eilee

Will be in Manuel Antonio for 2 1/2 days with my 16 year old son. One day we'll hike in the park. I'm looking for other suggestions that would be exciting for him. The mangrove tour was recommended, but not sure how thrilling or interesting that would be. We'll be in the Osa afterwards, so he'll get plenty more wildlife.

Also, our second day will be on Monday when the park is closed - what are the best options for taht day?

dfarmer

What about a horseback tour?!

We have yet to do this one, but it consistently gets rave reviews.

http://valmytours.com/

Or don't know when you are going, but white water rafting could be an option.

volcanogirl

eilee, I answered in your other post.

surfersmom

Have you thought of hiring an instructor for the day for surfing? Don't know if he is athletic and likes that kind of thing, but my daughter did it for the first time at 17 and now at 22 she is really hooked on it. She likes that it gives her mind some peace just being out on the waves and it leaves them fit and exhausted ... best I can think of for someone that age. Oh BTW, she did say that the surfing made it the best holiday she had ever had. Good luck.

dfr4848

Our teenagers really liked the mangrove swamp tour - not boring at all.

Would also suggest a half-day sailing or catamaran trip and zip lining/canopy trip. The catamaran trip includes a nice hot lunch buffet (yes, on the boat and very good) and chance to go snorkeling. And the kids couldn't stop talking about the zip lining trip.

globetrots

It's also not very far to go white water rafting if you are not already doing that elsewhere. I was on a tour that went with Amigos del Rio and they were excellent. If you go in the morning you're back by early afternoon.

nina

I don't think rafting is an option in the dry season...if that's when Eilee is going.

We're staying in San Jose our first night to raft the Pacuare, then when we get to MA I'm planning on an ATV tour, kayaking and snorkeling for our teen boys.

I mentioned surfing but they weren't interested. The hotel we're staying at (Tulemar) has free kayaks and boogie boards, so between that, the ATV tour and the monkeys, they should be occupied.

eilee

How many nights will you be in MA?

What can you tell me about the ATV tour?

hipvirgochick

Yes, what is an ATV tour? Sounds like something that would just scare all the wildlife away. Is it on the beach?

eilee

Also, has anyone ever heard of teh Rainmaker Canopy Bridge tour -with hanging bridges. Sounds intersting, but not sure how worth it it si, if time is so limited...

shillmac

Pardon the interruption on this post, but hello Donna! I've missed you on the board--hope all is well with you and yours in this holiday season!

eilee--My vote goes to the Finca Valmy horseback ride and the mangrove tour. Great guides make things that might SEEM boring. . .everything BUT boring! Don't worry, the two of you will have a great time!

eilee

Even for a 16 year old? I worry that they might seem a bit "slow" for him and was therefore leaning more towards the river rafting.

Do you know anything about the Rainmaker bridge tour?

CarolM

As part of your day, definitely do a zip-line tour with Canopy Safari:

http://www.canopysafari.com/

Your son will LOVE it. In my opinion, it's one of the best canopy tours in CR. The guides are funny and friendly, it's a blast, and you get to two 2 rappels and a bunch of zip lines. It's not scary, and a ton of fun.

The Rainmaker tour is fantastic -- it's a beautiful private reserve -- the area is lush thick rain forest, but you most likely won't see a ton of wildlife. This is definitely a more low-key kind of hiking activity. If you're looking to engage your teenage son, I'm thinking this isn't the thing... it is definitely more slow.

I'd go with rafting or the Canopy Safari zip line.

Btw, ATV tours (all terrain vehicles) are indeed loud and are not designed to see any wildlife. I've wanted to do it myself, but I've read a couple of things about their tendency to flip over, therefore I'm thinking it's not the safest activity.

nina

Okay, I know the eco-tourists will cringe at the mention of an ATV tour. THey're quad vehicles and from what I understand is that they have trails for the vehicles that go up into the jungle and overlook the coast.I don't think they go on the beach.

Yes, they're a little loud. They're motorized vehicles. Would I do this if I wasn't traveling with my teenaged boys? Hell no, but this is the activity that THEY are looking forward to most, so we're doing it.

Here's a link

http://www.fourtraxadventure.com/en/...-atv-tour.html

eilee

I know it's not politically correct, but the ATV tour sounds like it would be perfect for my son as well. Do you know if there's an age limit to drive these? He's 16 - so I assume that would be fine.

Also, do you need to make a reservation in advance?

nina

Eilee, The websites state the age requirement is 16 but when I asked if my 15 year old could drive his own they said yes, the rules are pretty lax!