4 Adventures in Costa Rica to Help You Overcome Your Fears

One of the best parts about traveling is that it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Whether it's sampling a foreign food, learning a new language or diving into a new experience, traveling offers countless opportunities for expansive personal growth—if you are willing to embrace them.

If you are particularly keen on experiencing new adventures that challenge you both physically and mentally, then you can’t go wrong with Costa Rica. No matter what your personal trepidations, you are bound to find an activity that will help you to face and conquer them. Ready to take the challenge? Below are four of our favorite adventures in Costa Rica that have helped us to overcome a few fears of our own.

Concur Your Fear of Heights Via Zip Line

Photo: Preparing to zip in Costa Rica

Afraid of heights? It's time to take your feet off the ground and get soaring through the trees of secondary cloud forest. We took our high-flying zip line adventure in Monteverde. Our hearts were pounding and our knees were shaking as we slowly stepped into our harnesses to climb the first tower. We were going a lot higher than anticipated! But with some simple instructions and gentle encouragement from our guide, we were soon zooming down the lines.

Slowly we became more comfortable with the feeling of soaring above the trees, allowing ourselves to enjoy the canopy view as we zoomed past. The last of the fifteen zip lines carried us a full kilometer past what was the most beautiful view of the Monteverde Cloud Forest imaginable. It wasn’t easy to face our fear of heights, but it was oh so worth it.

Squash Your Fear of Creepy Crawlies By Hiking Corcovado National Park

PHOTO: Hiking in Corcovado National Park

Spiders and snakes and bugs, oh my! If it’s creepy crawlies you fear, then there's no better place on Earth to push you out of your comfort zone than the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park. I’m terribly afraid of eight legged creatures, of which there are plenty in the jungle.

On one of our night hikes, a massive tarantula crawled across the path just in front of our feet. Although terrifying at first, once we remembered it wasn’t actually a bloodthirsty man-hunter, it wasn’t so bad after all. It also helped that while facing our fear of bugs and the likes, we also had the opportunity to see cuter animals like toucans, monkeys, macaws and sloths.

We stayed at the eco-luxury lodge Casa Corcovado, just outside the park boundaries. It struck the perfect balance of “eco” while also providing all the necessities one would expect from a luxury lodge in the middle of the jungle. The bungalows were large and spacious, with wood-beamed ceilings, shutters, and stained glass crafted by Costa Rican artisans—and did a relatively good job of keeping those creepy crawlies out in the jungle where they belong. It’s impossible to imagine a more relaxed place to come back to after a long day of hiking and facing fears in the jungle.

Get Over Your Fear of Embarrassment While Learning to Surf

PHOTO: You will get wet.

Hate being embarrassed? Well, you're in luck! One of the best ways to make a fool out of yourself is by face-planting off a surfboard into the crashing waves below. Beginners can rejoice in Costa Rica as there are loads of breaks that are perfectly fit for newbies who want to learn to surf.

It can get frustrating (and sometimes even be dangerous) when learning to surf, so it’s important to have a great and patient teacher. Casey learned to surf with Lucero Surf Retreats in Santa Teresa, and she found her teacher to be incredibly supportive. Within a couple of days she was standing up and riding waves all the way in to the shore, although admittedly it did take a few embarrassing wipeouts to get there! When you have photos like these though, other embarrassing incidents just don’t seem all that bad.

For Everything Else, There's Yoga

PHOTO: Yoga can turn your life upside-down

Costa Rica boasts one of the widest arrays of yoga studios and classes, with everything from backpacker-friendly yoga hostels to all-inclusive eco-luxury immersions. With no standing army and an overwhelming abundance of nature, it's only natural that yoga, a practice rooted in spirituality and harmony, would thrive in such a Zen place.

Traveling through Costa Rica solidified Casey’s deep love for yoga, and actually inspired her to go deeper into her practice by taking an immersion yoga teacher training program in Costa Rica. Surrounded by the jungle and able to see the ocean from her downward dog, it’s the perfect way to work on lingering fears and anxiety and instead embrace spiritual, mental and physical growth.

These are just a handful of the adrenaline-pumping adventures that await in Costa Rica, but we can’t forget about horseback riding, white water rafting, canyoning and more! No matter what your fear, there is bound to be an activity in Costa Rica to help you overcome it. All it takes is you saying yes to the challenge!

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