Welcome to Sarapiqui!

Sarapiqui, the ideal Costa Rican rainforest to immerse into the adventure, get amazed by impressive natural landscapes and practise ecotourism while having quality time as a family.  Do you already have prepared your closed shoes, repellent and rain jacket? Then you are ready for this experience as a family!


Day 1 If you are a family that enjoy the outdoors, Sarapiquí offers plenty of activities that will be in line with your travel expectations. We got the opportunity to stay at the Ara Ambigua Lodge and explore its three hectares of forest where we could spot different beautiful and captivating types of birds, turtles and caimans and hike thought the lodge’s trails surrounded by exotic vegetation and fauna such as, the blue jeans frog which tends to amuse children due to the blue colour of their legs that simulate jeans. Ara Ambigua gave as the opportunity to enjoy the tranquillity of its atmosphere and facilities such as the family pool. However, the adventure did not finish here. From 7 pm, when the sun went done, we got the opportunity to impress the children by discovering one of the secrets hidden in the Ara Ambigua garden which can be accessed by the restaurant. The beauty and diversity of the night frogs that appeared around the garden while we were waiting for our delicious dinner.

Day 2 In our second day, we headed to visit the private reserve of the Tirimbina lodge that ended up being a spectacular experience. Inside the Tirimbina’s property we collected one of the most incredible memorabilia from our trip to Costa Rica when crossing the largest hanging bridge over the Sarapiquí river. Besides, if you are lucky enough, you can spot different type of birds like Toucans or observe how several adventurers go under your feet when practising rafting.  On our way back to the car, we could observe a butterfly sanctuary where you can see the transformation process from worm to the final colourful butterfly and, a group that was taken to a traditional chocolate plantation where they had the privilege to taste the cacao bean at its different stages in the process of making chocolate, which according to us was fun, tasty and an interesting cultural activity to do with your most dearest ones. 

Arenal, home of mother nature!

Heading to the northern side of the country you and your family will discover Arenal, a place that hides beauties such as, an imposing active volcano, a marvellous waterfall and a vibrant town that will make you feel welcome…

Are you curious enough? Stay here and transfer yourself to my experience while reading the following lines:

 

Our trip to Arenal brought us nothing else than incredible surprises. Our adventure started on a cloudy and rainy day in Arenal where we could barely appreciate the famous volcano that can be spotted from different parts of the area. However, the tropical weather did not stop us from fully enjoying the lively streets where the Pura Vida essence could be felt. We spent hours and hours strolling around the centre full of local restaurants, ice-cream stores offering a great variety of delicious flavours and appealing souvenir stores where we could buy our Pura Vida t-shirt to keep in our memory this meaningful message.

On our second day, we put our swimsuits, sneakers and prepared our backpack filled with a bottle of water, snacks, sunscreen, towels, extra change and most importantly, our enthusiasm to visit one of the must-see in the Arenal region, La Fortuna waterfall. After few minutes driving, surrounded by an incredible landscape and a marvellous view of the Arenal volcano, we arrived at La Fortuna waterfall. When passing the main entrance, we found ourselves on a hanging bridge surrounded by different species of enchanting exotic flora and fauna. The lookout point of the area, where you could spot the waterfall, made us feel like giants and feed our desire to get there and see it with our own eyes.

 On our second day, we put our swimsuits, sneakers and prepared our backpack filled with a bottle of water, snacks, sunscreen, towels, extra change and most importantly, our enthusiasm to visit one of the must-see in the Arenal region, La Fortuna waterfall. After few minutes driving, surrounded by an incredible landscape and a marvellous view of the Arenal volcano, we arrived at La Fortuna waterfall. When passing the main entrance, we found ourselves on a hanging bridge surrounded by different species of enchanting exotic flora and fauna. The lookout point of the area, where you could spot the waterfall, made us feel like giants and feed our desire to get there and see it with our own eyes. We walked to the stairs that facilitate the access to the waterfall and once we were there, we realized that our adventure was about to begin. Hundreds of stairs were waiting for us!  As you know, travelling with children does not go always as planned so we needed to find the way to distract them and make them enjoy the way down. Now you will think…How did we do that? We heard by a local that when going down you are able to see a particular figure. Therefore, we got the great idea of taking out our camera and record our way down to see who will find it first. 

