North Pacific Coast

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Description

Costa Rica is the popular country for adventure tourism with the varieties of outstanding outdoor activities, with well-organized guided outings.

Approximately all tourists visiting Costa Rica do some kind of walking or hiking through the beautiful rainforests, dry lands, picturesque beaches and national parks. You have the opportunity to walk in different kinds of terrain from tropical woods to the height of Mount Chirripó. So be sure you’ve taken hiking boots, a hat, lightweight rain gear. In such place as Parque Nacional Corcovado you’ll be busy with walking as never before. Take a tent with you while going to the Marines. Take your sleeping bag planning to visit the high paramo of Chirripó.

You have to know some facts about hiking in Costa Rica:

To prevent the danger of dehydration, you have to carry water with you especially bottled, also to bring the hat and the sunscreen in order to protect yourself against the sunstroke.

To prevent the danger of getting lost, you have to take the map and the compass with you.

To prevent the anxiety when you’re getting lost you have to take with you a torch, matches, warm clothing. It’s very cold at night in the tropics and you have to pay attention to this fact.

White-water rafting

White-water rafting is as popular kind of activity in Costa Rica as hiking or walking is. The best rivers can be found just south of the Colorado. There’s a great number of rafting outfitters in San José, La Virgen and Turrialba.

White-water rafting means getting in the rubber dinghy with eight other participants and paddling. It’s very safe, besides helmets and the ample life jackets help. You can observe different representatives of wildlife from the boats: lizards, crocodiles, caiman, toucans, parrots, herons, iguanas and kingfishers.  The trip lasts a day and you have to dress yourself in order to get wet: gym shoes, bathing suit, surfer sandals.

Rafters’re classifing the rivers from Class I (the easiest) to Class V (the pretty hard). The most difficult rivers belong to the Class III–IV+ (Reventazón and Pacuaré, Río Naranjo that is near Quepos and Río Toro). The Class V is Upper Balsa. Río Sarapiquí is a Class II river. The Río Savegre that near Quepos is Class II–III rapids. Río Corobicí is the gentlest which belongs to the Class I.

Kayaking

Costa Rica possesses about twenty rivers that offer excellent kayaking opportunities, the most famous are the Pacuaré, Sarapiquí, Corobicí and Reventazón. The “Week of Rivers” journey run by Costa Rica Rios  comprises three days on the Pacuaré.

Sea kayaking is very famous in Costa Rica. It should be attempted with the help of the guide as the number of rapids, streams, rivers can make the currents changeable. So kayaking is very dangerous without a proper guide.

Canopy tours

The canopy tour started in Monteverde in the early 1990s. The usual tour includes whizzing from one platform to another via traverse cables. When you’re moving you can watch the wildlife and it’s really a thrill. Superman cables and Tarzan swings have upped the whole ante. Several places let you zip-line even at night. Monteverde, the area around Volcán Arenal possess the best canopy tours that can be found in Costa Rica.

The hanging bridges are more sedate for complexes, where you can experience spectacular views. The bridges take you alongside the canopy of trees. Most of the hanging bridges offer tours with the naturalist guide. Volcán Arenal and Monteverde are recommended for taking a “skywalk”.

You can ride on an aerial tram which is a gondola-like cable car for circuiting the upper reaches of the rainforest. The places operating canopy tours have aerial trams. The most famous among them are the Rainforest Aerial Tram, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, a Pacific branch.

Swimming

Costa Rica possesses a great number of beaches on the Pacific coast. You have to be rather careful while swimming at these beaches as the drowning can happen each year. Most of them are the result of riptides, strong currents that move from the beach out to the sea in the kind of funnel. Also you have to be aware of fairly swells. Such type of waves may not look from the beach as big as they are but in fact these waves can possess a mighty pull while you’re getting near their break point. A great number of people can be hurt coming out of the sea, just backs to the wave, which can clobber each one from behind. The best way is coming out of the water sideways, in such a way you’ll have the minimum body resistance to the waves.

Another precaution is forbidding swimming alone. Also don’t swim at beaches in the places where turtles like to nest. Never go swimming near river estuaries where you can observe riptides or it’s just polluted there.

