Activities on Land

A List of Land Activities in the Guanacaste Region

There are enough land activities in Guanacaste to occupy anyone for a year at least, even if you only experience the few that are the most popular. Hiking and Nature Tours can be enjoyed anywhere, but the Volcanoes and National Parks offer the greatest environment for hikers. The many motorsports like jetski, atv, and bike rentals allow for excursions throughout your area. The biodiversity of Costa Rica enables any nature lover to have a blast for a lifetime, with Frog, Turtle, Butterfly, Monkey, Bird, Insect, etc...

Hiking

Nearly all of Costa Rica's national parks have short trails that can be hiked in an hour or two, while others have routes that take the better part of a day to complete, such as the trails to the top of Barva and Rincón de le Vieja Volcanoes. Santa Rosa, Corcovado and Chirripó National Parks have longer backpacking routes, which require several overnights in tents or Parks Service cabins. There are also plenty of well marked hiking trails in the country's growing number of private reserves.

Motorcycle Rental

For 300-900 USD a week you can rent a dual sport bike or a chopper. A motorcycle rental company requires a guaranty deposit from 600 USD during the rental period. Reliable companies are Wild Rider (www.wild-rider.com) and Maria Alexander (www.mariaalexandra.com) with competitive rates, great bikes and good service.

Bull Riding and Running

Bull fighting is fairly common in Costa Rica, but in a different fashion than in Spain. Here, the bulls are not harmed, merely antagonized inside the ring.

Turtle Watching

Caves

At Barra Honda National Park (Guanacaste province) and Venado Caves (Alajuela province), extensive systems of limestone caverns are protected. However, to enter them it is necessary to receive special advance permission from the Park Service and there are many daily tours leaving from the main hotels near both places.

Eco-Tourism

Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism. As of 2006, a total of 54% international tourists visited national parks or protected areas, visiting at least two such natural refuges, and it goes up to three for European visitors.