If you’re looking a wonderful, adventurous family vacation, put Costa Rica at the top of your list. The scenery is stunning, the biodiversity even more stunning, the people are friendly, the prices—including the airfare to get you there—are reasonable, and there’s no shortage of adventure activities that the whole family will enjoy. Here are a few of our favorites from a recent trip there.

Exploring Nature

Thanks to a dozen distinct ecosystems, which include coral reefs, rain forests, and cloud forests, Costa Rica is home to about 500,000 species of animals, hundreds of which exist nowhere else on the planet. Because so many of the most beautiful creatures are nearly impossible for an untrained eye to spot, the best way to see them is to hire an experienced nature guide. You can find guides outside the major national parks, but you never know what you’re going to get, which is why recommendations from trusted sources—such as Parents@Play–are so important.

In Manuel Antonio, our sharp-eyed guide was Edgar Avila ([email protected]), who pointed out bats, lizards, three types of monkeys, frogs, caterpillars and other insects, sloths, and dozens of amazing trees and plants. In Monteverde, we hired Maikol Cruz ([email protected]) to take us bird watching and boy, did he deliver. We saw several Quetzals (which most people never get to see), about 15 other bird species, and a variety of other animals and plants. Both Edgar and Maikol were extremely knowledgeable about the animals, their diets, and their habitats. And their powerful scopes let us see everything in amazing detail.
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