A natural paradise of crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches, dense tropical rainforests and cascading waterfalls, rare flora and fauna, coral reefs and active volcanoes, 20 national parks and 8 biological reserves, scenic landscapes and amazing sunsets, add to this scintillating, peaceful culture, it’s no wonder that thousands of tourists have made Costa Rica their top travel choice, which has quickly become known as the ‘Adventure Capital’ of the Americas. Bordering Nicaragua and Panama, and lined by the Caribbean Sea in its eastern coast and the Pacific Ocean in its western, Costa Rica promises you unforgettable holidays, one to remember for a long time.
Costa Rica has an abundance of attractions and activities sure to delight every adventure lover. The hardest part of planning your Costa Rica Vacation is choosing what to do. Follow the post below to get acquainted with all the warm weather adventurous things to do that will help you build your perfect Costa Rica vacation itinerary.
Surfing in Costa Rica
One of the most popular water sports in Costa Rica that attracts many adventurers is definitely surfing. Less crowded than the beaches of Sydney, Hawaii or Southern California, the sandy stretches of Costa Rica offer plenty of beach, reef, point and river mouth breaks, swells and surf shops, sure to delight even the most experienced surfers. Surfing is possible on the Caribbean coast (Puerto Viejo provides some of Costa Rica’s biggest waves), on the North Pacific coast (Playa Naranjo and Playa Grande provide consistent swells and breaks), on the Central Pacific coast (Boca Barranca, where you can ride waves over half a mile) and South Pacific coast (Playa Dominical offers waves for all ski levels and Pavones, where the best surf occurring between April and November). Wind surfing champions have called Costa Rica’s Lake Arenal area one of the world’s top five wind surfing spots, with 29 mile rides across the lake.
Zip Line Canopy Tours
Soar hundreds of feet above the treetops on Costa Rica’s most popular adventure tour. On the tour, you are hoisted up to a platform in a tree about 50-to-100 feet up, securely tied to a zip and then sent flying to another platform in a tree via a zip line. One of the best spots to indulge in the canopy Tour is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which has one of the most enticing displays of biodiversity in the world with over two thousand species of plants and trees and 400 species of birds. This is truly an adrenaline filled experience full of incredible views of the jungle below, something that should not be missed.
Whitewater Rafting
Costa Rica is home to numerous exciting and beautiful rivers that provide water sport enthusiasts great opportunities for spectacular whitewater rafting with unpredictable dips, drops and curves. Sarapiqui River, winding for some 53 miles through raw Costa Rican wilderness is one of the best spots for the class II-III rapids. Rafters will simply be amazed by the lush coffee and banana plantations surrounding the river, as well as abundant animals like white face monkeys and coatimundis. Other thrilling whitewater rafting rivers include Reventazon River and Pacuare River, catering to both amateur and professional rafters.
Scuba Diving
Costa Rica is blessed with 3.5 % of the world’s aquatic life, which means it’s natural that diving here can simply be exciting and spectacular. Caño and Coco Islands are a paradise for most divers. Declared a marine national park, Coco Island alone offers around 20 dive sites in all a small location. One of the most famous attractions of Cocos Island diving is scalloped hammerheads, while other famous species include whitetip reef sharks, sliky, mobula, silvertip, moray eels, etc.
Thought by many to be the most picturesque diving destination in Costa Rica, Caño Island offers unlimited fun both above and below the waters. Here the visibility often exceeds 80 feet and the warm waters are teeming with unique marine life, ranging from giant schools of pelagic fish, to Trevelly Jacks and Pompano to sharks and rays.
The list of adventurous things to do in Costa Rica is surely not limited with the above described activities. You can also take a whale and dolphin watching tour at the South Pacific beach of Playa Dominical out to Marina Ballena National Park; indulge in superb caving in Barra Honda National Park on the Nicoya Peninsula; enjoy a sightseeing ATV tour traversing mountains, or else immerse yourself in world-class deep sea fishing. In a nutshell, Costa Rica certainly knows how to show you a good time.
