I would very much love to go to Costa Rica for a holiday. Both my husband and I love wildlife and jungle, lots of greenery and sandy beaches. I am a bird freak. What I am wondering is if a Costa Rica trip is more for young people. I am 53 and not so physically fit and my husband will be 60 in April. I would really appreciate your thoughts on whether this would be a trip for us. Thanks in advance.

Deffinately! Being in our early 50's we are headed back for our fifth journey in March. The country is a birder's paradise and where I caught the birding bug. Though some roads are in need of repair great adventures can be self driven and public tourist vans, private drivers, or taxis are readily available when desired. Many national parks and reserves have well to reasonable maintained trails and offer world class birding opportunities. Great birding can also be had from covered verandas in a variety of accomodations. Your too young to hold yourself back from a Costa Rica adventure!

Yes, Costa Rica is wonderful for all ages! No need to do ziplines or whitewater rafting to have an amazing vacation there.

My parents are in their mid 70s, in reasonably good health and just returned from 12 days Costa Rica. They absolutely loved it and had a fantastic time. They went on an organized tour that stopped for 2 or 3 night stays at 4 or 5 places. They could choose to be as busy or lazy as they wanted to be.

You might want to google around to see if there are birding groups that might have tours. I wonder if the Audubon Society organizes tours?

-Bill

Thank you so much for responding so soon. I am so excited. I really thought that Costa Rica would be a trip for younger ppl and not for us. We just sold our house so soon we will have some money. Would March be a good time or bad time to go? When is it rainy season there or does it rain all the time?

This is not specific to Costa Rica, but may apply (I'm not sure). I have a friend your age and she travels with Elderhostel tours. Her latest was 3 weeks that includd the Amazon and Macchu Pichu (sp?). She said they take very good care of you. Not fancy but very comfortable and they lean more towards educational activities.

I am in my mid 50's and travel to CR frequently. We have even bought property. I have had back problems for a few years from too much weight lifting at the gym and had two heart stents put in last year. My husband has bad arthritis. We still love going down there. Costa Rica has something for everyone.

Some wonderful places for birds down there. Rancho Naturalista, Selva Verde, La Selva, Tirimbina, Carara, Bosque del Cabo. Bosque del Rio Tigre is one of our favorite places to go birding. San Gerardo de Dota is a place where you are almost guaranteed to see a Quetzal.

Go for it! If you would prefer a private driver/guide, the one we use loves to find the birds.

March is during the dry season, and some areas such as the north Pacific coast are quite dry. (In these areas many of the trees drop their leaves then, which makes seeing wildlife easier!) Other areas are very lush and green, and rain or mist is quite common. I think March is a good time to go, and so that's where we're headed in a few months!