Traveling
with kids
in Costa Rica?
Here are ten things to do that could
find you in your very own chapter of the jungle book.
Change your kids names to Tarzan or
Mowgli and get your adventure on.
Your kids will love you all the more
for it.
Lets face it kids love being dirty.
And why not? There is time enough in
their futures where cleanliness will be a huge priority albiet a bit
boring.
But lets be clear.
If you go to
Buenaventura
for a day visit ( during dry/high season of November – April ) it
is not mud you will be playing with but BLUE CLAY.
With primary mineral compounds such as
Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Silver and Manganese found in the
blue
clay this type if fun benefits all the family.
Looking like a character from Avitar
you get to wash it all off under the waterfalls or in the river.
Buenaventura is a private retreat
destination with a River-front Mountain Lodge & Eco-Village,
Health & Wellness Rejuvenation Retreat & Learning Center,
Eco-Adventure Wilderness Rain forest Park & Camp Grounds &
Private Wildlife Reserve in Costa Rica. So be sure to make a
reservation even for the day as Buenaventura is not operated as a
mainstream hotel or adventure park. It is definitely worth the trip
out there.
Sleep
in a Tree
House.
Down in the south west of Costa Rica is
a tree house community.
Finca
BellaVista boasts some of the most beautiful tree houses I have
ever seen. You can even buy a lot of land in the community and build
your own casita amoungst the canopy.
Finca Bellavista is a magical place
where the whimsical merges with reality. Their wonderland of
tree houses, scenery, and bountiful wildlife captures the imagination
like no other place on Earth can.
Think Ewok Village or Swiss Family
Robinson. The tree house pods are connected via bridges that run
between the houses and in some of the tree houses even each room is
accessed by a swinging foot bridge.
Animal
Rescue
Help
Feed Monkeys,
Sloths and Toucans.
You don't need to be a family armed
with vetenary science, just simply people with a passion for saving
wildlife. Help from others is what keeps the Rescue Center going.
Volunteers provide hands-on support for
every animal at the sanctuary. Main duties include feeding, cleaning,
and keeping the animals stimulated, whether it is inventing toys for
the howler monkeys, building climbing structures for the sloths to
exercise (yes, even sloths need exercise!) or helping to bandage a
puppy's burned paw.
I did this with my son years ago and he
was delighted to be feeding monkeys every day. The experience has
stayed with him and aided in teaching him what I believe is a
valuable lesson in the way of being humble.
Witness
Turtles
laying eggs.
Depending on the time of year you are
in Costa Rica you could be lucky enough to see the babies hatch.
Named an “Arribada”, turtles arrive
on certain coast lines of Costa Rica to lay their eggs.
Generally a month later the babies will
hatch, having survived the hands of locals given permission to
collect a certain amount and the mouths of dogs or vultures.
My son and I witnessed exactly eighty
eight baby turtles hatch once in Monte Verde.
In
Ostional
we watched for many weeks Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive on shore to
bury their eggs.
But please note. Although it is an
attraction for us it can be very overwhelming for the turtles when
hoards of tourists are lining the shore as they attempt to leave the
water and make their way up the sand.
Last September many returned to the
ocean with out actually laying their eggs due to the amount of
tourists lining the beach looking on.
So if you are wanting to see turtles
make sure you go on a week day and not in peak season.
For the turtles sake.
Nestled
behind the twin waterfalls of the Diamante waterfall is a cave.
Equipped with the comforts of a kitchen, bedding, showers and toilets
it is an awesome place to spend the night
Take
a tour with the guys from the Tree
of Life Diamante Tours and you will get to visit
the organic garden, hike through several trails visiting 6
waterfalls, get to visit 3 natural swimming pools on the way, do some
cliff jumping, have all four meals included as well as sleeping in
the cave overnight.
For
the adventerous kid and parent rappeling
is an awesome way to be in nature.
If
this is a bit much for younger ones you can safely zipline.
Allow your kids to experience flying through the canopy of a forest.
If they are lucky they can see eye to eye with a monkey or find
themselves flying next to a vuluture or toucan !
If
this is still a little wild for some kids Manuel Antonio has a new 12
min attraction that is a scaled down version of the zip line
providing a cheaper and shorter experience of moving amoungst the
tree tops.
Make
and Eat a truck load of Chocolate
Pick
it, grind it and eat it.
Chocolate.
Chocolate
making tours are scattered around the country. You can buy various
degrees of quality chocolate at all the ferias popping up around
Costa Rica as its popularity grows.
Although
you won't find Ullaloompas in Costa Rica, a tour
around a chocolate factory where you can make your own chocolate can
still be fun. Take part in the whole process from bean to bar.
Chocolate
does grow on trees and with out all the added nasties the kids can
basically eat all they want. Now that is something they would want to
hear.
Horse
ride along a beach or with cowboys.
Traveling
around the world with my son, our most sweetest memories are on the
back of horses.
Beach
riding is a lazy afternoon activity. Not much else to do, but to get
on the horse and stare longingly at the horizon.
Stop
for a pipa ( coconut ) along the way and enjoy the view.
Of
course there are many different places you can go for a horse ride.
Up to waterfalls, into the jungle and following rivers. You can even
ride with
cowboys,
learn to herd cattle and rope calves.
Sight
seeing from the the saddle on a horse is a pretty neat way to see
some of the country.
Shower
in the rain.
Costa
Rica boasts some pretty impressive rain down pours. With the rain
having a pressure stronger than most of the showers you will find in
hotels why not get out in it with your kids.
Not
the type to run out of the rain we run into it once it starts to
bucket down !!
All
those times you are shouting at them back home to get out of the
rain, it is time to join them. Take off your shoes, put on your
bathing suits, jump in the puddles and even get out the biodegradable
soap and take the opportunity to have a good ole wash down. Your kids
will love the idea of showering outside. It makes bath time so much
easier.
Watch
the Macaws
feed in the wild.
On
the coast of a small town called
Esterillos Este south of Jaco
the
beaches are lined with wild almond trees. Every evening when the
almonds are fruiting the macaws come in at sunset to feed on them.
The
spectacle is to say the least, spectacular.
Filling
the trees with their red colours and the sounds of their screaching
as they fight over the best branches filled with nuts, it is a wild
experience to see.
Take
some food for a picnic and end your day as the sun sets to the macaws
feeding.
Basically Just Do It and think out side of the box.
There is truck load of fun to be had.
Pura Vida.
