ckwald

I enjoy reading everyone's posts here on your visits to Costa Rica, but I am getting the impression that everybody is in his/her 20s-30s and in great physical shape. Oh boy, is that not who we are! But we love what we've read here & elsewhere about visiting CR and are hoping we can visit and at least have a sampling of the richness of wildlife and scenery this country offers, though we are not really able to hike, zip through the canopies, and all that other good stuff. So what do you guys think? Are we kidding ourselves, or should we go?

LvL

OK it is really all a state of mind! We are in our early 50s, in relatively good shape, love the outdoors and will go about anywhere, as long as it is tried and true (in other words, many have gone before and there an "out" somewhere in case we are out of our league). We have been planning our Costa Rica trip for 3 months now and are set to go in mid-March for 10 days. We do love hiking and hope to get into some real rainforest environment, but anyone who can walk can experience the beauty of nature, esp. I think in CR. We have never tried zipping through the canopy but we sure are willing to give it a go. We also love the beach, R&R, new foods and cultures and the power and beauty of nature. So, go for it! I think you will find something to blow your mind away regardless of the shape you are in!

tbelgian

No, not at all. There's tons of stuff that you can do in Costa Rica. Last time we visited we spent the first night in San Jose. The next day we were picked up for a really interesting trip to Tortugaro. The trip was not challenging at all. We rode in boats through canals and saw incredible wildlife. The most strenuous thing we did was walk back from town, which we did not have to do. We could have taken the boat back. There was a bit of a hike into the rain forest but it was not difficult at all...very slow pace and mostly talking and looking. We could have turned back at any time. Probably the hardest thing was getting used to the heat and humidity. You can see Arenal and soak in the hot springs. You may not want to hike to the various waterfalls but there probably are some that are not hard to get to. I've only been once but I'm sure there are many others on this thread that can add a lot to my post. If you want to go, go for it.

dfarmer

Ok I want to jump in this one!

I am near 50 and my husband just over 60 and we love CR. So NO, nowhere near 20 or even 30!

Yes he has ziplined and wants to waterfall rapel this year, but he is much braver than me.

We very much enjoyed Tortuguero - ditto everything tbelgian wrote.

When we were in Monteverde, we walked around the beautiful cloudforest at our own pace, it was worth ever step.

Arenal we did a night hike, but you can go in a vehicle. Lots to do in Arenal for you.

We have hiked to various waterfalls, again at our own pace.

We have waterwater rafted and floated on beautiful rivers.

And sometimes, we just laze away in a hammock and read.

So no you are not kidding yourself, keep researching, CR has something for everyone!

I would suggest walking for a few months before you go, or use the treadmill or whatever, just to get you in shape for the amount of walking you are going to want to do. It is a beautiful country and you just want to get to it all.

Jessie_

Read my response under the posting Realistic Advice. Costa Rica is for everyone. You could easily do a day trip up to La Paz waterfall gardens. My goodness, it is so beautiful just sitting there watching the hummingbirds. The hike down to look at the waterfalls is just that...a hike down. There is transportation to get back up to the hotel/entrance area.

Don't know what your budget is but there are places to go that are amazing on their own. I am sure you have seen the reports on Bosque del Cabo. You can sit and nature comes to you. There are lovely areas to just stroll around and see a huge number of wonderful birds. As much or as little hiking available as you want.

Arenal Paraiso, relax in the volcano heated pool and watch the volcano (weather permitting of course) go kaboom.

Slow wildlife rides in boats. Tortuguero, Cano Negro, Rio Sarapiqui.

Along the coast are beautiful sunsets either on land or by boat.

Go for it!

cuchi

There is not much left I can say after reading all the posts.
I am happy to know everybody is happy after their visits to my country, and I can tell you they are definetely right, Costa Rica has something for everybody, it doesn´t matter age, sex or phisical condition. You can visit Sarapiqui, Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and one of our beautiful beaches either at the Pacific or Caribbean and you will love it.
There are lots of activities for everybody: from soft hking tours to zip line canopy tours and white water rafting and of course, you can not miss the visit to hot springs in Arenal. I highly recommend the Eco Termales.
So, do not think it over...and come visit us...you won´t regret it.
Pura Vida...

poss

I'm early 60's, my husband is 74. Just back from a fine trip to CR (our first). We stayed at "high end" properties and didn't do zip lines, etc. If you read my various posts, half dozen or so, and it sounds to you as if I might be able to help with more details, give a shout and I will be back with as many answers as I can supply. (Just type in "poss" and the search engine will bring up my postings.) We are in "good physical shape," by the way-- but not "20's, 30's" shape.

patga

Go to Costa Rica. My husband and I are in our late 50's. He has had 2 heart attacks and several stents to correct blockages to arteries. Visit Arenal and Manuel Antonio. We have made final plans for our 3rd trip this May. We are staying at Montana de Fuego in Arenal and La Mariposa in Manuel Antonio. We have stayed at different places in both locations. Go. You will fall in love with Costa Rica as we have. My husband wants to live there 6 months out of the year but I can't tear myself away from my grandchildren yet.

poss

Remember that there are a number of aerial tram tours in CR-- a nice way to get a sense of the rain or cloud forest without having to hike strenuous trails. But remember, too, that many many of the trails are simple ones-- and simply beautiful. (And in places like Villa Caletas and Peace Lodge and Xandari you can soak up the incredible beauty from the privacy and comfort of your villa or the splendid pools.)

orangetravelcat

I think we are destined to go to Costa Rica! Just change the 60's to 50's, and it could describe my husband and I. I just started looking at websites about CR last night; never really thought about going there before And then I come to this forum (I never read the Latin American forum) and the first post could be about us! We have our vacations planned for 2005 but definitely want to go to CR in 2006. It is destiny!

ckwald

Thanks, all you guys! Going to start some serious resarch now and will be back, I'm sure, with questions.