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Our raft crashes against the foaming water, briskly moving us dangerously close to sharp rocks jutting below the water's surface. I instinctively reach for my son Blake, but am lurched backward as our raft speeds down a newly formed funnel of furious water. We're rafting down the Pacuare River, which offers some of the best white water in all of Central America.
The gorges are lined by dense tropical canopies that shelter jaguars, ocelots, sloths and a huge variety of birds. But there's no time to sightsee as the crashing water continues to propel us forward...
This is no ordinary journey, it's one with my graduating son. Ten years ago, a good friend of mine told me of a family tradition: When each of his children graduates high school, the two of them go on a trip together...just the two of them. No cell phones, no email, no interruptions from friends...just two weeks creating memories before his child heads off to college.
Blake wanted a "guys' adventure trip." We settled on Costa Rica, a destination with exciting venues ranging from whitewater rafting to bungee jumping and zip lining. And we did it all.
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| Whitewater rafting adventure on the Pacuare River |
After the rapids, we banked—soaked and exuberant—near the eco-friendly Pacuare Lodge and our own palm-thatched bungalow nestled in the lush primordial rainforest. Donning dry clothes, we spent the afternoon hiking to the nearby waterfalls. The pristine pools of water created by the cascading water were perfect for a quick swim.
That evening, we shared our celebratory first "legal drink" together and dined luxuriously, the stars lighting the evening sky.
The next morning, we set off on an even more challenging part of the river. With our expert guide at the helm and adrenaline pumping, we navigated through some of the world's most renowned stretches of white water. The river turned and twisted until we came upon still-water pools. We cooled off with dips in the clear water and stretched to dry in the sun over a spectacular lunch.
Canyoning was the next challenge on our list. The journey included hikes through the stunning-and dense-rainforest to five separate locations to scale the steep and jagged canyon walls. We used ropes and harnesses to scale the walls. Two of the drops were over one hundred feet down. During our hike between climbs, we came to an opening in the woods, revealing circular canyon walls with a cascading waterfall. It was truly breathtaking.
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| John and Blake explore the volcano Arenal. |
The next day, we focused on hiking to truly explore the forest. We came across fascinating and colorful native species of wildlife, including a brilliant yellow pygmy python and "blue jean" frogs (with bright red skin). We hiked over several bridges, including suspension bridges that allowed us a bird's eye view of the gorges below.
After lunch, we ventured to Arenal, one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world. We hiked over black lava rock pathways toward billowing smoke to see volcanic boulders spewing down the side of the cone. The sound of boulders hitting and then rolling down made us feel like we were right in the middle of a bombardment. We marveled at this amazing natural wonder.
Our final stop was the Baldi Hot Springs, featuring pools of water heated by the volcano. The pools range from tepid to steamy; we relaxed luxuriously in the natural heat, the experience far better than any hot tub-and without the chlorination!
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| John zip lining through the rainforest |
Then it was on to Manuel Antonio, one of the country's most scenic national parks, for our next adventure. After a short flight, we were off to our zip line adventure. Zip lining allows you to soar over the tropical jungle via a harness and pulley attached to a line. After a couple "warm-up" runs, we were flying through the forests, "braking" before hitting a tree at the other end. The view was spectacular, the ride exhilarating.
Next up was horseback riding on the virtually deserted beach of Manuel Antonio for a completely different kind of experience. We were joined by JoAnne Carter—owner of Conexiones Uni, a AAA Travel planning partner—and two friends. We took it easy, mostly walking and trotting, ensuring my legs would still hold up after the ride.
We stopped along the way for refreshments. Our guide cracked fresh coconuts with a machete, and handed us the split green shells to sample the cool coconut milk inside.
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| A toast with fresh coconuts while riding in Manuel Antonio |
The next day, we flew to Ocotal, which is situated in Costa Rica's stunning Guanacaste Province on the northern Pacific Coast. Our resort was right on the ocean, with a spectacular pool overlooking cliffs, the ocean and beyond. We settled in and spent the day enjoying the local wildlife—including iguanas, raccoons, crabs and exotic birds—and relaxing in the pool.
Deep sea fishing is always a risky business, particularly when you only are going for a half day. Sometimes you get lucky and find schools of fish, other times you come home empty-handed. Although we stayed fairly close to shore, our captain and mate found plenty of fish. As we pulled in our haul, the first mate started preparing the fish, including the tuna we'd caught. During the trip back to shore, Blake and I enjoyed the freshest sushi (tuna) you can get, then feasted on more of the fillets for dinner that evening.
Scuba diving was the last planned event of the trip. After suiting up, we went for two dives. Diving is an activity that we'd shared at many great destinations before. How would Costa Rica stack up? I needn't have worried. Both dives provided a wealth of interesting sea life, including turtles, sharks, moray eels, colorful tropical fish and a swarm of jellyfish (the safe kind). We even saw flying fish as we cruised to our second dive spot. Costa Rica diving now ranks high on our list of favorite dive locations.
The next day, we flew back to San Jose and enjoyed a city tour before settling down for our last evening in Costa Rica. There was only one unplanned event left in this very active trip—bungee jumping off an old bridge into a gorge below. When we arrived, my courage began to dissolve as we rode up to the jump-off spot. Fortunately, Blake went first, did an amazing swan dive, and was laughing all the way back up. I, on the other hand, just jumped off before I lost all my nerve and dropped like a rock, almost bouncing back to the bridge.
Sadly, the trip was over much too soon. I knew Blake would soon be off to college, but these memories we created would last a lifetime for both of us.
Costa Rica Active Adventure
7 nights/8 daysHighlights:
- Whitewater rafting adventure on the Pacuare River
- Repelling Waterfalls Tour
- Hiking Tour of Arenal Volcano
- Canopy/Zip line Adventure
- Choice of Sea or Estuary Kayaking, ATV Jungle Safari or Bungee Jumping
From $1,769*
Call or visit a AAA office to learn more.
*Per person, double occupancy.