Costa Rica tours

Get a bird’s-eye view of life at the top, and a thrilling ride, as you zip through the forest, suspended from a cable strung along platforms set high in the tree canopy. For a bird’s-eye view of the forest canopy adjacent to Braulio Carrillo, you can take a ride on the Rainforest Aerial Tram. This is an 80-minute, 2.6km trip through the forest’s treetops, 35 metres above the forest floor. The ‘tram’ is an open, metal gondola, big enough for five passengers and a naturalist guide, equipped with a walkie-talkie to pass along information on wildlife sightings. Visitors can experience the forest canopy up close, breathe the steamy air, and catch the unforgettable tropical smell of damp, mossy tree trunks.

Fancy going higher than the tree tops? Take a parasailing tour over the ocean and Manuel Antonio National Park, suspended from a parachute kept aloft by a fast motorboat. Or if you would rather leave the flying to someone else, step into a two-person ultralight, fixed-wing plane and let the pilot take you on a thrilling bird’s-eye view of the ocean and jungle. There are ultralight tours in Uvita on the South Pacific coast and near Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula.

For a wet and wild adventure, try waterfall rappelling. Instead of zipping along a cable, you step off the top of a waterfall and rappel your way down, attached to ropes secured by guides at both the top and bottom of the waterfall. It takes a fair bit of courage to take that first step backward, but the thrill is worth it.

The National Theatre (Teatro Nacional) is without doubt the finest building in San Jose, if not all Costa Rica. Its construction was financed by 19th-century coffee barons. International guest artists feature here and their season begins in March. There are also daily tours where you can admire the marble, gold, bronze, tropical woods, crystal chandeliers, velvet drapes and statuary.

There are misty, almost enchanted places such as the Orosí Valley, adobe villages such as Barva that sing of old Costa Rica, and crowded, relentlessly vital cities, such as Heredia or Cartago. And they are all easily accessible. Day trips by bus or car, or with tour groups, can easily be arranged. Searching for Costa Rica holidays? From San Jose to the rainforest and everywhere in between, Costa Rica is home to endless adventure.

In the hills just outside Barva is a lively and entertaining Aventura de Café tour at Café Britt. Guides at this coffee farm take you through every step of the process, from raw bean to the hot, steaming final product, using a multimedia, theatrical approach. If you need it, transport to and from San José is available.

Costa Rica is a land of earthquakes and volcanoes, where hikers and mountaineering enthusiasts can climb the Central Valley’s four active cones in just two days. Visitors should remember, though, that an active volcano demands respect; proper equipment is essential. Taking a guided tour will ensure the greatest safety. local people are proud of their explosive geology, and have made Poás and Irazú volcanoes the country’s most visited parks.

There are plenty of tours to take which take you down the Corobicí River on rubber rafts. It makes a fun and wonderful opportunity to observe the river’s habitat, especially the birds - laughing falcons, herons, trogons, wood storks, motmots, parrots, osprey, and, of course, egrets. Howler and white-faced monkeys all make their homes along the shores of the Corobicí.