So lets's start with, I am a road cyclist. When my husband recommended riding ATVs in Costa Rica, I was a little apprehensive. I am not a daredevil. I don't like heights. And the list goes on in terms of what I do not do, but I did it! Our tour with Destiny Travel Costa Rica consisted of an ATV ride and a trip to the beach.
The folks at Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park started our ATV ride with a test course to make sure that you are comfortable on the ATV. The waiver that I signed said that if you do not pass the test course or are not comfortable after the test course, you could opt out. I immediately thought, yes! Well, who knew that I would love riding an ATV? I opted in and did the entire two hour ride. Steers like a bike, but with a motor.
The trails are well defined and our leader John was awesome! The key is follow the leader because they know the trails intimately. And I mean every rock and dip along the trail. One would think that it is not important to know every rut in the road, but when the road is pulling the front of the ATV and you are going through water with boulders coming out of the ground, it helps to know the course well. I stayed in line with John, our leader, through every turn. The whole throttle thing took some getting used to but eventually I settled in to the timing of applying the throttle.
About an hour into the the ride, John, said that were were going to park the ATVs and walk for a bit. What I learned in Costa Rica, is that when someone says that you will walk for a bit, it usually means climbing.
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A little video of the descent out of the forest.
In true Costa Rican form, the ATV ride ended on top of a mountain. As I said, I do not do heights. Imagine my surprise as we continued to climb in the ATVs! I stayed super focused on the trail and totally ignored the fact that there was no railing as we continued to climb. Admittedly, the climb up was not as bad as the descent. At this point we were on roads with other traffic and it was downhill holding the brakes for the entire descent.
The next part of our tour took us to the black sand beaches of Jaco Beach along with an exquisite lunch.
It was a great day and I am glad that I tried something new. I have to thank my husband who kept reassuring me that if I could ride a bike, I could ride an ATV. Costa Rica is the place to expand and try something different. From ATVs, to ziplines, to hanging bridges, you can try it in Costa Rica. Much thanks to our guide Abdul!
