“Travelling with young children for an adventure across central America may be considered as too much stress and anxiety for some or downright irresponsible by others. Our family holiday to Costa Rica could not be further from the truth. Travelling through the waterways of Tortuguero exploring extraordinary flora, spotting amazing spiders, astonishing birdlife and catching a glimpse of a caiman or crocodile the children could not have been more inspired. The excitement of being woken by a barking howler monkey troop, the fun had chasing off cheeky white-faced capuchin breakfast thieves or the thrill of the sight of smartly dressed anteaters, oddly shaped armadillos and raiding racoons before bedtime added to the magic. Adrenaline flowed through the entire family with grins as wide as the Panama canal white water rafting down the Sarapiqui river and zip-lining through the Monte Verde cloud forests. Night hikes opened a whole new world of weird nocturnal creepy crawlies, with strange headlight click beetles, striking venomous snakes, industrious leaf cutter ant colonies, poisonous dart frogs and glowing scorpion exoskeletons. Banana crossing! As we travelled through active volcanic landscapes, rested on idyllic beaches and explored tropical rainforest with new friends and families met on the trip the stories flowed, vocabulary grew and imaginations ran wild. Even the frequent pit stops for the obligatory small child toilet break were supplemented by encounters with giant iguanas, crocodile swamped river beds, cactus flower ice-cream, unspoilt natural views, delicious cakes and, of course, incredible coffee. Our energetic tour guide (Eddie) and reliable driver (Hernan) judged our group perfectly and were tuned in to exactly what we would appreciate when to make the most of our time in their country. At the end of adventure packed days and encounters with stunning wildlife the entire family cooled off in serene swimming pools or thermal hot spring bars and weary little heads slept comfortably dreaming of the next adventure. It seems no other tropical country has made such concerted effort to protect its natural environment and as Costa Rica’s tourists account for the largest sector of their national economy we have unprecedented power to protect this amazing country’s natural beauty and remarkable wildlife – spend wisely, avoid business that threaten their future and enjoy this enchanting, magical adventure!”
