Top Costa Rica Outdoor Activities - page 2

Thoroughly enjoyed this informative experience. This isn’t a big commercial thing- it’s family owned. Our tour guide showed us the tools his father and grandfather used to harvest the cacao beans for generations. I highly recommend! A few things that aren’t in the booking info- 1. You don’t need any special shoe, but I’d recommend sneakers. I wore flip flops and got a few little bug bites walking through the property. Not a must, but I wished I’d worn closed toe. 2. They give TONS of fruit samples that were absolutely delicious, in addition to a chocolate banana at the start. Unexpected treat! Highly recommend Don Olivo- kind family and informative tour!

This is by far one of the most fun snorkel cruises we have been on. I went with my teenage daughter. There were people of all ages on board. Austin is a wonderful guide and the entire crew was great. We had so much fun. For a snorkel cruise, the food was excellent, it was fresh and grilled, not what I expected. I would take this cruise over and over again.

A long day but totally worth it. Our guide for the day was Albert. He was great, and explained everything in English and Spanish as we went along. It was a very rainy day and the volume of the waterfall was too intense for swimming, but the hike down (and back up) was beautiful. We opted to hang out in the café to dry off a bit because it was pouring rain, before we continued on to the Arenal volcano hike. Even in the rain, it’s worth doing the hike to the base of the volcano, but I imagine it’s spectacular if you are lucky enough to do it on a clear day. Albert provided facts on the volcano and was constantly on the lookout for wildlife that he pointed out as we trekked. For us though, the highlight of the day was the Mistico hanging bridges. Besides the spectacular scenery and the bridges themselves, there was plenty of wildlife to see including howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, and even an eyelash viper. Beautiful place, and very easy to hike on the paved trails. We decided to skip the final stop at the hot springs because we had a day pass to one of the hot springs resorts the next day, and instead, had them drop us off at our hotel - Lost Iguana - which was very close to the Mistico Hanging Bridges. They were very flexible and agreeable about doing. Overall, a great day, and we slept like babies.

The hike was easy to moderate in spots. We are a pretty active family and we enjoyed the rough terrain, creek crossings, ladders/ropes, etc. My kids enjoyed the adventure (12 and 10) with zero complaints except that it ended too soon. The guides were local, very knowledgeable and incredibly friendly.

Great way to start off a trip to Costa Rica. The descent and climb seems easier than reported. For anyone in average health and ability to walk the path is very doable. If you would like to take is some wildlife and photos, enjoy their gift shop and food, and some of the other exhibits, plan for a few more hours.

This place came highly rated and it didn't disappoint. Our tour guide was Cesar, who was amazing. He was friendly, funny, and knowledgeable. The tasting was more generous than I expected, and the bonbons making was so much fun. What I didn't expect was the homemade chocolate drink that the group made collectively. Cesar did a great job of group participation. I highly recommend this tour to anyone in the area. We arrived early, so we ordered some empanadas and fruit drinks. Best of each we've had thus far on our trip.

This excursion was unique in getting to see animals at night in their natural habitat. We saw many birds, bats, black & green iguanas, a yellow Boa constrictor, frongs, colonies of termites & ants, as well as a large variety of foliage. Our guide Andersen and the boat captain were determined to give us a great experience to the point that they got out of the boat and pulled us through the extra shallow waters when necessary. The guides were friendly with other boats, each sharing any sights that they saw so that all tourists could have the best experience in the wild. Anderson repeatedly checked in to see that everyone's questions were answered and that all were having a good time. The boat captain maneuvered the boat in ways so that people sitting on either side were able to have a good view of each animal, allowing plenty of time for photographs. Seeing the animals still and sleeping provided a unique experience to really enjoy their true beauty. Anderson was incredibly friendly and engaging with both kids and adults, ensuring we all had a great experience. The only recommendation I would give is to provide brighter flashlights for each passenger. If you choose to embark on this excursion I recommend light pants, tank, and lightweight long-sleeved shirt, as well as spraying yourself with bug spray, as there are a fair bit of mosquitoes but manageable if dressed appropriately. I found that having my long hair down with a hat helped to keep the bugs away from my neck and face. Bringing a small personal flashlight would be helpful. As some of the lights provided were very dim with limited battery life. Our 4 young kids greatly enjoyed this adventure!

We had an awesome experience with Outback ATV! Riding through the Arenal rainforest alongside the volcano was absolutely incredible and something we’ll never forget. Blake was fantastic to work with — very responsive with communication and made everything easy from start to finish. It was also my daughter’s 21st birthday, and the team went the extra mile to make it feel special, which meant a lot to us. Great people, amazing scenery, and an unforgettable adventure. We definitely recommend this place!