A few hours North of San Jose, Costa Rica are the small towns of La Fortuna and Arenal which are known as the basecamp for many adventures such as rafting, mt biking, trekking, bird watching, hot springs and watching lava come off of Arenal Volcano at night.
One of the coolest day trips is to zipline through old-growth rainforest 600 feet in the air. You'll see and hear howler monkeys, see toucans and more... You'll take a safety class with SKYTREK, get outfitted with helmets, gloves and a harness before you take a tram up to the first of ten ziplines.. You hook up and the ride is breathtaking through the upper canopy of primal rainforest! Very safe and reputable company with a spotless track record. (506) 2479 9944 - info@skytrek.com
After your zipline adventure, have dinner at small town of Forutuna at one of the many small travel restaurants in the backpacker-esque town.... Then hit one of the famous natural hot springs just on the edge of town. A great one I have spent many a night soaking in is Tabacon hot springs. The springs will set you back about $40usd, dinner included, but the quality is excellent compared to some of the other hot springs in the area. www.tabacon.com
-Remember to take a little camera/video to strap to your arm or chest while zipping down the lines!