Costa Rica Tours

Adventure Life
800-344-6118 (Toll-free)
406-541-2677 (International)
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1655 S 3rd St. W, Ste 1
Missoula MT, 59801 USA

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Children and Their Adventures
at Selva Bananito Lodge

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Selva Bananito Lodge is not only a Costa Rica travel highlight - it is also a wonderful place for children, as demonstrated by the youngsters pictured here, all of whom loved it and thrived in the environment. But in order to make you, as a parent, more comfortable with Selva Bananito Lodge, we have put together some suggestions to help you and your family decide if Selva Bananito Lodge is the right destination for you.

Selva Bananito Lodge certainly offers wonderful and unique ways to become acquainted with the rain forest ecosystem, and one of our guiding philosophies is to inspire children -our future adults- to understand, love, respect, and protect nature. What a great Costa Rica travel philosophy!

Owen and Carl, in the midst of a 5-hour hike, grinned after recovering from a close encounter with bullet ants. When asked by their exhausted adult escorts how they felt, they exclaimed: "Oh, this is the best obstacle course ever!"

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WHAT'S GREAT FOR KIDS

• There are streams on both side of the lodge, with lots of stones, mud, and sand to play in. The water is quite safe, and it is shallow enough in most places for non-swimmers.
• There is a chance of going horseback riding. There are paths around the farm which you can use to take your children on leisurely horseback rides. We recommend that parents lead the horse(s) on foot whenever there is no one from the lodge accompanying you.
  
• A great Costa Rica travel option: mountain biking! Kids love to ride around on the various farm paths and riverbeds.
• There are plants, flowers, and insects everywhere, and it can be lots of fun for children to observe, touch, catch, and release. It's a wonderful learning experience.
• Children can also practice photography and art skills using rain forest "models" as subjects.
• There is a small, roofed playing area adjacent to the lodge, which offers limited romping opportunities when it rains, or if the sun is too hot. The playground has a sandbox, a cement slab for chalk drawings, two tires for swinging, and ropes. Children can do messy art projects there with paper and coloring utensils.
• Our naturalist guides can adjust the length and scope of rain forest hikes to your youngest child's abilities. We will work our hardest to make your Costa Rica travel experience enjoyable, painless and rewarding.

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Children and Costa Rica Travel - Things to Remember

• Selva Bananito Lodge is located in a very remote area, far from stores, towns, and hospitals or clinics.
• There is no electricity, hence no TV, video games, or music.
• It CAN rain a lot - this is a rainforest!
• The lodge does not offer babysitting services.
• Outside of programmed activities, parents are expected to keep their children busy and out of trouble.
• The food at the lodge is outstandingly delicious by most adults' standards, but not necessarily by the standards of picky children and teenagers. They will encounter foods they have never tasted before.
• Meals are served at 8 a.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m., and the same menu is prepared for everyone. Vegetarian dishes are available.

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Tips From Parents Who Have Enjoyed Successful Selva Bananito Lodge Vacations with Their Children

• PREPARE your children well in advance!
• Before Costa Rica travel, make it a family project to learn about the rain forest. Encourage children to read books, watch films, and do rain forest-inspired art work.
• Help your children think of questions they might ask the staff while at Selva Bananito Lodge.
• Explain to them that they will encounter an unfamiliar environment with no electricity, but that it will be an exciting opportunity to really get to know something different. There will be lots of new sounds, sights and scents to experience!
• Talk to them about how they might feel like when they come in contact with people whose language they don't understand, and help them develop a positive attitude (the lodge managers speak English, but most other employees don't). This will help in all aspects of Costa Rica travel, not to mention foreign travel in general.
• Discuss the fact that they will have to make up their own games, because the lodge will not offer the toys they are used to. Stress the virtues of using one's imagination to think of activities in a new environment.
• Have a family conversation about what everyone is hoping to get out of the trip.
• Teach children how to use binoculars or monoculars, and do some backyard bird watching prior to coming to Selva Bananito Lodge. Bring your binoculars along.
• Make sure all children pack their favorite book or portable game, along with a FLASHLIGHT, spare batteries, a notebook, and pencils.
• Don't forget hats and sunscreen.
• Please bring rubber boots for your children. We have adult sizes at the lodge, but not children's sizes.
• Pack clothes that dry easily (jeans are notoriously slow drying!).
• A key parental trick for Costa Rica travel: pack SNACKS your children will enjoy so they never go hungry between mealtimes. If you have a picky eater on your hands, you might even consider bringing meal items such as peanut butter and cereal.
• Pack some basic medicines for your children such as Band-Aids, Motrin, anti-itch lotion, Acetaminophen, and some anti-diarrhea medication (the potable water provided by the lodge is safe, but children have a way of picking up germs anywhere they go!).
• Tell your children that they must not touch or tease snakes, should they come in contact with them (not too common an occurrence - snakes tend to be shy and get out of one's way). They should always watch where they walk and look before grabbing something.
• They should always handle insects under the supervision of an adult.
• They should NEVER venture off on their own or eat plants and flowers.

Most of all, involve your children in the planning. Infuse them with an enthusiasm and a positive outlook on their impending Costa Rica travel!

Costa Rica Articles & Information :
Aerial Tram | Selva Bananito | Selva Bananito! Trek on the Wild Side | Children at Selva Bananito | It's Got the Feeling! | Jungles of Costa Rica | Birding at Cariblue | Limon Watershed | Pacuare Nature Reserve | Whitewater Rafting | Costa Rica Success!! | Adventure Pacifica Conservation | Guayabo National Monument