This is where the amateur photographer sets his sites on that National Geographic cover shot as he walks among jaguars and ocelots, capuchin monkeys and toucans, and colorful amphibians and extraordinary reptiles. But more importantly, this is the place where young kids are encouraged to dream big when they consider Mother Nature's paintbrush and where old kids rejuvenate their imaginations and rekindle their forgotten sense of awe.
Whether you're swimming in the lagoons below El Chorro Waterfall near Montezuma, taking surfing lessons in the waves off Mal Pais, exploring the caves of Barra Honda National Park near Tamarindo, hiking and canyoneering the Caribbean rainforests around Puerto Viejo, or simply kicking back and relaxing in the hot springs of Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica is one of the top family vacation locations in Central America.
As one of the world's most biologically diverse areas, Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks and numerous nature reserves and protected areas. Two of the country's best parks stretch out along the Caribbean coastline. At 64,000 acres, Tortuguero National Park is a world of beaches, canals, lagoons and wetlands where a canoe or kayak is the best means for encountering local residents like the spectacled caiman, river otters, spider monkeys, the endangered West Indian manatee, or the area's most popular local: the protected green sea turtle that comes ashore at night to lay her eggs beneath the Caribbean sand.
At more than three times the size of Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge offers a vast ecosystem where jaguars roam a forest populated by howler monkeys, three-toed sloths and an endless list of beautiful birdlife. Costa Rican wildlife abounds below the surface of the water too; in fact, Barra del Colorado is best known for its sport fishing with world-class tarpon and snook as well as rainbow bass, bluegill and machaca.
For the country's best rainforest adventure, head over to the Pacific side and visit Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. This eco-rich land offers a marbled landscape of lowland rainforests and highland cloud forests alongside mangrove swamps, palm forests and plenty of beaches and marine habitats for endless exploration.
Costa Rica's volcanoes offer another wildlife experience like that of the green, bubbling, sulfuric lake at the bottom of the mile-deep crater of Poás Volcano National Park and the Yellowstone-like geothermal sites of Volcan Rincon de la Vieja National Park where boiling hot mud springs, sulfur springs and steam vents abound.
Arenal Volcano National Park, near Monteverde in the central highlands, is an active volcano where visitors can witness nature's fiery light show in action. The area around Arenal is also home to the Cafe Monteverde Coffee Tour showcasing authentic Costa Rican coffee production and the lifestyle that sustains it. Kids will love the Monteverde Bat Jungle exhibit; the network of suspension bridges, trams and zip lines that weave their way through the cloud forests of Monteverde; and a nocturnal rainforest tour amid the twinkling lights of fireflies, the calming sounds of frogs and owls, the spine-tingling mystery of late-night spiders and reptiles and the mystery of the unseen late-night forest dwellers.
On the Pacific side, near the capital city of San Jose, Playa Jaco is one of the country's most popular beaches. Besides great surfing and beach fun, Jaco offers a comfortable base for a half-day kayaking and snorkeling tour or even a catamaran cruise to nearby Tortuga Island. South of Jaco is Manuel Antonio National Park, where jaws will drop along a Pacific Rainforest family tour of zip line rides, guided hiking trips, horseback rides and open-air gondolas through exotic jungle ecosystems. A few miles outside of Manuel Antonio is Damas Island where freshwater and saltwater meet to create dense mangrove forests wherein smooth-water kayakers tour a remarkable variety of flora and fauna.
Extreme topography and loads of precipitation merge in Costa Rica to create powerful rivers like the pristine waters and easygoing rapids of the Savegre and Pejibaye, the heart-dropping rapids of the Naranjo and Sarapiqui and the multi-day excursion-worthy panoramas of the Pacaure.
And where there's a river, eventually, there is a waterfall, and Costa Rica just so happens to have hundreds of them scattered around. Sulfur and calcium combine to make the baby blue waters of Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio Volcano National Park, while the waters of La Fortuna, near Arenal, tumble down 230 feet of mossy boulders into a popular swimming hole. Some of the best falls, however, are the hidden treasures of the country. Hike through cloud forests and over suspension bridges to access the 100-foot Savegre Waterfall or take a horseback tour through the canyon walls that shelter the two-tiered Nauyaca Waterfall.
Costa Rica is a world-class scuba diving paradise for divers (and snorkelers) of all skill levels offering picturesque deep and shallow waters alongside an enticing array of sea life. Take to the Gulf of Papagayo on the Pacific side and dive with massive manta rays and white tip reef sharks in the waters around the Catalina Islands or dip your flippers around the Bat Island where you're likely to see bull sharks and zebra eels. On the Caribbean side, dive the tropical waters off the coast of Puerto Viejo and tour the country's best barrier reef. And, if you trust Jacques Cousteau's opinion that Cocos Island is one of the world's top dive sites, you won't mind the long, offshore trip to waters that virtually explode with sea life like hammerhead and whale sharks, friendly dolphins, soaring rays, sea turtles and the occasional octopus.
Clearly, Costa Rica is not your typical family vacation, nor is it your standard kick-back-and-relax retreat. While Costa Rica knows how to get your blood pumping and your mind wondering, it comes full circle by offering luxurious retreats from the hustle and bustle of your work life.
