To join in the action you can:
- choose any one of our tailor-made holiday ideas and ask us how we can design something active into it, from the suggestions below
- choose 'Costa Rican Adventures', one of our tailor-made holiday ideas, for a non-stop, action-packed fortnight
- for a dedicated trekking, diving, rafting, riding etc holiday contact us to design you something that does just that
Exploring the canopy
Getting high up into the canopy is a fascinating way to experience the life of the forest and there are several ways to do it in Costa Rica.
Hanging bridges
A good option is to walk on hanging bridges suspended on cables through the forest. There is a lovely suspension bridge at Sarapiquí and aerial tours at Monteverde, Braulio Carrillo National Park and Arenal to name only some.
Zip-lines or 'canopy tours'
For a high adrenaline experience, zip-lines are the only way to fly. Strapped in a light harness with pulley attached you are sent whizzing along a succession of cables strung between high platforms.
Usually the lines are among or below the tree tops, but the final stages of Sky Trek at Monteverde are very long, fast and high - you can be in the cloud. Also called 'canopy tours', zip-lines are available in many parts of the country.
Whitewater rafting
There is some wonderful rafting in Costa Rica, most notably on the Pacuare river in the Turrialba Valley and the Sarapiquí river in the hills above Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui in the Northern Lowlands.
Grades I and II are suitable for beginners, grades III to IV are for the slightly more experienced (can be undertaken on your second day of rafting), above that you need to be fully trained and experienced beyond our scope.
Rafting is not only great fun but provides some of the best scenery. In less adrenaline-filled moments you float down the river in perfect bliss. Safety briefings and basic training are given.
Surfing
Costa Rica's Pacific coast boasts numerous surfing beaches, and most resort towns offer surfing lessons to get you going. Try it!
Tamarindo is the place most associated with surfing in Costa Rica but for spectacular beaches away from it all head for Nosara or Sámara. There are good places on the south Caribbean too.
Walking and hiking
Many national parks have good trails for general walkers, especially those in the cooler air of mountains and volcanoes.
Volcán Irazú, Monteverde to Arenal, Bajas del Toro and Rincon de la Vieja National Park are also great for longer day walks, while our Cerro Chirripó trekking holiday is a stretching and rewarding 4 day trek.
Riding and ranching
Horse riding is available in many parts of Costa Rica, so we can fit in as little or as much as you want into your trip.
Rounding up cattle in Rincon de la Vieja, galloping along the beach at Nosara or pottering around on the slopes of Turrialba are some of our favourite riding experiences. Latin Americans are less precious about riding than the British making it so much more fun, though riskier.
Diving
There is world-class diving around the Cocos Islands. However, conditions around the mainland of Costa Rica are not good enough for a purely diving holiday, though there are good locations at Isla del Caño (sharks almost guaranteed), and the Caribbean side has diveable reefs at Cahuita NP and Gandoca-Manzanillo.