuitable for swimming, while the lower one, only 20 meters in height, forms a pleasant six-meter deep pool perfect for a refreshing dip. While visiting we even made a new friend, a cute small dog which basically followed us as we hiked our way to the waterfall.

Mountain Biking

Our next adventure was a 26km Half Day Mountain Biking tour from Arenal Volcano to El Castillo. This was probably the most challenging day for me and I couldn't even it make through the whole tour. I was able to make it halfway though, where we stopped by Lake Arenal where we had amazing views of the Arenal Volcano.

Hot springs

There are countless hot spring attraction options available in the La Fortuna region. We chose to go to the only Free option which is Located next to the Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort called Rio Chollin. This is not considered one of the best springs in the region but is an option for those on a budget. It was a chilly morning when we visited, so warming up in this river springs was quite relaxing.

River Canyon Tour

I have to start off saying this was my favorite adventure during my 10 days in Costa Rica. The tour starts at Diamante Verde's office in Tinamastes, a small mountain town about 20 minutes from Dominical. The guides fit everyone with the proper equipment and takes those that haven't rappelled to a small hill to show them the basics in a safe setting. Once everyone is confident that they can navigate the tour, everyone is loaded into a truck and driven 10 minutes into the Diamante valley. The start of the tour is fairly mellow as we hike through the river canyon full rocks and boulders . The guides are positioned in the front and back of the group in order to keep an eye on everyone. After 25 minutes of mellow river trekking, the tour starts to get extreme. We swam through numerous pools and then ended by rappelling alongside 2 waterfalls. The first rappel is 80 ft and the second 120 ft. After rappelling we swim through more pools and end with a 20 ft (approx) cliff jump. This tour lasts approximately 5 hours and is HIGHLY recommended to anyone visiting Costa Rica.

Wild Monkeys & Sloths

During the course of our 10 days we were able to see numerous wild animals in their natural habitat. These included different species of Monkeys and Sloths.

Pura Vida

Pura Vida…it’s Costa Rica’s slogan, as well as being a way of life. We seemed to be greeted by those words everywhere we went and by the end of the trip it definitely stuck with me. I truly enjoyed my 10 days in Costa Rica. Each day was full of adventure and beauty as we drove around the country to check out different tourist attractions. I highly recommend going on one of Oliviers tours to anyone who doesn't want to go into the details of planning and logistics. You literally get to just pick the destination and enjoy your time. For more info of his upcoming tours check out: www.Olivierstrails.com