Tripsite Traveler: Costa Rica Rocks

We arrived in Costa Rica on a 4 masted sail boat after a week long trip through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific coasts of Panama and Costa Rica. I thought that would be the end of ROCKING on our trip. I was wrong.

This was to be the 4th Tripsite adventure we’d taken with our friends Judi Lindquist and Kay Josten from our folk dancing/bike riding group in Milwaukee, so we’re used to rocking and rolling with them. But this was our first Tripsite tour that didn’t involve a boat or bicycles. Not sure of what to expect we settled into our first hotel in San Jose, a little unsettled!

We were picked up bright and early from our hotel and taken to Sarapiqui for our first ROCKING adventure in our “Celebrate Costa Rica Guided Tour” – white water rafting! Two of our group of four just wanted a tranquil float; two wanted a little more adrenaline, just not the boat flipping class 3 &4 rapids. Our charming guide convinced us that we could all stay together in two rafts with one going around most of the rapids and one going through the crazy parts of class 1&2 rapids. We all survived, learned how to “pull” and “lean in”, saw some wonderful wildlife and a bit of a wild ride.

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We got into the rhythm of our trip. We didn’t have a guide with us, but we had excellent guidance by text available 24/7 from Green World Adventures on What’s App. They apparently are masters of scheduling, since there was someone there right on time to take us to and from every adventure and new hotel.

We found that not every adventure involved ROCKING. Some involved new and different ROCKS!

The park service provided helpful models of the volcano along the route, as well as hiking poles to borrow. They also provided a wonderful guide who hiked along with us, describing the volcanic ROCKS and their impact on the fauna and flora in the region – a workout for the mind along with the legs!

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Even though we were not on a boat, we had several opportunities to return to the water. Our hotel in Arenal had gorgeous landscaping that included a pool as big as a lake.

We had a dip in one of the hot springs that abound in volcanic Costa Rica and crossed Adrenal Lake on tour boats.

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There were all kinds of new (to us) ROCKING that we experienced on this trip. Ever ROCK for two hours in the saddle climbing up steep, rocky paths and across streams? What a way to view the gorgeous Monteverde area just before sunset!

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Another new sensation was hiking on hanging bridges. Luckily or unluckily, it was a bright, sunny day instead of the usual mists of the cloud forest, but the views were spectacular and it wasn’t very windy, so we didn’t ROCK too much!

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Another new move for me – climbing up inside a killer tree. A fellow climber took this awesome shot from above before we both reached the perch up in the canopy. We thought that was amazing, but we were soon to get a lot higher!

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Wondering if we did zip lining over the top of the canopy? Yes, indeed! It was truly awe inspiring and worth the first two seconds of terror. One of our traveling companions said “I wish I could try a short zip or two to see if I like it, or have a big, strong guy go right behind me to help me if I get stuck”. Both of those things happened for her! There are 9 zip lines covering two and a half miles and you can opt out after #2 or #7. 8 and 9 are the half mile zips and you can do them either sitting or in the “Superman” position if you weigh between 110 and 220 pounds. My tiny friend opted for sitting and had an employee right behind her for added oomph on the long lines. Two of us opted for Superman. Like flying without a plane. Amazing.

This trip pushed us outside of our comfort zones for sure, but we always ended each adventure with smiles on our faces. We felt every tour operator treated us with care, observed every safety precaution and made every effort to assure we “seasoned” travelers had experiences that would impress our grandchildren! COSTA RICA ROCKS! PURA VIDA!

Written by Linda Nicoli but photo credits are shared by traveling companions Rich, Judi and Kay and fellow adventurers and guides at various locations throughout our trip. The Nicolis live in Cocoa Beach, FL but spend their summers traveling to see sons in Washington, Wisconsin, and her native Minnesota. They share 4 sons, 9 grandchildren and have been married 54 years.

Want to relive Linda's Costa Rica Adventure? Check out the tour the tour featured in this blog, Celebrate Costa Rica Guided Hiking Tour or all our tours in Costa Rica.