The next morning was not one for ultra exertion. A post-breakfast jaunt to meet Pedro the Wild Boar, a smelly, mud-covered, spiny, black thing with tiny eyes and then a horseback ride to the zip line course. Jeffrey was all for an activity that required nothing more than sitting in a harness and letting gravity do its work, but he was a bit more hesitant about the rappel from the canopy platform. Something about gravity being able to do too much work, I think. Once on the ground again, though, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to try again.
“I think,” Jeffrey said, “if we had done this before the waterfall rappel, I would have had a much easier – or if not, at least a much more relaxed – time.”
We transferred to Cariblue after lunch, not via DEA helicopter, but via taxi … and then via a van … and then via a car. While Jeffrey checked us in, I sprawled out at a desk littered with flyers for tours. Jeffrey finished before I did, but patiently waited as I went through all the brochures, sorting them into piles of Ugh, Already Done, Want To Do But Won’t Get Jeffrey To Do, Cool, and Possibly Ridiculously Awesome.
Lying in the hammock on the porch of our hotel room, while he unpacked his clothes, I tried to sell Jeffrey on some of the outings I had seen.
“They had ATVs. We could ride ATVs.”
“Nope.”
“But how great would that be? It could only be better if they were bumper ATVs.”
“Nope.”
“What about horseback riding on the beach?”
“I’ve had enough horses, thank you.”
“Swimming with dolphins? I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Dolphins creep me out.”
“Snorkeling? That’s relaxing.”
“Nope.”
“Why not? You said you liked snorkeling.”
“You can go.”
“I’m not going alone. Come on. You don’t want to look back on this and feel like you missed out on something.”
Jeffrey put down the shirt he was folding and looked at me. “These are my days of vacation. Those last few days, those were your days of vacation. On my vacation days, I am going to sit on the beach and do nothing except, occasionally, turn over. If I am feeling adventurous, I might switch it up and go to the pool. I plan to drink. I might read. That is all. That’s it. Nothing else.”
I glared at him. “Will you play pool?” I had spotted a table near the hotel restaurant.
“Yes. If I can have a drink while I do it, I will play pool.”
I pondered that for a bit. “Will you walk into that little town tomorrow to check it out?”
“Yes, I will do that. I want to buy some coffee for my coworkers anyway.”
“What if we find tide pools on the way to the town? Will you go take a look?” I’m a big fan of poking things and seeing what they do. I do it to my sister all the time. Tide pools are usually a good place to find things to poke.
“If we find tide pools, we can spend some time there.”
I was feeling lucky. “Will you swim out to that tiny island we saw just off the beach?”
Jeffrey snorted and I knew he was about to break my streak. “Nope. But you can try. Maybe, if I’m feeling nice, I’ll call for help when you start drowning.”
Adventure Life took care of everything! All we had to do was show up when we were supposed to, which made our first trip to Costa Rica largely stress-free and incredibly fun. Our trip reps, Hannah and Mariethony, were helpful and responsive, getting back to us by email usually within a few hours. Our accommodations were all great, and we got incredibly blessed with some absolutely stellar guides and drivers.
Our Jungle & Beach trip was an excellent balance of adventure and rest. We got to try out a lot of different activities, including snorkeling, hiking, white water rafting and kayaking, while also partaking of some rest around the pool or by the ocean. We enjoyed seeing and exploring the beautiful Caribbean side of the country.
Joy Knowles
1 week ago
The company made our adventure trip hassle-free, and a lot of fun! I will definitely be using them again
Carolena F
1 month ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 month ago
COSTA RICA a trip of a life time travelling round this beautiful country. All went like clockwork even when the weather was against us and all transfers seemed to be part of the holiday not a chore. Would definitely use Adventure Life again having previously used them 20 years ago!!
Cynthia Calton
1 month ago
Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! Kassandra planned everything and the excursions, hotels, overall organization were outstanding. Everything worked out smoothly, the excursions guides were knowledgeable allowing us to see so much of the fauna and flora of the country. The hotels were great as well, all in fantastic locations and with beautiful views.