Is Costa Rica the Adventure Travelers Dream?

I was recently reading an article about Costa Rica from Lonely Planet citing the many adventure opportunities this tiny country offers.  Costa Rica is definitely an adventurers dream.  The often copied Canopy Tour was invented here, but the Ticos also offer exceptional white water rafting through stunning landscapes, surfing for all skill sets, canyoning, active volcanoes to explore, world class deep sea fishing, and great reefs for SCUBA diving. Unless you go there just for the stunning beaches, you will likely be checking a few of these off of your adventure list.  I experienced many of these adventures on my trip to Costa Rica and found them perfectly safe and accommodating for first timers.  These wonderful Costa Rican adventures have added another layer to my travels.  Now, in addition to experiencing the culture, I find myself searching out some sort of active outdoor activity anytime I am visiting a new country.  Since then, I have trudged through muddy caves and via ferrata’d in Puerto Rico, rock climbed and hang glided in Brasil, and deep sea fished in Mexico, and recently hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  I traveled to Costa Rica on a whim, and it quickly changed who I would be forever.  Costa Rica is an Adventure Travelers Dream, whether you are just thinking about dipping your toe in, or you are just looking for another thrill.

Canyoning in Costa Rica

Is Adventure Travel for you? You may be suprised...

When you hear someone talk about adventure travel, you probably conger up visions of scaling a sheer rock face, rafting through a deep canyon gorge, or hang gliding over a vast expansive landscape.  While you would be correct on all accounts, there is a whole other, tamer side of travel that is also categorized as “adventure”.  While hard adventure travel requires you have a unique skill set, soft adventure travel just requires the desire to pass on the typical tourist spots and step outside your personal comfort zone.  Today, many people are looking for a more authentic vacation.  This trend is making adventure travel one of the fastest growing segments of travel today.  There are many benefits to taking the road less traveled, but mainly, you get to have truly unique experiences that many .  There are always the “must sees” on any excursion, but when I travel, I always attempt to search for an experience that will bring me closer to the culture and further from the overcrowded beaten path.  The world is full of wonderful places for the adventure traveler, and you don’t have to climb Mt. Everest to tap into them.  Test the limits of your comfort and let the adventure take care of itself.

River Crossing outside of Natal, Brasil