Trip Reports Archives – Page 2 of 26

Walking with Lemurs Tour

July 31st, 2023admin0 Comments

As Duke alums with lemur-loving kids, we have visited the Duke Lemur Center several times. Boasting the largest population of lemurs outside of Madagascar, the Duke Lemur Center does amazing work in the study and protection of lemurs. As a research facility, the Lemur Center is tour-based and not open to self-led visits. All visitors must have a prepaid reservations for a tour, and they often sell out far in advance. The center offers General Tours, Private Tours, Walking with Lemurs Tours, and Behind the Scenes Tours. The tour season runs from May to September and coincides with the warmer …

The Art of the Brick

July 23rd, 2023admin0 Comments

The Art of the Brick is a unique art exhibit featuring over a million Lego bricks. Artist Nathan Sawaya has created over 90 works of art out of Legos, including both original pieces and reproductions of famous masterpieces. A traveling exhibit, the collection has visited over 100 cities in 24 countries. When I found out it was coming to Raleigh, I knew I had to take my Lego and art loving boys. We decided to visit the exhibit on our drive back to Charlotte from NJ. I always try to break up the trip with an interesting stop somewhere, and …

Manuel Antonio National Park

June 30th, 2023admin0 Comments

One of the highlights of my first trip to Costa Rica was our tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. The abundant wildlife and beautiful beach made the park a great place to spend a half a day. I was excited for our kids to get to experience it too. We had a private tour guide for our group of 16. Our travel agent arranged for a driver to pick us up at the hotel and we met our guide at the entrance to the national park. The main trail in the park leads to the beach, and the first section …

Manuel Antonio Horseback Riding

June 29th, 2023admin0 Comments

Although our group of 4 families did most of our activities together, we had one day in Manuel Antonio where we all split up and booked our own tours. While most did some sort of water-based activity (fishing, snorkeling, boat ride), my younger son and I went horseback riding. I narrowed down the choices to a ride through the jungle and a ride on a ranch. My son originally jumped at the jungle ride but once he looked at the pictures of the ranch, he quickly changed his mind. I booked the tour for the two of us and we …

Coffee and Chocolate Tour

June 27th, 2023admin0 Comments

Our third day in Arenal was the only one where we had two different tours in the same day. In the morning, most of the group zip lined (a few opted out and relaxed at the hotel) and in the afternoon we all went on a coffee and chocolate tour. This tour was really more for the adults, although we hoped the chocolate part would be enough to keep the kids interested. We were picked up at the hotel and taken to North Fields Coffee, a small family-owned coffee plantation. Our group of 16 was in one tour group and …

Arenal Zip Lining

June 26th, 2023admin0 Comments

When my husband and I came to Costa Rica in 2012, we were blown away by our zip lining experience with Sky Adventures. We took a tram to the top of the mountain and then the zip lines literally burst through the jungle treetops, with breathtaking views from every platform and line. The lines were so high and so long that my husband declared that if he had known what he was getting into, he never would have done it. So when it came time to sign up for zip lining on this trip, he said thanks but no thanks. …

Rio Balsa Whitewater Rafting

June 25th, 2023admin0 Comments

Whitewater rafting was high on our adventure wishlist in Costa Rica, and with kids ranging in age from 8 to 16 in our group, we were looking for a family friendly rafting option. Rio Balsa provides class II-III rapids, which are suitable for kids 8 and up. Our travel agent booked us with Wave Expeditions, and they picked us up from our hotel and took us to the river. On the bus ride, they gave us detailed rafting and safety instructions. The instructions were very thorough (complete with a miniature raft for demonstrations) and it was obvious that the company …

Trail of 1968

June 24th, 2023admin0 Comments

Our final stop on our combination tour with Canoa Aventura was the Trail of 1968. Named after the huge eruption of Arenal Volcano in 1968, this trail runs along the hardened lava flows and offers amazing views of the volcano itself. The trail is only 1.2 kilometers but does include some steep uphill sections. From the parking lot, we got another postcard perfect view of the volcano. After taking in the views, one of our guides told us the history of the volcano and gave a wonderful explanation of the eruption of 1968. It was fascinating to learn that Arenal …

La Fortuna Waterfall

June 24th, 2023admin0 Comments

The second stop on our combination tour with Canoa Aventura was La Fortuna Waterfall. This impressive waterfall emerges through an opening in the jungle and plunges 200 feet to a pool below. You can reach the base of the waterfall by taking the stairs down – all 530 of them. (Remember of course that you’ll have to take them back up!) There is a viewpoint before the stairs begin, as well as a restaurant, souvenir shop, and bathrooms with showers and changing areas. The stairs are challenging (both up and down!) but worth it. Once you reach the bottom, there …

Mistico Hanging Bridges

June 24th, 2023admin0 Comments

Our first day in Arenal was jam-packed with activities. We did an 8 hour combination tour with Canoa Aventura that included Mistico Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and the Trail of 1968. Mistico Park and the Arenal Hanging Bridges was our first stop. While the main attraction of the park is its hanging bridges, the views of the volcano are stunning from the moment you step out of the parking lot. We were extremely fortunate to be there on a clear day. Our guides must have told us a dozen times that we were so lucky because the volcano is …