Q-and-A: Costa Rica for Families
Jun 1st, 2010 by wwftravel
Rafting on the Tenorio River. © Elissa Poma / WWF-US
WWF’s Elissa Poma accompanied our most recent Costa Rica for Families tour. For more than a week, she and families with children ranging from 8 to 17 explored Poas Volcano, the Monteverde cloud forest and beaches at Guanacaste in the eco-friendly Central American nation. We sat down with Elissa to talk about her experiences.
Why is Costa Rica an ideal destination for children?
It was clear to me that Costa Ricans seem to love children and have welcoming arms open to them throughout the country. They instill in their own children a caring obligation to protect the environment, and they seem very enthusiastic about foreign visitors learning in their country, too.
And I felt like all of the locals we met really took pleasure in watching children learn or marvel at a colorful bird or watch a lovely sunset. It was inspiring to observe.
What were some of the highlights?
By far, the zip lines. What a blast! Of course everyone was a little nervous but excited in anticipation of the first zip ride – I think there were 15 or 20 during the entire morning. It was fun to hear them shrieking with delight during that ride. They then went platform to platform through the cloud forest.
What I loved about this was the common shared experience – when the travelers were zipping through the forest, age didn’t matter – everyone enjoyed it the same. It was a wonderful bonding experience, and we took great photos, too.
I also thought the frog village we visited in Monteverde was pretty cool. It allowed us to see red-eyed tree frogs and other species that normally would be pretty difficult for us to spot. A group of us enjoyed getting up at sunrise in Monteverde and watching all the birds wake up and start their days. It was misty, and a bit chilly, and we felt like we had the forests to ourselves. The bird songs were lovely – really alerting our senses to hear this avian music we had never heard before.
Did the children enjoy seeing the Poas Volcano?
Poas looked like it was another planet, and it was such a mysterious place. The crater was shrouded in thick fog, and we patiently waited to see if the fog would lift. Just as the children started getting antsy, a glimmer of emerald green poked out from the clouds. It quickly but briefly dissipated, leaving us with a fleeting, but gorgeous view of the water-filled crater.
Howler monkey with baby © Elissa Poma / WWF-US
What was your favorite moment?
Of course I loved seeing crocodiles and the spiky Jesus Christ lizards while we rafted down the Tenorio River. But I absolutely loved the one unexpected surprise that happened one afternoon following lunch.
The hacienda where we dined was right off the Pan American Highway but backed up to a large expanse filled with hilly walking paths weaving between small groves of trees tangled with vines and branches. The children had eaten quickly and ran outside to play, as was expected. The adults lingered to chat and enjoy a second glass of wine and dessert.
But suddenly a group of boys ran back in to get the grown ups. Apparently, there was a large family of howler monkeys prowling along branches. The troupe had to number at least 20 monkeys, of all ages.
We all dashed out to watch them, following their treetop movements from the ground. They were as curious to watch us as we were to see them! The most amazing part, however, was noticing a mother howler monkey that seemed to have adopted an orphaned capuchin monkey. The small baby clung with all his might to the mother howler’s belly as she scrambled across the branches.
Our guide said he’s never seen anything like that.
Some of the drives—especially to Monteverde – can take a long time because the roads are so curvy and mountainous. How did the children fare during these road trips?
I don’t even think the kids noticed the long rides! We set up the back of the bus with coolers filled with healthy exotic juices, plaintain chips and other local snacks. Our youth coordinator was ready with loads of trivia and guessing games for them to play. They learned Spanish words and songs, too. We also watched nature videos, which the parents and grandparents enjoyed. Some children brought their own books or drawing pads or video games, so they played quietly on their own.
It was nice, because the parents could sit up front and enjoy the gorgeous views from the bus’s picture windows while the children were happily entertained. We were all so content.
Join our next Costa Rica for Families tour, December 26, 2010-January 2, 2011.
