Adrenaline high: canyoning in Arenal, Costa Rica

They call it the "ultimate waterfall rappel". Frommer's calls it "a bigger rush than a canopy tour."

I'm talking about the Pure Trek Canyoning tour near Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. Canyoning is a mixture of rappelling down waterfalls and hiking in a canyon. Noted by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 activities to do in the Arenal area, the Pure Trek Canyoning tour will have you rappelling down some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Costa Rica.

Few people experience places like this. Imagine being surrounded by lush rainforest on the precipice of a deep canyon, waiting to hurl yourself off the edge (albeit with a harness, ropes and safety equipment!) down gushing tropical waterfalls. The Arenal Volcano's rugged, mountainous terrain is ideal for incredible canyoning.

On the Pure Trek tour, you'll walk a short rainforest trail to get to the canyon and falls. Trained guides will give you a thorough safety talk to explain important rappelling and down-climbing techniques, and you will use high-quality technical climbing gear. There are three waterfall rappels – ranging in height from 165 feet to 80 feet – and a canyon rock wall rappel of about 30 feet. No experience is needed; just a good sense of adventure … and Pure Trek touts itself as being "kid friendly." Kids as young as 5 years old can go.

Don't just take my word for it. Check out these recent comments from TripAdvisor:

"We were eager to try canyoning but I am afraid of heights and we have an 11 year-old son. We decided to go for it and are so glad we did! It was a great experience. I only wish there was a 5th rappel so that I could really overcome my fear. The Pure Trek staff were totally in control of the group (us plus another 10 or so) and quietly and confidently directed us to go last (I assume it was so that we were not holding up anyone at the top - good move). They checked in with my son many times before he went down, cheered him throughout and made him feel like a champion. They guided me (the chicken) through the whole experience with such calm, reassuring confidence that I trusted them AND that I could actually do it. Thank you for enabling us to experience canyoning down a 120 foot waterfall (and others) as part of our unforgettable trip to Costa Rica. We will see you again!!" (Visited April 2013)

"We took the family, with two children, to Costa Rica recently. Our kids are the active sort, so we wanted to have a vacation of adventure. Using Pure Trek was one of the best parts of the trip as they hosted a wonderful afternoon rappelling down a series of waterfalls in the Fortuna area (near Arenal). Having never rappelled before, the wife and I were both excited and a bit anxious. No need for worries, though -- it was evident that our guides put safety as the topmost priority. Even though we went down some very long drops -- or what seemed like very long drops -- we were always safe and always felt safe. Be prepared to get wet -- take waterproof gear or least clothes of the quick-drying sort. Great fun!" (Visited March 2013)

What to bring: Hiking or tennis shoes, light-weight quick-dry clothing, waterproof camera, insect repellent, waterproof sunscreen, extra change of clothes, disposable bag for wet clothes. Tour includes: Roundtrip transportation from La Fortuna/Arenal, hot showers and towels and a hot lunch after the tour.

Get a great Costa Rica travel deal on the Pure Trek Canyoning adventure with Costa Rica Special Deals. The dependable online travel service, based in Costa Rica, offers top Costa Rica vacation deals. For instance, take advantage of their 6-night Volcano & Beach vacation package deal to Costa Rica and visit the Arenal Volcano, plus the famed Manuel Antonio National Park and beaches on the Central Pacific Coast.

Come discover Costa Rica's "secret" travel season – Green Season. Find great Green Season deals now with Costa Rica Special Deals. With so many places to see and experience, tours and hotels to choose from, and regions to stay in Costa Rica, you need an experienced friend in the travel business to help guide you in making your holiday as magnificent as you want it to be. Costa Rica Special Deals' main goal is to give you excellent, professional customer service and ensure you want to come back again and again.

By Shannon Farley

Costa Rica Commits to Safe Tourism with Tourist Police

Tourism is big business in Costa Rica. Over the past 25 years, tourism has been the fastest growing economic sector in the country. Keeping tourists safe and informed while visiting Costa Rica is a vital commitment by the country’s government and national tourism organizations.


Costa Rican authorities have recently agreed to invest 350 million Colones (approximately $700,000 USD) to strengthen the country’s Tourist Police Force. The Ministry of Public Security and the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) renewed their cooperation agreement for five years, which aims to further equip the Tourist Police with more resources and training.
Costa Rica established its Tourist Police Force in January 2007. Currently, there are 350 officers guarding the safety of both national and international visitors to the country’s top destinations, according to official information from Costa Rica’s Police Force.


The Tourist Police Force focuses on preventing and fighting crimes in Costa Rica’s main tourism destinations, and also on providing tourists with information about safety measures, general information, and offering them assistance during their visit. Wearing uniforms of black pants, and white shirts with the words “Policia Turistica” (Tourist Police) on the back, Tourist Police officers work in Costa Rica’s main international airports – Juan Santamaria in the San Jose metropolitan area and Daniel Oduber in Liberia – along with main tourism destination points around the country.
In 2010, tourism contributed 5.5% of Costa Rica’s GDP and 21.2% of foreign exchange generated by all exports, according to official statistics from the Costa Rican Tourism Board. The tiny Central American nation hit a historical record of 2.2 million foreign visitors in 2011, and logged 1.7 million tourists in 2012.


