Eco-Adventure in Costa Rica

Rio Celeste, Costa Rica

Anyone looking for adventure in Costa Rica? One of our contacts recently told us about Endgame Adventures, founded in 2008. Featuring four programs and a full-season summer expedition based on health and wellness, academics, surf and performance fitness. Camp programs offer natural excusions and personal growth to restore mind, body and soul. Think: mountain hiking, waterfall tours, stand up paddle boarding, surfing, boogieboarding, canopy tours, boxing, yoga and even Capoeira. All adventures include healthy meal plans, full access to beachfront surfspots, 24-hour chaperones and hosts, local guides, wellness training, Spanish immersion, two 60-minute daily sessions of essay writing, revisions and editing, photographic opportunities, and exploring indigenous communities. Each adventure camp is held in one, two, three and four-week intervals and feature a plethora of activities coupled with new experiences of raw nature.

A group of young adventurers chillin’ after dinner

Surf and service adventure camps allow individuals to partake in Costa Rica’s natural surf and assisting primary school students.  From providing 21 hours per week of service in a Costa Rican Sea Turtle hatchery to servicing students to become more responsible, define future goals and build self-confidence, individuals are exposed to the synergy of service and the connection to the environment. Held in singular or group formats, guests can select from four programs: health and wellness, academic, service and surf or performance fitness.

We worked for a similar program after college graduation and have to say…  it was life changing. So why not monkey around too?

Programs range from $2,500 for one week to $10,000 for the entire summer.

http://www.endgameadventures.com 

Lost Hotels Brings Eco-Adventure to Last Minute Deal Hungry Travellers

Hukumeizi - Colombia

“Be a traveler, not a tourist.”

Embodying this mantra, we just uncovered Lost Hotels, a website that intends to unite a sense of adventure with cultural destinations, nature and authentic experiences. Here, travelers will taste the local beer and food, experience local customs, test out the native tongue, make new friends and garner stories.

Tango Mar Pool - Costa Rica

Each week, time-sensitive deals to unique destinations curated by Lost Hotel’s staff of world travelers are extended to subscribers via e-mail or by visiting www.losthotels.com. Think independent and green properties, small-to-medium size, cool urban boutique hotels, Amazon jungle lodges and expedition cruises. This isn’t Paris in spring at Ritz. This is Tango Mar in Costa Rica, Sacha Lodge in the Amazon rainforest, Ariau Amazon Towers in Brazil, Titilaka in Bolivia, Hukumeizi and Casa Navegante in Colombia and Casa del Suizo in Ecuador.

Brazil's Ariau Amazon Hotel

In addition to its weekly deals, Lost Hotels will offer a travel guru service, where experts help plan getaways to any of its properties. This service includes being matched with a trip authority, mapping out the stay, finding accommodations and booking these suggestions at the best available rates. Lost Hotels was founded in 2000 by Ernesto Ruben under the name Ecorepublic. Ruben, who grew up in Colombia, longed to offer travelers a chance to explore unspoiled nature and cultural enrichment through quality accommodations.

Casa del Suizo - Ecuador

Former Groupon Colombia executive Jonathan Dreszer, Lost Hotels’ chief marketing officer, joined the team and in 2004, Ecorepublic transformed into Lost Hotels, the online resource for travels looking for the road less traveled. Currently, Lost Hotels is debuting its products in the Americas and the Caribbean. Other worldwide destinations are soon to follow.

So grab your camera and your sense of adventure. It’s time to get lost!

www.losthotels.com

Rainforest Adventures

Costa Rica Zip Lining

I was made for the jungle and the jungle, baby, the jungle… she was made for me. Her symphonic sounds, her riotous curves, her mountainous valleys. Plus, I’m about the only person I know who actually likes it when it’s hot and humid. My skin is clearer, my hair is bouncier, and my body begins to blossom like the frisky little bud that it is.

So, any chance I can get to frolic in the jungle (or the sea near the rain forest), you can pretty much count me in… which is why I like Rain Forest Adventures, a collection of five eco-adventure parks located in Costa Rica, Jamaica, Dominica and St. Lucia. So why not discover the persona of each park?

Costa Rica Atlantic is a misty jungle nucleus with rugged trails for an off-the-map adventure. Costa Rica Pacific sits on a sunny mountain with views of the Pacific Ocean from the Aerial Tram. Dominica, located on the Nature Island, features a daunting suspension bridge over the 300-foor drop Breakfast River Gorge.

Jamaica found inspiration from the original Jamaican Bobsled team and features a Rainforest Bobsled ride. St. Lucia is the ultimate family escape and thrills with the Adrenaline zip line course. All work well with my philosophy, my physique (and my pelo). Each destination combines adventure with enlightenment, simultaneously showcasing and protecting the rainforest and its precious eco-system. Experience the rainforest canopy from a bird’s eye view on the parks’ signature Aerial Tram (which are handicap accessible). Gondolas ride high into the jungle, led by a naturalist guide who illustrates flora, fauna and bird life. Zip line courses are thrilling for the adventure set (like moi). Hiking trails and bird watching, butterfly, frog and snake gardens… all available for that curious jungle seeker in you. The parks were built on a principle of sustainability, integrated into every aspect from construction, including daily water recycling so we give them a big thumb’s up and a little shake of our tail.  Price point for Aerial Tram: $46-$64 Adult ($27.50 – $64)

www.rainforest-adventures.com

Are you a Smart Voyager?

Costa Rica: Lapa Rios Tropical Adventure

We think if you’re on our site reading this, chances are, you’re not only one sexy babe, but you’re also a smart traveler. To that end, we wanted to share this fall travel deal.  Check it:

Wildland Adventures opens two of its global classrooms with, in these tough times, value added packages. We likey (and, apparently, so do those cute kiddies).

Explore the Galapagos living laboratory until the end of November aboard the popular Smart Voyager certified yachts the Eric, Flamingo or Letty, and save up to $500.00 per person. The voluntary Smart Voyager program minimizes impact on the fragile Galapagos eco-system and contributes to habitat conservation. Travelers learn from naturalist guides how exotic and bizarre wildlife evolved over time, then explore by sea kayak, hike cinder cones, experience lava flows, and snorkel the crystal-clear Ecuadorian waters.  Take us with you! The Galapagos 11-day package starts at US$3,795.00 for adults and $3,195.00 for kids before the added $500 savings. Families can also book a private Galapagos charter, December 24 to January 3, starting at $3,750.00 per person.

Costa Rica’s rainforests have also long been a favorite classroom for flora, fauna and wildlife lovers.  So, from now until December 14, 2010, travellers can save up to $225.00 per person on a premiere Costa Rican  Lapa Rios Tropical Adventure; offering a nine-day immersion into the rainforest, with accommodation at one of the most beautiful eco-lodges in the world. Travelers also get the opportunity to witness several species of wildcats, and learn how to keep them protected. Between November 28 to December 14, you can participate in the Wildcat Research and Conservation to work with local researchers fighting to protect theses amazing animals.  We sure love dem kittehs. Package rates start at $2,975.00 per person, before the added savings.

Rarhhh.

www.wildland.com