Getting down to the waterfall took us few minutes that where filled with laughs and great memories but once we got there, the view was simply breath-taking. There we were, under the immense La Fortuna waterfall located in a magical scenery in harmony with the sound of the water and singing birds, the different shades of green, huge black rocks and small natural pools suitable for kids. We swam, we enjoyed the relaxing sound of the water and singing birds and we took some of the most incredible pictures of our trip to Costa Rica. Our complete relaxation in this almost indescribable paradise made our way up a bit harder than the way down. Nevertheless, every few stairs we sat on the rest benches and breathe the fresh air while admiring the great nature.  Once we made it to the top, we sat at the open restaurant drinking a refreshing smoothie and luckily, we ended up crossing out one of our bucket list in Costa Rica which was seeing a white faced monkey. 

Conservation Project OSA - south pacific of Costa Rica

“If you are a sea turtle the odds are against you!”  I read somewhere.  This could not be truer. Only 1 in 1000 sea turtle eggs become adults old enough to reproduce. Only 1 of every 10 eggs hatch in nature. This is because crabs, dogs, racoons and coatis eat the eggs in the nest and after hatching, birds eat them on their first trip to the ocean. That is if humans don’t steal the whole nest before. In some places 90% of the nests are lost as a result of human poaching. 

The few hatchlings that make it to the ocean are eaten by fish and other predators. Those that survive can then face numerous human threats like fishing nets and plastic pollution that prevent them from getting to a reproductive age.

Our sea turtle conservation project in Osa (and others all over the country and the world) remove many of these threats by relocating the eggs to a nursery, where they are protected 24/7 and then released to the ocean as soon as they are born.  (Don’t miss our video. It’s amazing to see them rushing to the water).



By removing all the threats until the hatchlings make it to the sea, we are giving them a better chance to make it to adulthood and reproduce, which is key to the survival of the species. By doing this, experts think that their odds improve from 1 in a 1000 to 1 in a 100. So that is what we are doing here!  We are trying to make give sea turtles a better odd of survival.

Currently there are seven species of sea turtles in our oceans, and all of them are in danger of extinction. Rincon Beach receives 3 of these species: Olive Ridley (vulnerable), Green Turtle (endanger) and Hawksbill (critically endanger). During this semester we relocated 82 nests and we have freed 2833 hatchlings so far, we are still waiting on some of those nests to hatch. Our team will be watching over those nests during the holidays and past the new year to make sure these guys make it to the sea. Those are 28 more seaturtles that will make it to adulthood rather than 2.

Whale Watching

May is an interesting month for the tourism industry in Costa Rica. Is the first month of what we call the green season so tour companies like ours have more time to do stuff, like marketing strategies, sites inspections, and having the chance not to worry about our VIP clients every day. But is also the month of Emilio´s birthday. So normally we as a family take a one week work and travel trip with the kids to a new destination every year. We chose Bahia Ballena because is an emerging destination, and the variety of hotel options has increased considerably in the past 2 years. From cozy eco-lodges to fancy boutique hotels. The idea is to

visit as much properties as possible but making sure kids are still having a fun time and rich experience.

 Bahia Ballena is the area that surrounds the Marino Ballena National Park. But for a practical (Waze and Google Maps) understanding, is everything located between the towns of Dominical and Ojochal, including Dominicalito, Ventanas and Uvita. The area has lots to offer its visitors, including surfing lessons, nature hikes, visit to waterfalls, horseback riding, but the two most representative activities are the visit to the Tail of the Whale at Marino Ballena and the boat tour for Whales and Dolphins observation during season which is from June to November.
Another very important theme is the holistic, organic, healthy vibe you can sense. There are a good number of yoga retreats and surf camps that combine all those elements.

But for our work and travel purposes, we have decided to stay at Villas Tekoa. This a community located at a hill right in front of Playa Dominicalito. Simply the best views of the ocean, surrounded by nature and with top of the line amenities. There are homes starting at 2 bedrooms and all the way until 10 bedrooms. Host is very informative and willing to help when necessary.

I could extend my article talking about the great family time we had at Villas Tekoa, but I am sure you will find more interesting and useful our final report of the area. So here it goes.
Bahia Ballena is great for adults, specially if you like to do Surf and Yoga. There is great nightlife in Dominical. And very active tours that involves a decent physical condition. For example Savegre River rafting and the hike to Nauyaca Waterfall. But it can be very family friendly too. Specially if they are teenagers and young adults. There are many activities they could do including, boat tours for whale watching, surfing lessons, zip lining, horseback riding, sea kayaking and snorkeling. If you travel with little kids like we do (under 8) options are a little limited. But you can still do stuff. And they will still have a good time doing things like a mild walk at Hacienda Baru for wildlife observation, build sand castles at any of the beaches of the area, and spend some time at the swimming pool of your hotel or vacation rental.