According to Mario Zamora, Costa Rica’s Minister of Public Security, the existence of the Tourist Police helped contribute to a decrease of more than 40% of all reported crimes, mostly robberies and thefts, against tourists between 2006 and 2010. Zamora said that the new contribution to the Tourist Police Force reaffirms the country’s commitment to the safety of its tourists, whether they are nationals or foreigners. “A safe country is an attractive country that generates investment and development, and from the Chinchilla-Miranda administration we are seriously committed to the safety of Costa Ricans and foreigners,” said Zamora.

"This strategic alliance has been of vital importance for the country, since as part of these agreements, the Ministry of Public Security has increased the amount of Tourist Police to ensure that they are distributed in the most important tourist areas of the national territory, ensuring a safe environment for domestic and foreign tourists,” stated Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, Allan Flores.



Flores said the primary areas of concentration for the Tourist Police are Monteverde, La Fortuna/Volcano Arenal, and the Caribbean.  The Tourist Police Force will receive 2 new 4x4 vehicles, 4 off-road motorcycles, an ATV, 30 radios, 790 uniforms and 10 training programs.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board and the Ministry of Public Security plan to continue tourism security training for the Tourist Police through courses, seminars and visits by international experts. Since 2007, the British Embassy in Costa Rica has been supporting the Tourist Police with an English language training program.
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Great vacation deals in Costa Rica can be found with Costa Rica Special Deals travel agency. They feature exciting well-priced Costa Rica vacation packages and the most competitive rates online.
By Shannon Farley

7-night “Birds and Monkeys”

Just outside San Jose, Costa Rica is one of my favorite cloud forests. Drive an hour-and-a-half out of the Capital-metropolitan area and you’re in another world – a world of rolling green hills, black and white and brown dairy cows, rich rust red earth, plants with giant leaves, dripping ferns and shifting mist. It reminds me of England, with a decidedly tropical twist.

These are Costa Rica’s Central Highlands and the 2,000-acre Los Angeles Private Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, one of the country’s most accessible cloud forest reserves just above the city of San Ramon. Known for generations as the “City of the Poets,” San Ramon features a temperate spring-like climate and rich soil that has yielded generations of family-run coffee, sugar cane and dairy farms. The beautiful mountain community and its surrounding farm villages have mostly preserved their rural way of life, and it gives visitors a glimpse into “yesteryear” Costa Rica.
Tucked into this verdant greenness, halfway along the drive from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano, is Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel and Spa. The 75-acre boutique hotel is surrounded by the Los Angeles Private Biological Reserve, and you can see Arenal Volcano on clear days from the hotel’s terraces.

At an elevation of about 3,600 feet (1,100 m), Villa Blanca and the private cloud forest reserve are home to widely diverse plants and trees, birds and other wildlife. Walk the trails and you may run across darting jeweled hummingbirds, bright turquoise-tailed Motmots, emerald and crimson Trogons, or even the fabulous jade, turquoise and ruby Resplendent Quetzals. The haunting call of black howler monkeys echoes through the forest and mist. Cute raccoon-like coatis, ringed tails held high, come right up on the hotel’s lawns.

Villa Blanca was named in the top 10 of Best Hotels in Central America by the 2013 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.  The hotel features private accommodations in 35 casitas, each with picturesque views of the tropical cloud forest.  On the main hilltop is the Hacienda House, with the Reception, fireplace lounge area and restaurants.
 The stunningly gorgeous Mariana Wedding Chapel sits pristine white among colorful gardens. The chapel was the 50th anniversary-wedding gift from former Costa Rica President Rodrigo Carazo to his wife, First Lady Estrella Zeledon de Carazo; the two were the original owners of Villa Blanca. Built in 1997 in traditional Spanish colonial style, the chapel’s unique ceiling is artistically decorated with 840 hand-painted ceramic tiles depicting the history of Spanish colonial settlers.

 You can visit Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel on Costa Rica Special Deals’ exciting combination vacation deal in Costa Rica to visit the cloud forest and the coast. Costa Rica Special Deals offers a 7-night “Birds and Monkeys” package to two locations in Costa Rica’s cloud forest, staying 2 nights at Villa Blanca Hotel in San Ramon, and 2 nights at Savegre Mountain Hotel in San Gerardo de Dota in the Talamanca Mountains southeast of San Jose. Then, experience the unparalleled beauty of the famous Manuel Antonio National Park and beaches on the Central Pacific Coast, with 2 nights at Hotel San Bada. Manuel Antonio is home to 3 species of monkeys and a host of other wildlife. One night’s stay in San Jose at the beginning of your trip, and a week’s car rental is included in your Costa Rica hot deal.

Costa Rica Special Deals arranges great vacation deals in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica-based travel service professionally assist you to choose hotels, tours, transportation, local flights, car rentals and other services for your vacation to Costa Rica. Costa Rica Special Deals always offers the most competitive Costa Rica hot deals.