Looking to go to CR for the first time. 7 - 10 day trip in May. Adventurous but not over the top. Would like to explore a rainforest, white water raft, zip line, repel down a waterfall, and check out a cool hanging bridge or two. Definitely not interested in spending time on the beach. We will fly into San Jose and rent our own car.
I've read quite a few posts and I am still unclear how far apart the different cities are. From what I understand, looking at a map doesn't do any good because it takes longer than you would think due to road conditions.
Any suggestions on an itinerary would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Best places in Costa Rica for adventurous, non-beach trip?
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From SJ, head to Sarapiqui area for a few days for rafting( 2hr. drive). Then Arenal for ziplines, waterfalls and hanging bridges(2-3hrs.) Finish up in the Monteverde area for the cloud forest( not sure, but could take 3-4hours?)
If you don't mind driving, why not head down the pacific coast to the Osa Peninsula. Corcovado National Park is a great place to experience the raw rainforest jungle and to see many different kinds of animals and tropical plants in their natural wild ecosystem. Many people make three day expeditions into the park, using either Puerto Jimenez or Drake Bay as their bases.
Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy my country.
Pura Vida, Ballardo
Definitely check out the Arenal area. You can zipline at Sky Trek, do a nice hike at the Hanging Bridges and the waterfall, raft with Rios Tropicales, and do waterfall rappelling with the Sunset Tours La Roca tour. It's about a three hour drive from the SJO airport. Lots of good hotel and restaurant choices there.
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Arenal and Monteverde are two hot beds of activities for you. In addition to the companies mentioned, both Desafio and PureTrek are excellent adventure operators.
The Sarapiqui region is also rich and great, and the Osa is perhaps my favorite part of Costa Rica, but it's rugged and remote, and most of the popular spots there are near the ocean, although I wouldn't necessarily call them "beach destinations"
Finally, you might want to explore the Dota/Cerro de la Muerte and San Gerardo de Rivas areas. Great hiking, quetzal viewing, Mt Chirripo...
One more thing we did in the Arenal area that I forgot to mention; we did tubing at the Springs Resort and Spa and had a great time. The river there is beautiful. When we went, we had the river all to ourselves. They offer kayaking there as well. Agree that Desafio is another great company. Cano Negro and Penas Blancas are nice for seeing wildlife.