When our family traveled to Costa Rica in August 2010, this small country in Central America was a lesser-known destination. The varied terrain of rainforests, active volcanoes, waterfalls, and beaches all teeming with rich wildlife made for adventure down every pothole filled road we traversed. Their motto “pura vida”, which means pure life, described their optimism of life and was exhibited in their culture and how they welcomed tourists. In just a few years Costa Rica has become a major tourist destination.

Inexpensive flights into the Liberia airport, reasonable costs for lodging and activities, food and water safety, low crime rates, and English speaking tour operators made this an attractive summer vacation for a road less traveled! After landing at the thatched hut airport terminal, we rented a 4WD vehicle with a GPS to navigate the rough roads with minimal signage. We rented a home from VRBO in Nuevo Arenal for our first base.

Our first adventure took us to the Arenal Hanging Bridges, which boasts of 15 suspension bridges located throughout the rainforest. We opted to pass on a guide since it was raining and we knew wildlife sightings would be minimal. The two-hour hike was beautiful but we did regret not getting a guide to interpret what surrounded us. At the end of the trail, tables were set up for lunch with a rewarding view of the volcano. Macaw parrots landed nearby as the volcano erupted in the background. It was a magical moment.

The next day was spent at Baldi Springs, a “water park for adults”. The natural hot springs warmed by the nearby volcano fed 23 thermal pools of different temperatures. The pools were landscaped beautifully and surrounded by amazing gardens. My teenage boys said the three waterslides were so fast they would be “illegal” in America. We spent the afternoon enjoying the pools and concluded with a buffet dinner.

Our last activity in the area was zip lining at Arenal Mundo Aventura. This was the highlight activity of our time in Costa Rica. The canopy tour was amazing! After safety training we climbed into a tractor for the ride uphill. There was some hiking involved as we navigated from platform to platform but the scenery was wonderful. The staff was quick to calm any fears and to rescue a few of our lighter weight family members who stalled out on the zip line. The canopy tour’s highlight was going by the 200 foot La Fortuna waterfall while suspended on the longest cable of 960 meters. They provided a photographer to capture all the exhilarating moments! On the way down we stopped for a cultural presentation that was interesting. They offered the choice of returning by tractor or horseback. Once back at the entrance we enjoyed a picnic lunch under a shelter and toured the amazing gardens. They also provided a great hike along the river to the waterfall. We were so impressed by how much adventure our ticket price afforded!

Our second home base was a tree house in St Elana near Monteverde. Because we came during the rainy season, which meant lower prices and less crowds, we spent more time inside the tree house than we wanted to. However, the rain did not keep us from exploring during the day. We toured the Monteverde Reserve and hired a licensed tour guide named Frederico. His ability to mimic animal sounds, find hidden wildlife and educate us about the plant life maximized our experience in the rainforest. We also bought tickets to the Don Juan Coffee Tour with our entrance fee for a discount. This was the best coffee tour in town with lots of hands on experience and an in-depth education. We loved trying the sugar cane juice and all the extra treats that fed us and even met Don Juan himself!

For our last base on the trip we drove to Manuel Antonio. Along the route, we made sure to stop at Tarcole’s River Bridge near Carara National Park to watch all the crocodiles below. We stayed at La Posado Jungle to be positioned next to the entrance of the National Park and hired an awesome guide named Coco for our excursion.  With his ability to find wildlife, he used his powerful scope to show us creatures of all sizes. It was surreal to watch sloths slowly transfer from tree to tree! Our boys enjoyed spending time at the beach and surfing, too. Our youngest decided to be baptized in the ocean there. It seemed fitting for him to accept a purity of life in a place where the motto “pura vida” means pure life. For our last evening, we drove back to Liberia to stay at the Hilton next to the airport and had dinner at McDonald’s to prepare for our re-entry back into the American lifestyle. The tropical experience in Costa Rica remains one of our family’s favorite vacations!