 
And accommodations are great too.
Here is what we have seen and recommend: Hotel Cristal Ballena, Kura Design, Villas Tekoa, Cuna del Angel, Villas Rio Mar.
If you are planning to include Bahia Ballena in your future travel plans try to combine it with the Manuel Antonio area first and Osa Peninsula afterwards. This combination will give you an interesting perspective of the different elements Costa Rica has to offer to all visitors looking for the perfect Beach and Nature Experience.

By the way, the best local tour operator is called Bahia Aventuras.

Mistico Hanging Bridges and Park

Arenal Volcano is located 3.5hrs from San Jose International Airport and 2.5hrs from Liberia International Airport.
The National Park consists of Tropical Rainforest with great trails to do walks. The Peninsula area of the national park has an accessible trail which is perfect for families with children or seniors.
What differentiates this national park is the perfect cone of the volcano which is magnificent, also the old volcanic eruptions and the arenal lake which is a man made lake to produce electricity.

Costa Rica produces 99% of its energy with renewable resources!!!!
 
In this area there are amazing Family activities apart from the national park.

We recently visited Mistico Hanging Bridges. This park is perfect for all ages. It offers an Universal trail with hanging bridges perfect for seniors, children and wheelchair. 
And outstanding adventures for families with teens like horseback riding and the spider monkey canyon.

No matter if you are planning a multi-gen trip nor the ages or conditions of the family members there is always something amazing to do in Costa Rica.

Explore our unique sample itineraries and learn to travel around Costa Rica with a family purpose.

Accessible Travel

Costa Rica is an amazing Accessible destination. This video shows the amazing experience Mr Patrice had with our company.



We are a local expert that crafts every itinerary based on the guests needs. And you know what? That  is the secret of a successful story of accessibility in Costa Rica.

Maleku Tribe a great family experience in Arenal

 Legend Maleku says that "Tocú laca" was one of the places where his god lived. Each time the majestic volcano emanated fumaroles, Tocu was showing his dominion and power through the magma fire. In their surroundings the Maleku settled to live near the house of Tocu, the land of sacred fire and keep their fury off.The tribe met at the foot of the colossus to beg for protection, strength and wisdom, with cacao offerings they worshiped the sovereign to avoid their wrath. Not everyone could climb their skirts, only those who had the mantle could access the sacred place. He who was willing to reach the bowels, would have to cover his body with volcanic mud and oil, to dye his skin and obtain the strength of Tocu. He had to request the permission of the elders, but, not of anyone, he should be the one who maintained total devotion to Tocu and his wisdom intact. He alone would decide if that person could approach the deepest and most dense forest of the sacred earth.The elders interpreted the messages that Tocu sent with each rumble of the Arenal volcano and transmitted them to the town. The lava flows brought messages that warned of an event that would happen, or remembered something that was happening and the village could not perceive. The great creator demanded respect and devotion to the sacred ground, in exchange for his protection at all times and in all places.

One day, strangers arrived in their lands, invading and bringing with them the destruction of the forest and the curse for the people. The Malekus fled to save their lives to high and distant lands. When Tocu saw that the times of peace and harmony had been altered, he manifested his anger with a rash of fire, gases and rocks, which caused the death of people who roamed the land ruled by the sovereign.When such misfortune came to the ears of the Malekus, the tribe prostrated itself and with the cajúli in hand they implored the creator once and again not to spread the wrath on the man. The anger did not stop. One of the wise elders took a creature that did not surpass 4 years, raised it saying these words: "this is your disciple, it belongs to you, do not spread your anger that here is your disciple, take it, it is yours" minutes after the volcano He stopped erupting, and calm returned.
 The people sent a message to the non-Malekus saying, "Do not make Tocu's wrath spread over the earth again, you can go in peace." Months later the disciple delivered to Tocu died, and he lives today in the bosom of Tocu. Since then "Tocú laca" remains calm. It is said that only the Maleku can ask for your peace of mind.The old Maleku, know from before that very soon they have to leave the land and in advance advise their families and tell them that in the direction of "Tocú laca" they should point their head, in order to be able to watch and rest next to Tocú in their forest sacred.

IL VIAGGIO TRAVEL can help you  be part of this culture, traditions, leyends, food, arts and crafts.