My two girlfriends and I went on Canopy in March 2007 and we LOVED it. We had heard that zipling was the thing to do in San Jose de la Montana and looked into a number of companies but were recommended about Canopy Adventure from friends that used them in the past.

It was more amazing than I ever expected. My friend and I are extremely afraid of heights and after taking the Canopy to the top of the rain forest, we were rather afraid to go down the zipline. I had been on ziplines before in the US, but they were MUCH shorter. These were up to half a mile long and were hundreds of feet about the rain forest. The most exhilarating experience I’ve ever had. I think there were 6-8 ziplines that we went down and the views were beautiful. You could see the valley, the waterfalls, and the rain forest tops.

The guides were very friendly and helpful. I felt completely safe with them - they showed you exactly how to ride the zipline so you wouldn’t get stuck and also had a break system to stop you (from what I heard from other friends, some of the other companies don’t have all the same safety mechanisms).

I highly recommend this trip. There were people there of all ages from teenagers to early 60s! If you don’t have a lot of time in San Jose, this is one thing you should definitely do.

By Melvin Pereira

Near the town of La Fortuna, home to the majestic Arenal Volcano, are the famous Venado Caverns.  At a little under forty-five minutes from all the major hotels in the area, the Venado Caverns offers its adventurous visitors a hidden world of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.

The caverns were formed over 15 million years ago and for thousands of years remained under water.  Due to the earth’s normal tectonic movements, the caverns have emerged from under water to offer its visitors a spectacular view of limestone and coral walls adorned with fascinating fossils.

The Arenal and La Fortuna area offers several comfortable cheap hotels or cabins to the more luxurious 5 star resort with its own private hot spring pools.  Make sure you ask your hotel’s concierge about this tour.

Adventurers will have to be prepared to get wet, muddy and occasionally touched by one of the many jealous creatures of the cave.  The most odd looking spiders, crabs, crickets and bats will scatter away before your eyes.

The cave unveils a labyrinth of openings, tunnels and the occasional wall climbing to its excited visitors.   Needless to say, claustrophobic will not find this to be a fun tour due to its enclosed spaces and passages.

By Melvin Pereira

Community based Rural Tourism has strongly began to mark its presence within Costa Rica’s tourist industry.

With the advantage of having numerous factors to its favor, Community Based Rural Tourism is able to compete with other popular and high end attractions in the country.  Not only does this type of tourism offer the visitor a taste of the region’s every day life, but it also gives these small rural communities tools for its development, important means of income and the continuity of enhancing Costa Rica’s identity.

Impossible to imitate, Rural Tourism offers the real every day life as it is lived in Costa Rica versus the beaten path vacation route.  Aside from the majestic volcanoes and dream beaches, Costa Rica is also well known and quite proud of its people.  Tourists usually do not get the opportunity to interact with the locals and learn about traditions and life style.  Rural Tourism seeks to also give the tourist the chance to not only fall in love with the country, but with the warmth of its people as well.

Beautiful landscape and cheap Costa Rica hotel accommodations are perfectly combined with tours, handicrafts and every day rural life.  Learn how coffee is planted and picked, how milk is turned into Costa Rica’s delicious cheese and how sugar and sweets are made from sugar cane.

Community associations run these rural tourism programs within private ecological reserves or near areas of cultural and environmental interests.  Visitors who choose to experience this interactive form of tourism will discover and participate of Costa Rica’s tradition and culture as well as taking home the eternal friendship of its people.

By Melvin Pereira

Just north of the Gulf of Papagayo, within the Santa Rosa National Park, lies Costa Rica’s Murcielago Islands, or Bat Islands in English.

It is unclear where the island got its name from, but the two most accepted reasons are due to the shape of the islands when viewed upon from the air, or due to the numerous amounts of bats found on the islands.

The Bat Islands’ convenient location is a playground for anyone interested in marine life.  These islands emerged from under water thousands of years ago and have become the preferred leisure area of the most exotic and shy marine creatures of the area.  Among others, the most common creatures are the always impressive Bull Shark, Tiger Sharks, White Tip Sharks and several types of rays.  Another always expected sight is the peaceful Whale Shark which will let you swim around and awe in its presence.

The nearest town to Costa Rica’s Murcielago Islands is Playa del Coco.  It’s at a one hour boat ride from the Islands where a varied offer of lodging is available for all preferences.  Clean, safe and cheap hotels are easy to find in the area as well as more luxurious and expensive accommodations for the more demanding of visitors.

The Bat Islands are better enjoyed during the months of March through November.  Visitors are often escorted by playful dolphins as well as show off rays to the Bat Islands.

The most visited diving spot by all major diving companies is the Black Rock spot.   This area consists of a rock formation that peeks out of the water and is locates at 15 minutes from the Islands.  A nice variety of marine species are visible including the Whale Sharks.  However, if you are feeling brave, make sure you continue over to the Big Scare diving point where you will be greeted by the largest ever Bull Sharks.

When in the Gulf of Papagayo area, make sure you visit the Bat Islands for an unforgettable experience.

By Melvin Pereira

Coffee Tours are widely popular among tourists coming to Costa Rica searching for an unparalleled vacation.

The latest operation to open is located in the province of Alajuela in the town of Naranjo.  At only 2 hours from downtown San Jose, this coffee plantation and tourist attraction was inaugurated by Oscar Arias, Costa Rica’s president.

Coffee Tours not only offer the fascinating experience of visiting a fully functional coffee plantation, but also the opportunity to taste and buy and freshly processed coffee in all its different toasts and flavors.

Rural Tourism such as Coffee Tours has recently started to gain momentum in Costa Rica due to its strong ties to the country’s culture and people.  Tourists have found this new area of attraction very educational as well as entertaining.  Costa Rica’s history and early growth has been strongly based on coffee production thus allowing visitors to experience a rich and unique tour.

Due to its proximity to San Jose, a wide variety of lodging is available from the low budget cheap Costa Rica hotels to the more luxurious 4 or 5 star hotels.