Ziplining through the lush rainforest canopy in Costa Rica is a must. Our expert Family Travel Advisors can help you choose where to go, book vetted accommodations, create a custom itinerary, arrange private tours and guide, and more. We can help you plan the ultimate Costa Rica vacation with kids! If it’s not too cloudy, the hanging bridges also showcase fantastic views of cone-shaped Arenal Volcano, though its peak is often shrouded in mist. Plan to spend two to three hours walking and exploring the hanging bridges, and come prepared for light rain showers, like everywhere else in Costa Rica. Our own private guide, Andre, not only shared his in-depth knowledge about the forest and plants, but with his trained eyes and ears was able to help us spot howler monkeys, hummingbirds, poison dart frogs, bats, an orange and green-hued broad-billed motmot as it swooped above us, and a pair of chestnut-mandibled toucans. While some choose to tour the bridges on their own, the majority of visitors we saw had come with an expert guide carrying a scope and binoculars to allow for wildlife viewing. The trail in total is around 2 miles and well-marked. This gives visitors the advantage of increasing height as they make their way from forest floor to understory to treetops to spot wildlife and birds. The Mystic Hanging Bridges are a series of 16 bridges, six of them suspended, that cut through mature rainforest. Hanging bridges are an Arenal rainforest highlight Highlights of Arenal, Costa Rica for Families Hanging Bridges Since our kids, particularly our son, are on the younger side, we opted to visit the hanging bridges and go ziplining instead. In our case, we found the caliber of our private guides through the hotel property to be exemplary, and they really became the highlight of our time in the Arenal region.ĭepending on the ages of the kids and how adventurous they are, Arenal is ideal for whitewater rafting, with class II, III and IV rapids along the Peñas Blancas, Balsa and Toro rivers, which pass through rainforest, canyons and rolling hills. Most guests book excursions through their hotel or a third-party outfitter. Our recent family trip to Costa Rica included four nights in Arenal at the 21-room Nayara Tented Camp, followed by time in Monteverde as well as Manuel Antonio. (Note: the Arenal Volcano last erupted in 2010 and has been inactive since.) Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. Many of the country’s top hotels are clustered in the town of La Fortuna, within the Arenal area, making it easy to combine mellow onsite activities like hot springs, pool time, cooking classes and night walks with half- or full-day excursions. And for good reason: this tourist hub is the ideal introduction to the country, with hiking, hanging bridges, whitewater rafting, ziplining and bird-watching galore. Nearly all Costa Rica itineraries include time in the Arenal area, about 85 miles northwest of San Jose (two and a half hours by car). Even pre-pandemic, the country’s combination of pristine beaches and rainforests teeming with mammals, birds and amphibians made it a favorite of adventure-seeking and animal-loving families. Thanks in large part to its high COVID-19 vaccination rate and the outdoor nature of activities, Costa Rica’s popularity as a travel destination has soared during the last few years.
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