Pura Vida in Costa Rica – La Fortuna Dos

EIGHT DAYS EXPLORING COSTA RICA WITH TWO YOUNG KIDS

Our first full two days in Costa Rica had been magnificent! Full of activity and inspirational scenery. We were so excited to see what Costa Rica held in store for the rest of our trip.

Pura Vida In Costa Rica – La Paz & Blue Falls

Pura Vida in Costa Rica – La Fortuna Uno

Day 3

The sun was peeking out between some clouds when we woke up the next morning, making for a beautiful sunrise. I don’t think I could ever get enough out of waking up to this gorgeous scenery. We even spotted some toucanettes flying around the house. Breakfast today was a wonderful authentic Costa Rican spread, including perfectly seasoned rice and beans and fresh homemade fluffy tortillas. We filled up on breakfast and then set off for our morning activity – the La Fortuna waterfall.

La Fortuna Waterfall

We drove through town and then along a meandering road, eventually pulling into the parking lot at the waterfall. This was definitely a well-trafficked tourist hot spot. After paying our entrance fees and a quick pit stop in the restrooms, we walked toward the trailhead and caught our first sight of the impressive waterfall. The visItor center is located high above the waterfall, so we would be descending over 500 stairs on our way down. Even from the overlook, we could see the power of the waterfall.

We took our descent at a moderate pace. It was easy enough going down, but we wanted to conserve energy because we knew we would have to take the same stairs back up eventually. At the bottom of the stairs, we went to a small viewing platform for the best view of the waterfall. All 230 ft of water was crashing down into a blue pool right before us, and we were so close that the mist was already dampening our clothes. We saw that people we actually swimming in the river right below the waterfall and thought “why not?!” We had to carefully climb across large, slippery rocks to get to the edge of the water. Then we found a safe rock for the kids to sit while Scott and I took turns swimming and taking pictures. The water was way too rough for the kids! There was even a guide on “lifeguard” duty who yelled at people swimming too far out. If we thought the waterfall seemed powerful from the overlook above, that was nothing compared to swimming in the water beneath!

After our adventure under the waterfall, we walked to another area of the park, just a little bit further downstream from the waterfall where the river bank is a nice sandy beach. We had gotten this tip from one of the guides at the visitor center. The river makes a sharp turn shortly after the waterfall and the water is calm and smooth right next to the beach. We all went for a swim here. The kids had fun playing on the smooth rocks in the river and chasing schools of fish. The water was a beautiful blue-green and so clear you could see your feet on the bottom and chilly but refreshing.

Now was the moment we had been dreading – walking back up those stairs. We dried off, put our shoes back on, and started our ascent. Happily, we managed it with only a couple breaks. It wasn’t that fun to do in wet swimsuits, but there wasn’t a place suitable for changing clothes down by the river. We used the changing rooms at the visitor center to get out of our wet swimsuits before heading back to the house. Our visit to the La Fortuna waterfall had taken most of the morning, but it was worth it to see such a beautiful waterfall and get to swim along side it.

Zip Lining

Our last planned activity for the La Fortuna area was one we had been excitedly anticipating all trip – zip lining! This is another popular activity in Costa Rica. Sailing along the zip lines through the rainforest is certainly a unique experience. We did a bunch of research and found a company that would accommodate all of us… they even take kids as young as TWO! Ecoglide Arenal Park is where we decided to go zip lining. Our reservations were in the early afternoon, and we pulled into the parking lot right on time. The location is easy to find, off the main highway in La Fortuna.

I cannot say enough good things about the team at Ecoglide. Right from check in, everyone was so friendly and fun and were so excited about taking the kids on their first zip line experience. We stored all of our belongings into lockers – and I mean everything – they have their own photographers so no need to try to juggle your own camera during the tour! All photos and videos were available for purchase at the end of the tour. It was very reasonable, I think around $30 for all footage (multiple phots and videos) of our family. Well worth it.

Next we got fitted into our harnesses, helmets, and gloves, and went on a practice zip line by the main office. We were surprised to learn that J was old enough to zip line by himself if he wanted to. Always up for an adventure, J excitedly agreed! A would have to zip line tandem with a guide, but that was perfectly fine with her. She is normally our more cautious child, so she was probably happy with that arrangement.

