The last in my Costa Rica Adventures series…the activities! (Check out the places and the food if you haven’t already.)
Horse Riding
These adorable, if overly-placid, horses took us on a peaceful jungle ride the Arenal waterfall and back. Mine was named Mariachi. AJ’s was named Aiaeonagdajdgjai. That is my interpretation of the Spanish jumble the guide gave us every time we asked.
Serpentarium
Some girls get excited about shopping, some girls get excited about bright green buildings filled with poisonous reptiles. To each their own.
Ziplining
There are no (not stolen from Google images) pictures of the actual event, as we intelligently left our cameras behind. Line after line–it wasn’t an adrenaline rush like I expected, just surprisingly peaceful with gorgeous views of jungle and farmland.
Kayaking
Mangrove kayaking was the highlight of our vacation. It was relaxing yet still active, and we saw so many animals (lizards, funky-colored crabs, birds, monkeys and more).
Swimming
I don’t know if it’s come up before, but I hate water. I don’t like swimming, I don’t like pools, I don’t like boats, and I don’t even particularly like baths or showers. But how could I go to Costa Rica and not get in the ocean?? And I even enjoyed it for the more than ten minutes I was in there.
And of course there was also a coffee plantation tour, hiking, eating, drinking, exploring and relaxing with books.
I loved every minute of this vacation, and I’m still not ready to be home. AJ’s and my five year plan may or may not include a year-long escape back to Costa Rica…
Would you ever move out of your country?
ForgottenBeast 
I absolutely loved Costa Rica, but it seems like so long ago when I was there. I am going to have some fun today combing through your pictures to see if we ended up in the same places. Great blog! 🙂
Ahh how cool! I bet the horseback ride was awesome, and the ziplining! 🙂
Oh so beautiful! Relaxing and fun; what a wonderful mix for a vacation. I personally love the water…you can never get me out of the water 🙂 I’d love to visit there one day.
Don’t know if I could move out of the country. I’ve always dreamed about spending a few months in Venice…the real Venice. Not sure if I could. I think the serpentarium sounds cool!!
You and my daughter Emry would get along fabulously, she loves reptiles & reading, but she’s also a fish and loves to be in the water all day.
I used to think I could never leave the U.S., but it would be fun to live abroad for a while. Somewhere tropical though.
If I don’t end up in Costa Rica, yep, it’ll definitely be somewhere else tropical. Maybe IN a serpentarium–Emry would be invited to visit 😀
How fun!!
I say I would, but I have a feeling after a month or so I’d want to move back! haha.
What a fabulous time! I think you should definitely move there for (at least!) a year! That would be so fun. We (semi)seriously think about moving to Italy regularly. Something about getting out of here for awhile sounds nice! It’s not like you can’t come back!
PS – I’m sure people are glad you fight through your water hate and take showers. 😉
If they aren’t glad, they better be, ’cause I’m certainly not doing it for me…Someday I’ll invent a dust-bath for humans, and then life will be great. You should move to Italy! Then I can come visit–and of course you’ll be welcome in Costa Rica for a winter getaway 😀
Well between powdered shampoo and like…Febreeze/Lysol, I bet you’d be alright! Hahaha. :p
Looks like a great trip…I am so jealous, Costa Rica is definitively high on the list of places I want to visit!!
I’m glad you got some good ol’ fashioned R&R on your trip, though I must admit – the kayaking looks awesome!
Love all the pics… I’ve always wanted to go ziplining over the jungle trees =)
Looks like a blast!!
Ah, kayaking is one of my all-time favourite things in the world. I’d love to try it in Costa Rica! Sounds like you had an absolutely lovely time.
Aww wow how lovely! I enjoy horseback riding sooo so much, and kayaking too! Sounds like great ways to spend the day 🙂
it all looks like so much fun! my step cousin lives in costa rica and absolutely loves it. if i were to ever move out of the US, it would probably be to australia or canada
oh goodness horse back rides AND kayaking?! Id so be in heaven. I havent ridden in SO long, and it makes me really sad! I used to go once a week every summer 🙂
As for kayaking, Im a big fan. However, whenever I go with my daddy he makes us flip, EVERY TIME. I end up soaked, as well as all our stuff. He thinks its hilarious. I however, dont find it as funny!
Ew, yeah, I definitely wouldn’t have had as good of a time kayaking if we’d ended up in the water. And you should find somewhere to ride! I’d only been a few times since losing my horse a few years ago, and I missed it so much.
I have soooo enjoyed your vacation pictures. I’m not sure if I could permanently move to another country, but I could sure spend a month or two elsewhere. I’d LOVE to take my time and drive through Italy, Costa Rica DOES look amazing and relaxing (one of my colleagues also shared his photos of CR this week), I’d love to do a month of yoga in Bali, or rent a little villa in Provence and cycle to buy bagettes and cheese. (I’ve clearly read far too many books….)
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!
Ooo, yoga in Bali? I’m not even a huge yoga fan, and I’d still sign up for that 🙂
Woop, you got to ride again! So pleased for you, and in a place like that too – wow.
I’d have enjoyed the reptile house too and ziplining’s brilliant anyway but above that jungle?! Wow again 🙂
I don’t think at the moment I’d live anywhere but England because I love it but I really think I need to go to Costa Rica; it looks amazing.
It was so great to be on a horse again! I really need to find somewhere local to ride, going in CR made me realize just how much I’ve missed it.
Haha I don’t know if I’m BRAVE enough to move out of the country! But I’m sure it would be an adventure! 🙂
I went Zip lining once and it was SO fun! 🙂 Sounds like Costa Rica has been amazing for you!
How AWESOME is zip lining? We actually brought our cameras with and I was so nervous I was going to drop them.
That just looks like an amazing vacation. And the poisonous snakes? Yeah I would like that a lot too.
As I said before I am just mildly – who am I kidding? – hugely jealous of this trip! It just looks so amazing, the horse riding looks like so much fun, I’ve only been horse riding once and now I’ll never get to 😦 And the ziplining and kayaking also sounds brilliant!
The ocean looks fantastic and reading to that view? Bliss 🙂
Your whole trip looks amazing! (I actually read these posts ages ago but decided today that I wanted to comment, in case this comment randomly appearing seems strange!) Ziplining must have been incredible.
Moving away from England isn’t in my short-term life plans but I can fully imagine myself living in Italy one day, as I am obsessed with that place. I can see myself having a mid-life crisis and going to live there lol.
Haha, nothing wrong with random comments! I could totally move to Italy as well. Maybe I’ll move to Florence but then have a winter house in Costa Rica…This life plan is also going to have to involve winning the lottery, I do believe.
I could definitely live in Florence. Guess I’ll see you there 🙂