Peñas Blancas by Kayak: Crocodiles, Basilisks and Tita Yolanda's Kitchen

A kayak rather than a raft, on a river 15 minutes from downtown La Fortuna that holds enough resident wildlife to be treated as an animal sanctuary. A naturalist guide collects you from your hotel. What lives along the Peñas Blancas: monkeys, alligators and crocodiles, the Jesus Christ lizard, which really does run across the surface of the water, sloths, turtles and a long list of birds. It is half a day, at a pace that works for a whole family. The tour ends at Tita Yolanda's house, La Cocina de Tita Yolanda. There is a walk through her garden covering coffee, chocolate and sugar cane, and what those three crops mean to the country, followed by a typical snack and a tasting of what the plants end up as. One request from the operator: bring your own water bottle.