My top five thrilling activities in Costa Rica

Twenty-odd years ago, when I first began researching Moon Handbook Costa Rica [2], the country was just beginning to boom as an ecotourism destination.

Hiking, horseback riding, and sportfishing were the principal activities. Surfers had just begun to tune in to Costa Rica [3] in their search for the perfect wave. But other activities—from ATV tours to ziplining—were unknown.

Then Dr. Donald Perry [4] parlayed his years researching the rainforest canopy into a mega-success story called the Rainforest Aerial Tram [5].

It didn’t take long before some bright spark (actually Darien Hreniuk) figured out that zipping along a steel cable slung between trees would be fun. Today Costa Rica is considered the world epicenter of ziplining... and one of the world's foremost trend-setters in active adventures.

From A to Z, there are thrills enough to be had to suit everyone.

Here are my top five “Weee-heeee!” activities…

* AXR Tours
ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours have exploded in popularity in recent years. These tiny yet power-packing off-road quads infuse a jolt of adrenaline as you splash through mud and rivers along coast and jungle trail. My fave is the French-made AXR, a low-slung French-made machine used by AXR Tours [6], of Jacó.

* Climb Chirripó
For the ultimate high, literally, you cannot top the two-day hike [7] to the summit of Costa Rica’s highest mountain.

* Tropical Bungee
If the thought of strapping a large rubber band around your ankles and leaping off a bridge sounds like fun, head to Rosario just off the Pan-American Highway about 40 minutes northwest of the capital—San José [8]. Jumps from a 83-meter-high bridge over the Río Colorado are offered by Tropical Bungee [9] daily, 9am to 3pm.

* Ultralight Auto-Gyro
Perhaps my favorite all-time active experience in Costa Rica was when Guido Scheidt took me for a quick tour of the Nicoya coast in a state-of-the-art auto-gyro. Based out of Sámara [10], Guido is a professional instructor. He offers tours and piloting tuition at his Flying Crocodile Ultralight Center [11]. You’re in safe hands as you gain a sensational bird’s-eye view over the Nicoya Peninsula on trips from 20 minutes to three days.

* Ziplining
Costa Rica boasts more than four dozen ziplines. Wherever you are in the country, you’re sure to be within a one-hour drive of a treetop cable system. Secure in a harness with pulley, you’ll ascend a tall, sturdy tree or other canopy launch platform, where a professional guide will connect your pulley to a cable slung between treetops… Hey presto! Gravity does the rest. The Original Canopy Tour [12], the started the craze, has five outlets in Costa Rica.

Now that you’re ready to travel to Costa Rica, buy Moon Handbook Costa Rica [2].

If you're traveling only to San José and the Caribbean, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast [13] pocket guide.

If you're traveling only to the beaches of Nicoya, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula [14] pocket guide.

If you're traveling only to Arenal and/or Monteverde, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Arenal&Monteverde [15] pocket guide.

Learn more about Christopher P. Baker [16].

Disclosure: I occasionally accept free or discounted travel when it coincides with my editorial goals. However, my opinion is never for sale. The opinions you see in Cuba & Costa Rica Journal are my unbiased reflection of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Copyright © Christopher P. Baker [16]