Guest Hook Travel Guides Costa Rica's Southern Zone | Page 5

5 EXPERIENCES YOU CANNOT MISS... 1 Visit the Secret Beach... 2 Horseback to Nauyaca Falls... 3 High Adventure... 4 Swim With the Fishes... 5 The Whales Tail... With so many beaches you don’t want to miss the best and most secluded - our hidden beach Ventanas. Just 10 minutes from Villa Mariposa. This is a picturesque sandy beach, studded with palm trees in a small bay formed by the mountain rolling into the ocean on each side. Playa Ventana, which means Windows Beach, is named for the caverns carved into the mountainside that look into the ocean. At low tide, walk through tunnels to the ocean! After playing in the surf and exploring the caves, you can rinse yourself off in the fresh-water lagoon near the middle of the beach. When you get here I'll tell you how to find it!! I highly recommend this wonderful day trip for the whole family. It takes you on horseback to the magnificent Nauyaca Falls where you can swim in natural pools surrounded by tropical jungle or jump from the falls into the natural pool. You ride through the lush jungle to Don Lulo’s home for a delicious and typical Costa Rican breakfast. You can get up close to the tame toucans and macaws for great photo ops. After exploring and enjoying the falls you will return to Don Lulo’s for a wonderful lunch. We have done a number of canopy tours and the Osa Canopy Tour is the most adventurous, and the people who run it are great. The high jungle setting on the side of a mountain is wonderful for gliding over the tops of trees with huge vistas. You'll experience nature on the high platforms and thrills in the air. For the truly adventurous, along with the zip-lines, there is an amazing "Tarzan" swing. They also offer a separate Waterfall Repelling Tour with 3 waterfalls, with one over 250 feet high! The Caño Island National Reserve is an hour's boat ride away, offering some of the best snorkeling & scuba diving in Costa Rica. Snorkeling we have seen coral reefs, colorful marine life including stingrays, dolphins, sea turtles. Others have even seen sharks! Then enjoy lunch and relaxing on the beach. Skin Diver magazine rated this site as among the best in the world and one of the newest hot spots for adventure diving. We highly recommend Mystic Dive, run by our neighbors, to take you there. Let Cumarie know we sent you! Playa Uvita is another hidden beach, but not in the way you expect. At low tide you can walk the Whales Tail, a sandbar which becomes visible and looks like a whale's tail, disappearing at high tide. Quite the experience to walk out on the tail, with the ocean lapping up both sides, then turn around and get a great view of the coastline. Just check the tide tables. You can even see the Whales Tail from Villa Mariposa!