We rode the open air truck up into the mountainous rainforest, eventually reaching the first zip line. With the youngest kids on the tour, they let our family go first, and we had the BEST time! Both kids were grinning from ear to ear as they flew through the forest. I hadn’t been zip lining in many years, and I had forgotten how much fun it was. The guides were amazing at keeping the energy levels up and pointing out wildlife and interesting vegetation. We saw the shadow of a sloth high above us once, and a guide showed us which trees are best for sloth sightings because those are their favorite leaves. There were 11 zip lines total on the tour, each of them ranging in length. Most were in the dense rainforest but the last few were in more of an open field, providing a different landscape to admire. There was even one platform between cables that was built directly into a massive Ciebo tree. It was one of the biggest trees I’ve ever seen, and the platform held about 20 people at a time! I was so incredibly proud of my big, brave kids, and to this day, they still talk about zip lining in Costa Rica!

Still riding high on the excitement of zip lining, we did a little bit of souvenir shopping in town before we headed back to the house to clean up. For our last night in La Fortuna, we ate dinner at a local soda, a typical local Costa Rican restaurant – Soda Las Flores. The restaurant was relaxed and inviting, just what we were looking for. Scott and I both ordered different casado dishes. Casados are a typical Costa Rican dish usually made of a protein, rice, beans, a type of salad, and fried plantains. Our meals were delicious and we quickly learned that when in doubt, order a casado!

Day 4

It was bittersweet waking up on our last morning in La Fortuna. We had an amazing time in the area and at the AirBnB. The house caretaker was a lovely woman and we would miss her too. Another delicious homemade breakfast was the perfect send off from the house. We planned to pack up and hit the road mid-morning. We had a 6 hour drive to get to Quepos and wanted time to enjoy our next destination before it got dark.

That was our plan.

Unfortunately things took a turn when I heard A pitifully whine, “something is wrong with my body”… and then she promptly threw up. Yes, we were now dealing with a stomach bug. While taking care of our little patient, we finishing packing, loaded the car, and said our goodbyes. Poor A wasn’t feeling well, but we still had to head out.

We knew the drive from La Fortuna to Quepos was going to take us through the mountains and be a long drive, but we really didn’t fully grasp what we were getting into. The route through the mountains was full of curves and steep inclines and declines. We were surrounded by clouds at times because of the high altitude, which came with a lot of ear popping too. There were several times that Scott and I were holding our breath because it felt like the car wouldn’t make it to the top of some hills. Even I was feeling a little car sick, and I wasn’t the one with a stomach bug.

A was miserable. It should not have been a surprise when she eventually got sick all over herself and the car seat. Scott pulled to the side of the road immediately. So there we were, on a remote road in the middle of these mountains, trying to clean up A… and clean up the car… and change her clothes… and hold it together so the kids didn’t see how stressed we were. Thanks to the pandemic, we had a surplus of antibacterial wipes on hand to help with the clean up, and eventually we got back on the road. A seemed to be feeling a little better so we hoped we could make it to our next stop before any more similar incidents.

Of course, once we started driving, we realized the steepest part of our drive was still in front of us. This was the last mountain that we needed to cross, but getting to the top was so intense. Every turn brought us to another incline that seemed steeper than the last. Whyyyy didn’t we get four wheel drive? Whyyyy did we take the “shortcut” through the mountains instead of the slightly longer tollroad highway? Scott and I did our best to hide our nervousness from the kids. As soon as we reached the top of the last incline, we let out a sigh of relief. I guess the kids had still picked up on the tension because just then, A exclaimed “UUUUNSTOPPABLE!” And just like that, the tension dissipated as we laughed at her perfect timing.

Crocodile Bridge

Thankfully the drive would be smooth sailing from here on. About two thirds of the way to our destination, we crossed a bridge that spanned a large river. The bridge is known as Crocodile Bridge because of the dozens of crocodiles that live in the river underneath. It has become a popular stopping point for tourists traveling from San Jose to the Pacific coast, and we parked along the side of the road to join the crowd gawking at the crocodiles below. We passed busy souvenir shops and makeshift concession stands before we reached the bridge. The railing on the bridge is sturdy but does not offer much security for young kids because of the large gaps between the rails. We held on tight to hands the whole time.

I wasn’t sure how impressive this stop would be. I didn’t know if we’d be guaranteed to see any crocodiles, but wow, it did not disappoint. We saw at least 20 crocodiles in the water and on the sand bar below. They were a range of sizes, a couple massive ones. Most of them were sun bathing, some swimming around. We even saw two crocodiles fight at one point. The kids were very impressed, so I consider this a very successful and easy stop. Lots of bang for your buck.

Shortly after the bridge, we reached the coast and the Pacific Ocean stretched before us. We stopped for lunch overlooking the beach and finished our drive down the coast to Quepos. By the time we arrived at the Costa Verde resort, it was full on raining. Sigh. Quepos and the resorts outside of it are located up on a cliff that overlooks the ocean, and I could tell that if the weather had cooperated, the sunset would be magnificent.