Worldschooling works best when you slow travel, stay in one place long enough to live like a local, or at least a local expat, and get a feel for the country you’re in, the culture, and its rhythms. Plus, it’s cheaper. When you only have a week to see a place, you’re more likely to try and stuff as much in as possible, eat out constantly, and push a more punishing schedule. So, our motto for Costa Rica was to “live” here for three months and not act like we were on vacation.
Having said all that, we still wanted to experience a few of the top excursions in the country. Diamante Adventure Park came highly recommended by so many travelers and locals; it was first on our list. Man oh man, did it deliver!
Our excitement was real as we approached the Jurassic Park like entrance and drove up the long, steep hillside to the lodge.
Overlooking the vast park and blue Matapalo Bay, the lodge offers a delicious lunch featuring local dishes – black beans and rice, salad with passionfruit vinaigrette, braised pork, roasted vegetables, and caramelized plantains. You can just make out the ziplines past the balcony.
The well rounded matron of the buffet loaded our plates for us, ignoring my protests that it was too much, piling on more food than we could possibly eat. Actually, it was delicious, the plantains were caramelized sticky perfection, and we ate every bite.
Diamante is a famous adrenaline junkie’s paradise with jungle ATV tours, horseback riding, and five different ziplines, including Superman, the longest and highest in the country, but with our little ones in tow, we opted for the cultural pass instead.
After our ample lunch, we waddled out to the huge open-air passenger jeep and drove to the beginning of the botanical trail. After being attacked by a gang of mosquitos, we did a brisk walk past yuca, plantains, dozens of medicinal plants, cocoa trees, and sugar cane, ending at a traditional Puebla.
Jorge greeted us with a twelve-foot sugar cane then demonstrated how to juice it through a traditional hand-crank press. The girls loved it, and we all enjoyed shots of the delicious, not overly sweet liquid that was the original energy drink of the Ticos.
Jorge then went through the process of harvesting and roasting cocoa beans. We helped grind, tasting the different stages from gritty and bitter to smooth—but still bitter. He boiled unrefined sugar down to a thick brown mass, hardened it, then grated it, making scratch hot chocolate with a subtle earthy caramel flavor. So good. As was the coffee he prepared next, brewing it in a traditional wooden stand with a cloth liner. He was charming and funny and even kept the girls captivated for almost an hour.
Next up was the animal sanctuary, the largest in Costa Rica. We wandered through the beautifully landscaped grounds for two hours, oohing over sloths, butterflies, gigantic beetles, snakes, birds, crocodiles, monkeys, and jungle cats. Many of the animals were in open enclosures (oxymoron?) and were just as curious with us in the close proximity. The jaguar seemed to stalk the girls for a bit. Did it bother me? Nah. Did I pull them back from what I’m sure was incredibly strong protective glass when it yawned, exposing its dainty teeth? Yup.
Fifteen minutes before closing, Tim and I acquired a couple of chilled beers and kicked our feet up while the girls climbed, swung, and crawled through the jungle obstacle course, emulating all the animals in the park.
It was a great afternoon and well worth the price of about $200 for the four of us with lunch. We’ve promised Sev we’ll go back when our little adrenaline girl is big enough to do the Superman.
Sunshine Dunning 