Costa Rica Hike and Explore

SINGLE TRAVELERS: If you are traveling alone, you will feel at home with a welcoming group. If you would like to have your own room throughout the trip, you may purchase a single supplement for an additional fee.

MEALS: You will enjoy typical Costa Rican fare including rice, beans, eggs, cheese, fresh fruits and chicken, fish or beef. All meals are prepared for you. The water in Costa Rica is almost always safe to drink right out of the tap. We’ll enjoy happy hours but the purchase of alcoholic beverages is not included in the trip fees.

EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: You will need to provide your personal gear as outlined in the packing list.

MEDICATIONS: Please list all of your medications on your registration form. Consider bringing two sets of your medications: one set that can be kept with you, and another set that will be kept by your trip leaders. If you need assistance taking your medications, please explain on your registration form. Wilderness Inquiry will bring a collection of over-the-counter medications (ibuprofen, Advil, anti-nausea, etc.). 

CELL PHONES AND OTHER DEVICES: You are welcome to bring cell phones and other devices like cameras, but they are your responsibility to take care of. You may have inconsistent cell service, so we encourage you to unplug! Wilderness Inquiry is not responsible for any lost or broken electronic devices. 

SAFETY & EMERGENCIES WHILE ON TRAIL: All Wilderness Inquiry guides possess experience in administering First Aid, CPR, and Water Safety, carry fully-stocked first aid kits, GPS communication devices, and are trained on how to respond to emergencies while on trail. If a loved one is participating in a Wilderness Inquiry experience and you need to contact them due to an emergency, please call the Wilderness Inquiry main phone line at (612) 676-9400. We will work to get in contact with trip leaders as soon as possible.

COVID POLICY: We continue to monitor and update our COVID-19 policies. Wilderness Inquiry strongly encourages everyone to be fully up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccination and take other necessary steps for the health and wellness of all. We ask you to self-screen for any signs of illness before your trip’s departure. Please contact Wilderness Inquiry if you are exhibiting signs of illness. We will also continue to follow all guidance and requirements of locations that we travel, keeping in mind some international destinations do require vaccinations and/or negative COVID tests. We will update this policy as new information and guidance become available.

GROUP EXPECTATIONS: To facilitate a safe and inclusive environment where we can all come together as our true selves, feel supported, and enjoy the outdoors in community, we have developed community agreements that align with Wilderness Inquiry’s core values and brand promise. We ask that you review these before your adventure so you can help Wilderness Inquiry create an inclusive environment for all.

COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS AS WE ADVENTURE TOGETHER

☐ We are safety conscious so everyone can have fun!

☐ We seek to understand each other and celebrate our differences.

☐ We are curious, open-minded, and communicate respectfully.

☐ We are open to trying new things and pushing outside of our comfort zone.

☐ We support each other and collectively contribute to group tasks.

Costa Rica covers only 0.03% of the surface of the planet but supports about six percent of the world’s biodiversity. Visitors encounter beaches, rivers, mountains, and an abundance of flora and fauna.

The Caribbean region of Costa Rica provides a variety of aquatic ecosystems and its beautiful white and black sand beaches, providing a picturesque setting for activities such as sport fishing, snorkeling, and sunbathing. The Pacific coast offers some of Costa Rica’s most famous beaches for surfing.

Costa Rica boasts 20 national parks, eight biological reserves, and a wealth of other protected areas to enchant those who marvel at the wonders of nature. It draws eco-tourists from around the globe. Activities include horseback riding, hiking mountainous paths in the cloud forests, and guided bird-watching tours.

La Amistad International Park (PILA) ranks not only as the biggest natural park in Costa Rica with almost 200,000 hectares (almost 500,000 acres), but also the only bi-national park, created by the governments of Costa Rica and Panama in 1982. It could explain the name La Amistad, which means friendship in Spanish. The total extension of this amazing portion of protected land in both countries covers 401,000 hectares (nearly one-million acres), which covers a great variety of humid, rain and cloud forests in the Pacific and Atlantic sides, as well as indigenous reserves.

Species in great danger of extinction such as the jaguar, the largest feline in the Americas and third largest worldwide, live in the park as well as a great variety of wildlife. Many other species are found only in this giant rainforest, including 400 species of birds, 263 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 213 of mammals.

As part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Costa Rica’s volcanoes rank among the most mesmerizing volcanoes in the world. In fact, the present-day land mass known as Costa Rica resulted from complex volcanic activity that took place some 75 million years ago and still continues today.

Counting every location or crater where an eruption has occurred within its borders, Costa Rica volcanoes total a stunning 112 sites throughout the country. Most Costa Rica volcanoes and their surrounding areas have been made into national parks.

In 2009 the American Association of Civil Engineers declared the most important archeological site in Costa Rica, the Guayabo National Monument, located near Turrialba Volcano National Park, as a World Engineering Heritage. Guayabo is the third archaeological site in Latin America to receive this distinction after Machu Picchu and Tipón in Perú.

The reasons for such a designation are Guayabo’s over-700-year-old aqueduct, still functional today, and its calzada, a stone walkway used as a transit route and part of the drainage system. The calzada leads towards a ceremonial center, where visitors can still observe several mounds that at one time served as supports for the famous conical roofed straw and reed structures of South American influence. The stone commonly used in Guayabo to build a system of sidewalks and walls also helped prevent erosion and landslides. Guayabo also includes stone tombs decorated with pebbles, flagstones, and engravings or petroglyphs.

Ticos, as the modern people of Costa Rica now call themselves, are famously hospitable, and quite happily live up to this reputation. They seem well aware of their country’s special attributes, and they go out of their way to accommodate their visitors, sharing their culture, pointing out unique sights, and helping make their stay as enjoyable as possible.