HomeTopicsTravel and TourismEveryday Adventures in Costa Rica: Tree Climbing in the Osa Peninsula

Everyday Adventures in Costa Rica: Tree Climbing in the Osa Peninsula

I was in the Osa Peninsula’s Matapalo, which means “strangler fig,” so what the heck, I agreed to climb 68 feet up a strangler fig and be yanked off the tree into a Tarzan swing that felt like free-falling from heaven to earth. What’s the worst that could happen?

As you can see from this video, I survived, but not without a moment of breathless terror.

Andy Pruter, the U.S. adventurer who affixed the ropes to the tree to make this climb possible, lives here and runs Everyday Adventures, offering both tree climbing and waterfall rappelling.

I watched him lose a hard-fought game of chess above a stunning beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, so I know he’s not infallible. But when life and limb are in play, the ropes hold, and the tourists survive.

Everyday Adventures charges between $45 and $120 for adventures like this. Do it and send the pictures to your friends back home. You’re going to like the way you look. And you’ll live to tell about it.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Could Lose 24-Hour Tsunami Monitoring Over University Cuts

Costa Rica's tsunami warning center says it will stop round-the-clock monitoring of the country's coasts on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the government and lawmakers...

Costa Rica Megaprison to Limit Conjugal Visits to 30 Minutes Every Six Months

Costa Rica's CACCO megaprison takes its first inmates Monday under strict new visit rules.

Harry Kane Wins the Ballon d’Or, England’s First Winner in 25 Years

Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or in London after a 73-goal season for Bayern Munich and England, becoming the first English winner since 2001.

US Surveillance Plane Helps Costa Rica Seize 1.5 Tons of Cocaine Off Osa

A US surveillance aircraft helped Costa Rican authorities track a speedboat carrying about 1.5 metric tons (roughly 3,300 pounds) of cocaine off the Osa...

Costa Rica Begins New Prison Transfer Phase as CACCO Opens to Inmates

Costa Rica was scheduled to begin moving prisoners into its new maximum-security facility today, marking the next step in the government's effort to tighten...

Planned US Embassy Visit Leads to Arrest of Man Wanted in Georgia

A man wanted in Georgia was detained in Costa Rica after US authorities flagged a planned visit to the US Embassy.

Bukele Says Remains Handed Over in Haiti Do Not Belong to Missing Salvadoran Technicians

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele stated that human remains delivered to Salvadoran forces at a Haitian airport do not belong to the four aviation...

Panama Canal Sets Cargo Record Amid Hormuz Closure Despite El Niño

The Panama Canal handled a record volume of cargo, driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, despite traffic...

Canadian Woman Dies at Costa Rica Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, OIJ Investigates

Costa Rican authorities are investigating the death of a 57-year-old Canadian woman at a cosmetic surgery clinic in San José. The woman had reportedly returned for a follow-up appointment after undergoing a procedure earlier in October.
Loading…

Latest News from Costa Rica

Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Car Rentals
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel