International Archives – Page 2 of 14

Rancho Típico Don Juan Review

June 29th, 2023admin0 Comments

My younger son and I had a fantastic day with Randall at Rancho Típico Don Juan. (See my full trip report here.) We were lucky enough to be the only people who were booked that day so we had a private tour. From beginning to end, Randall did a fabulous job hosting us on his ranch. This was so much more than a horseback riding tour. It was equal parts history lesson, nature exploration, and horseback riding adventure. The horses were obviously an integral part of the experience, but they were also largely a means of covering the most ground …

Manuel Antonio Horseback Riding

June 29th, 2023admin0 Comments

Although our group of 4 families did most of our activities together, we had one day in Manuel Antonio where we all split up and booked our own tours. While most did some sort of water-based activity (fishing, snorkeling, boat ride), my younger son and I went horseback riding. I narrowed down the choices to a ride through the jungle and a ride on a ranch. My son originally jumped at the jungle ride but once he looked at the pictures of the ranch, he quickly changed his mind. I booked the tour for the two of us and we …

Los Lagos Hotel Review

June 28th, 2023admin0 Comments

We split our time in Costa Rica between Arenal and Manuel Antonio. I knew that we wanted to stay at Tulemar Resort in Manuel Antonio. Since that was going to be our splurge hotel, we were looking for something a little more economical for the Arenal part of our stay. Several members of our group were also interested in hot springs. Since we didn’t necessarily want to spend the money or time for a day pass to one of the fancy hot springs, we decided to look for a resort that had its own hot springs. So with those two …

North Fields Coffee and Chocolate Tour Review

June 27th, 2023admin0 Comments

North Fields is a small family farm that grows both cacao trees and coffee plants. They offer a “farm to cup” tour, where you learn about everything from planting to harvesting to processing both cacao and coffee beans. After several days of more adventurous tours, this was a really nice change of pace. We meandered through the plantation, stopping at different stations to learn about the complex processes involved in making chocolate and coffee. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and well-spoken. The tour was a great opportunity to learn about – and taste! – two of Costa Rica’s most important …

Coffee and Chocolate Tour

June 27th, 2023admin0 Comments

Our third day in Arenal was the only one where we had two different tours in the same day. In the morning, most of the group zip lined (a few opted out and relaxed at the hotel) and in the afternoon we all went on a coffee and chocolate tour. This tour was really more for the adults, although we hoped the chocolate part would be enough to keep the kids interested. We were picked up at the hotel and taken to North Fields Coffee, a small family-owned coffee plantation. Our group of 16 was in one tour group and …

Arenal Canopy Adventure Review

June 26th, 2023admin0 Comments

Overall we enjoyed our morning at the Arenal Canopy Adventure & Tarzan Swing. (See my full trip report here.) The company was very safe and the tour well run. There was a really large group at our tour time (maybe a dozen others in addition to our 11 people) and I was concerned about the wait time on each line. But unlike other zip lining tours I have done, they did not keep the whole group together. They had enough guides that they could continuously move people through the different lines instead of waiting for everyone to catch up on …

Arenal Zip Lining

June 26th, 2023admin0 Comments

When my husband and I came to Costa Rica in 2012, we were blown away by our zip lining experience with Sky Adventures. We took a tram to the top of the mountain and then the zip lines literally burst through the jungle treetops, with breathtaking views from every platform and line. The lines were so high and so long that my husband declared that if he had known what he was getting into, he never would have done it. So when it came time to sign up for zip lining on this trip, he said thanks but no thanks. …

Wave Expeditions Review

June 25th, 2023admin0 Comments

We had a fantastic time with Wave Expeditions. We took the Balsa River Class II & III tour, which was roughly 13 km and two hours long. (See my full trip report here.) The guides were really fun but still put safety first. We were given instructions on the bus and then we practiced following all the commands once we got in the raft. Once we got going down the river, it was non-stop excitement. It was much wilder than I expected for class II & III but that just made it more fun. Our guide Warner knew every rock, …

Rio Balsa Whitewater Rafting

June 25th, 2023admin0 Comments

Whitewater rafting was high on our adventure wishlist in Costa Rica, and with kids ranging in age from 8 to 16 in our group, we were looking for a family friendly rafting option. Rio Balsa provides class II-III rapids, which are suitable for kids 8 and up. Our travel agent booked us with Wave Expeditions, and they picked us up from our hotel and took us to the river. On the bus ride, they gave us detailed rafting and safety instructions. The instructions were very thorough (complete with a miniature raft for demonstrations) and it was obvious that the company …

Canoa Aventura Review

June 24th, 2023admin0 Comments

Canoa Aventura is a tour company in the Arenal area of Costa Rica. From hiking to more adventurous activities, they offer a huge variety of tours to fit every age and interest. While they offer many individual activity tours, they seem to specialize in combination tours. Chocolate and waterfalls? Volcano and hot springs? They can do it all. We did a combination tour that included Mistico Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and the Trail of 1968. (Trip reports available by clicking on the links.) We were a group of 16 and had two tour guides and a bus for just …