Costa Rica is full of amazing adventures, but they are all spread out. Rent a car and be prepared for multiple day trips. Divide up your time between 2-3 key areas based on what you want to see.
Ziplining
Everyone will tell you that you have to zipline in Costa Rica, and I agree! We used Adventure Park Vista for a tour with 25 lines that went over 11 waterfalls. We also were able to swim in a refreshing waterfall basin during the middle of the tour, which was a nice touch. Unless you are staying really nearby, I would recommend staying a night or two at their hotel. One family that did the three-hour tour with us just drove over for the day, which they were regretting as they realized that they were too tired for the few hours of travel still ahead of them. If you stay the night, the rooms are decent and you can watch the sunset from a rocking chair while waiting for your delicious dinner. Adventure Park offers other fun activities as well if you want to spend a couple nights.
Surfing
While I’m not a surfer, Costa Rica is known for having some of the best surfing in the world!
Snorkeling
While the snorkeling wasn’t as good as my experiences in Hawaii and Cozumel, it’s always a fun activity, particularly if it’s paired with a boat excursion.
Kayaking
The water is so warm that you have no fear of falling in, yet the water is so calm, that it would be difficult to topple over. We used a company called Bahia Rica, the same company we used for the boat trip to Isle Tortuga.
Volcanoes
My family didn’t visit any volcanoes on this trip, but the top ones to visit are Arenal, Poas, and Irazu.
Cloud Forest
Monteverde Cloud Forest is on every to-do list. Be prepared to hike, and bring a poncho.
Sloths
If you’re hoping to see a sloth, you’ll need to visit the Caribbean side of the country. There is a sloth reserve, and you may even get lucky and see one in the wild in the rainforest on that side of the country!
National Reserves
There are a lot of reserves including the most popular, Manuel Antonio. We only visited Karen Mogenson because it was closest to where we were staying (yet it was still a 2 hour drive…).
Beaches
Don't just lay on the beach the whole time, but you've got to for at least one day!
