Costa Rica’s biodiversity is epic; heck, the country almost invented the word. With more than 500,000 plant and animal species—representing close to 4 percent of the total species on Earth—Costa Rica is one of the planet’s most biologically dense countries. And to protect that bounty, the country has set aside approximately 25 percent of its landmass in national parks and reserves, an amount that ranks among the highest in the world.
This nation of many stripes and colors deserves assorted ways to see and experience it. Sign up for our guided group tour in Costa Rica, and you’ll sample and slide into and out of a wide array of landscapes, lodges, local foods and wildlife habitats, assuring that your journey will encompass the multitudinousness that defines the nation.
As for your activities during your Costa Rica adventure tour with us, you’ll raft through a lowland rain forest, zip-line over a private reserve, hike to hidden waterfalls and stroll deserted beaches. You’ll stay in the heart of a cloud forest and have the chance to dolphin-watch, fish, go horseback riding, kayak, snorkel, learn how to surf with a local instructor or simply enjoy a soothing massage. You’ll visit high-learning spots such as botanical gardens, private gardens and wildlife sanctuaries; then you’ll head out into the always surprising and experience-rich wilds, searching for crocodiles; dart frogs; parrots; resplendent quetzals; scarlet macaws; toucans; and howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys.
On our Costa Rica adventure travel tour, you’ll even fly to the Osa Peninsula, one of the country’s most remote destinations. In this lesser-visited area, you’ll get to know a natural paradise of tropical rain forests, secluded beaches, national parks and backwater settlements. Here, on this tiny strip of land, measuring just 35 miles long and 20 miles wide, jaguars roam the jungles and enormous humpback whales swim close to shores. Not only does the Osa Peninsula—a place National Geographic magazine describes as “the most biologically intense place on Earth”—hold more than 700 species of trees, 365 kinds of birds, 117 species of amphibians and reptiles, and more than 120 different mammals, this vast rain forest also shelters endangered forest dwellers, such as American crocodiles, Baird’s tapirs, Central American squirrel monkeys, harpy eagles and white-lipped peccaries. You’ll cruise the calm, sparkling blue waters of the peninsula’s Golfo Dulce, one of the world’s deepest gulfs and one of only four tropical fjords on the planet, watching for sea turtles swimming below your boat.
Ask us to help you realize plans for a custom Costa Rica adventure, and you could soon be on a blow-your-hair-back, giggly, zip-line ride through a lush and lively rain forest; rappelling, rafting and waterfall jumping in a canyon; or exploring a coffee plantation and sipping the goods. We can arrange a private, naturalist-guided hike into the waking rain forest as a pink-and-red dawn breaks over the ocean. From Palmar Sur—a small, inland town by the Sierpe River—you could kayak through one of the world’s largest, intact mangrove ecosystems, keeping your eyes peeled for slow sloths, chattering monkeys and striking toucans. Or tackle some white water on the Pacuare River, a spectacular ride that’s been called one of the top 10 river experiences in the world. You could drive to Arenal Volcano and stride across its famous network of suspension bridges, crossing two miles in the rain forest canopy; or simply spend some quiet moments with your family in an off-the-grid lodge surrounded by a tropical rain forest bursting with birds and butterflies. At the end of your adventure-filled days, soak your hurt-so-good limbs in family-run hot springs and savor traditional dinners, such as olla de carne, a beef and green plantains stew, or arroz con pollo, rice and chicken mixed with spices and Lizano Salsa, a light brown sauce.
Costa Rica’s biodiversity is epic; its wildlife nothing short of resplendent. Doesn’t your Costa Rica adventure deserve to be just as sensational?
