LATIN AMERICA COSTA RICA DESTINATIONS
Flights of fancy
Laura French swaps the city for adventure on a
tour through Costa Rica @laurafrench121
I
’m flying. The wind whips my hair, my skin tingles and my eyes water as I scan my surroundings – a blanket of broccoli-like treetops several hundred feet beneath me and a wiry- looking cable from which I dangle freely, face down, arms outstretched, head first. It’s totally peaceful and, bar any panicked thoughts of harness breaking and body tumbling, I’m completely alone. I haven’t gone insane; I’m whizzing superman-style along Latin America’s longest zip-line, feeling freer than I ever have. Ten minutes later, I’m jumping off a ledge and freefalling through the sky on a ‘Tarzan swing’, stomach plunging and heart pounding on what’s essentially a mini-bungee. Maybe I have gone a little insane.
It must be the Costa Rican air.
There’s a spirit of adventure here and it’s infectious. By the end of a 16-day trip with G Adventures, I’d abseiled down 200-foot waterfalls, rafted world-class rapids, downed a concoction of plant medicines, eaten a termite and climbed my first tree, all while learning everything there was to know about Tiko culture and local customs from our guide, Ernyk.
w ANIMAL KINGDOM It wasn’t all about the adventure, though. Our journey began somewhat more calmly in Manuel Antonio, the country’s oldest and most popular national park. Set on the Pacific Coast, it’s home to four protected, white- sand beaches alongside verdant,
tropical jungle where more than 100 species of mammals and 350 species of birds reside (the park is an optional extra on the tour, and entry costs $16). In just an hour’s walk through the
forest, I’d ticked off half my bucket list, glimpsing two and three-toed sloths, cute squirrel monkeys and white-faced capuchins, before hearing the comical, elephant-like groans of a howler monkey echo through the jungle. “They’re chatting up females,” says our guide. The park is accessible from Quepos, a small, tropically humid town where surfing, fishing and kayaking are among the options available. I chose a sunset sailing trip, cruising along the coast before jumping off the boat for a snorkel, drinking obscene
20 July 2017
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