Note: I’m currently traveling and may not be able to respond to comments/emails immediately.
While my family was in Costa Rica last month, we ventured outside of our resort (Tulemar–see my review here) for some sites and activities.
Jungle Safari and Waterfall Hike
My daughter and I booked this activity with Brisas Del Nara through our Tulemar concierge. The company picked us up at Tulemar at 8:00 a.m. and drove us about 30 minutes to their base camp, where we ate a traditional Costa Rican breakfast.
Then, we split up into groups, with some going on horses and the rest of us going in two safari vehicles.
My daughter and I sat in the back row of this vehicle for the 50-minute drive through the jungle. It was curvy, steep and bumpy (which my daughter loved). We drove past many waterfalls and parked as Los Campesinos Ecolodge. It really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere deep in the mountains/jungle.
Our group viewed a quick demonstration of a solar oven before we started hiking to the main waterfall. The hike was ~15 minutes each way, but it was a workout. Our prize was the refreshing water of 3 waterfalls at the end of the trail.
It was heavenly!
After a while, we walked back up the trail and crossed a long suspension bridge above the waterfall. I had to look straight ahead and walk fast because I was nervous that we were 120 feet above the ground.
At the other side of the bridge, we walked to another waterfall with a natural pool.
My daughter and I had this one all to ourselves!
Reluctantly, we boarded the safari vehicle for the trip back to base camp. Once there, we were served a traditional lunch:
In total, this excursion lasted about 6 hours from pickup to drop off. We both loved it.
ATV Ride
On the same day, my husband and boys booked an ATV ride with ATV Four Trax. They were picked up from Tulemar. This excursion was similar to ours above except they were driving their own vehicles.
They also hiked through the jungle to a waterfall (different location than us).
They had a great time.
Jet Ski Tour
Originally, we had only booked the two tours above since we also had a guided nature walk at Tulemar and our kids wanted to do a lot of “chilling” on this vacation. But once we were there, both boys expressed an interest in trying jet skis. So, my husband and boys booked a tour at the last minute.
They rode all around the Manuel Antonio area with a guide. My daughter and I even saw them ride by when we were at the beach.
The boys LOVED jet skiing, and they both want to jet ski again on a future vacation. My husband, however, was a bit terrified and wasn’t disappointed when the tour ended. Tip: Don’t forget to put sunscreen on your feet! They all got sunburned on their feet.
El Avion Restaurant
This isn’t an excursion per se, but it’s a unique restaurant that is worth mentioning. El Avion restaurant features an airplane that was abandoned at the end of the Iran Contra scandal.
The inside of the airplane is now a bar, and you can climb up in the cockpit.
The views at this restaurant are amazing, and it’s worth a visit!
Crocodile Bridge
This isn’t an excursion, but we did stop at Crocodile Bridge on the way to Manuel Antonio. Apparently, the Tarcoles River has the highest population of crocodiles in the world. We tried to measure some from a distance with a phone app, and we found a few that were 16-20 feet long!
Word of warning: This particular stop is known for car theft. Make sure your driver or someone from your group stays with your car and you take turns seeing the crocodiles. In one of my Facebook groups, a family’s luggage and passports were stolen from their car the day before we got there.
I’m a big proponent of always taking trips to new places, but man oh man are you making me want to return to Tulemar. Those waterfalls are beautiful.
We also did the ATV tour, and I couldn’t believe (1) how fast they let us drive, and (2) what they let us drive through. Towards the end of the tour we went through a pretty muddy area with lots of large puddles, and it was a blast!
@projectx Yeah, that ATV tour looked like some messy fun!