Costa Rica Family Fun
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Just last month, my family and I embarked on the vacation of the decade. Sometime ago we had been seen a television special on the pristine little country and since then, have been able to consider little else. We are a family who enjoys exploring the outdoors together so it seemed an obvious choice.
This peaceful, Central American country is sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama and boasts one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in the world. It is part of a land bridge between North and South America and as such enjoys wildlife from both hemispheres. It has protected over 12 % of land thus birds and other wildlife have areas of refuge here during yearly migrations.
Our first destination was to be an area by the name of Monteverde or Green Mountain as its translation from Spanish would be. The community of Monteverde was first settled in 1951 by a group of Quakers who were drawn to the area after the abolition of the Costa Rican army. Later, when scientists began to understand the importance of this unique micro-climate, the Quakers began to protect the land surrounding the community. Since then, it has become both an important area of conservation as well as a tourist destination.
The road to Monteverde is, for many, the first adventure of their time there. For us, it was no exception. It is a rugged, unpaved road with dramatic drop offs and equally dramatic vistas of the gulf of Nicoya in the distance. The sunset, was one of the most breathtaking I have ever seen.
On our first day the plan was to head directly out for a morning of ziplining. Our alarm clock, so to speak, was the chorus of birds outside our window. We enjoyed a breakfast of fresh tropical fruits and local, organic coffee before being picked up by the Selvatura (our destination) shuttle that would take us on our first adventure. Selvatura, as it turns out, not only offers the ziplines but also a variety of other amazing infrastructure in the form of walking bridges through the forest canopy, butterfly gardens (Monteverde alone hosts 1,800 different species of butterflies) and an insect garden (yep, there are plenty of these as well in Monteverde).
With all that Selvatura had to offer, we still had no trouble deciding that our first stop was going to be the ziplines. Fortunately, Selvatura is also known for incredibly high safety standards so I wasnt worried about my familys safety as we embarked on our high flying adventure through the forest canopy. The sensation of soaring through the forest canopy and the birds eye view of the rainforest splendor was something my family and I will always remember.
We enjoyed much more of what Monteverde had to offer including horseback rides to see the active, Arenal volcano, hikes through the cloud forest reserve and much more. After departing Monteverde we went on to explore other parts of Costa Rica. We journeyed on to the southern region of the country with its lush tropical rainforests and remote beaches and later to the Caribbean with its unique flavor and style.
As our plane rose above the clouds and leaving Costa Rica in its pristine glory far below, my family and debated the highlights of our time here. Zipling, it was decided, remained our favorite. Followed, however, close behind by the many other unbelievable experiences we had enjoyed in this lovely country.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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