Surfing

Surfing is a very famous kind of activity on Costa Rica’s coasts. But there are some beaches that can be suitable during the part of the year. Surfing can be possible all year round only on the Pacific. The most popular beaches are considered to be Boca de Barranca, Naranjo, Tamarindo, Jacó, Hermosa, Quepos, Dominical, Pavones, the Panamá border. The best beaches on the Caribbean coast are at Punta Uva and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

The prime surfing areas in Costa Rica are the Nicoya Peninsula and the North Pacific Coast with the variety of beach and reef breaks. Playa Potrero Grande is accessible only by boat from Playa del Coco. Playa Naranjo gives the best break in Costa Rica and good camping facilities.

Playa Tamarindo possesses three sites suitable for surfing. Tamarindo’s waves are very famous due to the great number of restaurants and hotels in the town. Playa Langosta, which is south of Tamarindo, gives right and left beach breaks, that are more demanding than those of Tamarindo. Playa Avellanas possesses a perfect beach break. Playa Nosara has a gentle beach break, just with rights and lefts. Worth to say that Manzanillo, Coyote, Carmen, Santa Teresa, Mal País, Monteurma have consistent breaks.

Boca Barranca is the river mouth break with a long left that is observed on the Central Pacific Coast. Puerto Caldera also possesses an excellent left. Valor and Playa Tivives have excellent lefts and rights. Playa Jacó is not dependable for beach breaks, the surf is not so big, but it’s within reach of Roca Loca, a break to the north. Playa Hermosa in the south is a spot for experienced surfers.

The river mouth at Quepos possesses a small point break. Playa Espadilla at Manuel Antonio is excellent when the wind is up. Playa El Rey can offer left and right beach breaks. At the very south of Costa Rica, Bahía Drake is accessible by boat and gets going on a very big swell.

If you want to learn surfing, you can find some surf schools and camps in Santa Teresa/Mal País, Tamarindo and Jacó. Costa Rica is rather small and it’s very easy to pack the kit and to travel.

Diving and snorkelling

Diving is an excellent kind of activity in Costs Rica.  

You can snorkel all along the Pacific coast. Playa Flamingo that is in northern Guanacaste possess rather clear waters.  Bahía Ballena and Playa Panamá also have good snorkelling. In order to see all the beauties of underwater life you may visit the reefs that are near  Manzanillo on the Caribbean coast.

Fishing and sports-fishing

Costa Rica is the best place for sports-fishing games. Both coasts of Costa Rica are full of different kinds of fish: sailfish, marlin, tarpon are among them. Sports-fishing is a kind of sport where the majority of fish is returned to the sea alive. Barra del Colorado that is in the northeast and Playa Flamingo that is in Guanacaste include monothematic sports-fishing destinations. Perfect fishing can be organized all year round in Costa Rica.

Low-key fishing opportunities can be found in such places as Laguna de Arenal, the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro.  

Birdwatching

Costa Rica is the country where you can find more than 800 species of birds. It’s the impressive view where you can spot scarlet macaws, kingfishers, toucans, trogons. The elusive resplendent quetzal can be found in Monteverde, the Cordillera de Talamanca, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo. Special day-trips or multi-day trips to see birds can be organized. 

Birding on a Budget 

Excitig birdwatchig tours can be organized in Costa Rica. Also you can go for a day-trip to not so famous destinations, for example to Braulio Carrillo national park or to Juan Castro Blanco. Such places as Laguna del Lagarto, Selva Verde Lodge, the Estación Biológica La Selva are famous for more than 500 bird species. You can take four-day Great Green Macaw tour in order to be familiar, to photograph and to observe all the species of birds in Costa Rica. 

While visiting Costa Rica you may take twelve-day tour in order to research all the beauties. The best tour to start birdwatching in the tropics is the course at the Estación Biológica La Selva.

Mountain biking

There are only some places in Costa Rica that are suitable for mountain biking. The most famous place for mountain biking is considered to be Parque Nacional Corcovado, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa and the road that is from Montezuma to the Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco on the southern part of Nicoya Peinsula. Volcán Arenal area and the La Fortuna are also popular for mountain biking. You can visit a bike rental shop in order to join to this interesting kind of activity.

Horseriding

Horseriding tour is an exciting type of activity in Costa Rica. The best place for riding is considered to be Guanacaste. Here you can find excellent cattle ranches (haciendas) where you can offer horse hire, bed and breakfast.

It’s popular to ride on the beach especially in Sámara and in Montezuma. Some cases of mistreatment of horses may occur in these places. You may complain to the information center if you’ve noticed such cases.