DON’T LOOK DOWN

Cost Rica Cost Of Living Update: Adventure Tour at Rincon de la Vieja Park—$85/person

Last week I decided to go with a couple friends to explore Rincon de la Vieja National Park. It’s been on my bucket list since moving to Guanacaste, a place with unspoiled beauty and an abundance of wildlife. The drive alone was exciting with bumpy dirt roads one would expect to see in Costa Rica. I’ve said it before and it rings true each time I explore; the best places in Costa Rica are at the end of a dirt road. And sometimes that road will jostle every joint and tendon in your body. It was true for this one, so I knew there was something fabulous at the end.

It’s an incredible thing to be one moment in 90 °F weather and an hour and a half later enjoy temperatures in the lower 70’s. Not long into the ride, I looked up and saw the ominous Rincon de la Vieja in the distance, with the dormant sister cone, Santa Maria, rising adjacent to it. Rincon de la Vieja means ‘Old Woman’s Nook’ and there is a legend that a father threw his young daughter’s lover into the volcano (and to think, my dad just hung up the phone on these guys). It must have been a hard time for a gal to get a date back then. But on the flip side, the legend says she gained healing powers, so it apparently worked out in the end.

Rincon is known for its mud pools, thermal springs, fumaroles, and spectacular waterfalls. It’s also popular for bird enthusiasts. One might get the chance to see an emerald toucanet, blue-throated goldentail, spectacled owl,  black-faced solitaire, or a laughing falcon.

We decided not to hike to the crater but instead stopped by Adventure Tours and chose a package of four excursions and lunch for $85/each.  Our first hike was a nature walk, and after a few steps into the forest, the quiet rustling of the trees made my home near the beach feel like a bustling city. Forests always have a way of making me feel insignificant; giving me the balance I often lose when I get overly consumed with my daily problems.

Our friendly guide, Caesar, eagerly shared the description of the plants and his love for his country. We walked through a butterfly garden and a snake gallery, where he was excited to tell us how many snakes in Costa Rica can kill you within an hour (there were a lot). He then reached into a cage and draped a boa constrictor around my shoulders. I wore it as fashionably as one could, and was surprised how cool and soft his skin was.

Our second excursion was a horseback ride to the La Chorrera waterfalls, where you can take a dip in the gem-like blue waters. The lagoon is safe to swim, and one rarely sees a watering hole as beautiful as this.  But my favorite part of the trip was the zip-line adventure. They advertise this as the best in the country, and I was skeptical since I’ve done a dozen of these. However, they did not falsely advertise. This was not just zipping through the forest on a cable but more like scaling a canyon wall with options to rappel down and climb out.

I volunteered to be the first to go, and was hoisted down four stories onto a platform hovering above a turbulent river. I was then swung, Tarzan style, across to a ledge where I climbed a vertical wall to the top. For a moment I looked down and watched the water echo throughout the canyon below me. I couldn’t believe I was doing it, and so proud that I didn’t succumb to my nerves which I have a history of doing. But I didn’t move to Costa Rica to sit on the sidelines; I came to participate in everything this country has to offer.

We ended the day in the mud baths and thermal springs. It was the perfect way to warm those overtired muscles and relax under a canopy of trees.

Living in Costa Rica is a blast. But doing Costa Rica is exhilarating. This is a fun country with endlessly fun things to do. You may not choose to rappel down a canyon, but just enjoying the trails and wildlife is a pleasant way to spend the day. Maybe the legend is true and there are healing powers in the park. I know I felt pretty good when I left.

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:34-04:00 January 30th, 2012|Categories: Tourism|Tags: , , , |8 Comments

About the Author:

Nadine is the author of the best-selling series, Happier Than A Billionaire. Join her as she navigates living as an expat in the sometimes confusing, always beautiful, country of Costa Rica.

8 Comments

  1. Andy February 21, 2012 at 10:35 pm - Reply

    You skipped the best part: the whitewater tubing! Was just there in July and loved the tubing. Zip line was definately intense! Enjoyed reading your book this past week while on vacation in Belize…..zero hour is sounding pretty sweet.

    • admin February 22, 2012 at 5:12 pm - Reply

      I didn’t get to do that, but planning to on our next visit. It looked like so much fun! Wow, I bet you are having fun in Belize, thanks for stopping by the blog.

  2. Debbie Pescatore February 3, 2012 at 12:08 am - Reply

    Nadine, I have just completed the reading of your book and laughed my way though it. We had our first trip to Costa Rica for our honeymoon Jan6th-13, 2012 and we fell in love with the country and the people. We stayed @ the Riu Guanacaste for the week and loved it. Went on several excursions with an awesome private guide service and had the absolute best time I have had on a vacation. We are both retired and after our trip certainly are entertaining the idea of getting the heck out of Dallas metroplex and living the quieter life. We had booked a trip for the entire month of Oct this fall and renting a house to live more like the ticos do. Walking and biking and eating the pineapple every meal….(oh how I miss that, its just not the same here in the states no matter how hard you try and find it) I cant wait to get back to CR and to see how we do on our next adventure there. I am in the process of reading everything that I can about Costa Rica and trully enjoyed your book. I love your candidness (if that is a word) and I have never laughed so hard while reading. I think the reason I laughed so much is I could relate. I could see how I would feel like you in so many of those situation and probably react like you did as well. I am excited that you have a blog that I can follow and live vicariously through you and Rob until I get back there mayself. Continue writing so we can enjoy your adventures. That country has a way of healing what you didnt know hurt. Pura Vida my friend and Muy Rico ( I learned that while I was there and they smiled a huge smile everytime we said it) I LOVED your book and cant stop smiling…..deb

    • admin February 3, 2012 at 7:46 am - Reply

      Thanks so much Debbie! Now that you visited the country, I bet you could imagine yourself in the same shoes! I love your line “That country has a way of healing what you didnt know hurt”. I think it is the best way to describe how I felt moving here. So many things were getting fixed inside of me, things that I didn’t know were broken.

      I hope you return….there is a lot more of this country you need to see!!!!

  3. Fred Jackson January 31, 2012 at 11:40 am - Reply

    Well, Nadine, I found you on the Visit Costa Rica facebook page, and I’m really delighted to connect with your blog. You are doing just what I dream about doing, although I’m not sure I could handle the rappelling down the sheer cliff. That zip line sure sounds exciting, though. I have Rincon de las Vieja on my bucket list.
    I really resonated with your statement about the greatest discoveries come at the end of a dirt, rock road, because those have been my experiences, too. And, you’re right, those rock roads can shake your ancestors!
    The other resonance I had was regarding entering the forest. I remember a hike into the woods down at Ojochal one early morning, and the quiet and tranquility was just awesome. It does change your perspective dramatically! I think I enjoy more inner peace when hiking in the forest than just about any other experience I’ve had. On that hike, the family of monkeys passing overhead also created an even more joyful experience.
    I’m really dreamin’ about CR because of the Gift of Happiness promotion by CRTB, and now I can do it more through your blog. I really appreciate your blog and the marvelous way you write. You have a real talent.
    All my best.

    • admin February 3, 2012 at 7:39 am - Reply

      Isn’t it the best medicine? Too bad more people don’t do it. Just get outside when they are having a crappy day….take a walk through the park….play with their dog. It immediately puts me back in the right frame of mind. And there is nothing like a Costa Rica forest to rid your anxieties!

  4. Jessica January 30, 2012 at 11:52 pm - Reply

    Hi Nadine,
    I bought your book a few months ago and have read it twice now, still waiting for my husband to read it tho, lol. I loved it and laughed so much throughout. We visited Costa Rica in 2009, and ever since I have been researching everything I can about it. I would love to someday do what you guys have done and just sell everything and get out of this same day over and over cycle. We are returning in March for a week vacation and will be staying near Tamarindo. We want to do the Buena Vista tour with the waterslide through the rainforest (among others, lol). I’m sure I read somewhere that you have gone here. Is this located at Rincon de la Vieja? and if so how far of a drive from Tamarindo and is it easy to find if renting a car and driving ourselves? We didn’t have much luck finding our way around last time, hahaha. Thank you for your time, and congratulations on all your success. I look forward to another book but in the meantime I will continue to read your blogs!!
    ps. Do you have a spot on your website where I could e-mail you and ask a few more questions about relocating? I can’t seem to find one, Thanks
    Jessica

    • admin January 31, 2012 at 7:14 am - Reply

      Hi Jessica, thank you so much for your lovely words! It’s been such an adventure for Rob and I, and through it all, I have never looked back. This was the right decision for us and hopefully, one day, you can do it as well.

      Yes, Buena Vista is near Rincon park, but I think you may have a different entrance from the Pan American highway. If I recall you turn towards Canas Dulce. I did that waterslide and it was so much fun!! I believe it is about an hour and a half away from Tamarindo, but easy to find.

      My email is on the About page, puravida (at) happierthanabillionaire (dot) com. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions!!

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