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The selection of horseback excursions ranges from morning trail rides in the mountains above San Jose, which get you back to your hotel in after lunch, to all-day expeditions through the rain forest that will leave you walking like John Wayne.

Though you might not associate it with a tropical country, Costa Rica has quite a cowboy culture. The tradition is primarily based in the province of Guanacaste, one of the first parts of the country to be settled by the Spanish, where vast cattle ranches cover rolling hills and forest-draped volcanoes tower above it all.

Nevertheless, mountain resorts and nature lodges located all over the country offer horseback excursions, which can head through pastures, tropical forests, or down beaches, and often stopping at waterfalls and swimming holes.

Horseback tours are also excellent opportunities for bird watching and getting close to timid wildlife, and the people who lead them often have eagle eyes peeled for interesting critters

2. Hot Air Ballooning

For some people, a flight in a hot air balloon is a dream they've had for years, for others, it's something they've never even dreamed of. But for many visitors to Costa Rica, that dream has become a reality. And in Costa Rica, the excitement inherent in ballooning is complemented by unforgettable landscapes and close exposure to tropical nature.

Balloon flights have been offered to visitors for the past three years, with three possible flight routes to choose from.

The Naranjo flight -- the only one that can be done from a San Jose hotel -- takes passengers over coffee fields, farms and scenic towns as on the slopes of Poas Volcano. The San Carlos option heads over a private rain forest reserve, where the balloon floats slowly through the tree tops past flocks of parakeets, toucans and troops of monkeys.

The third option is a flight down the verdant Reventazon River Valley, over churning rapids and patches of wilderness. Multi-day packages can be offered. They combine ballooning with a variety of other outdoor diversions, such as rafting and mountain biking.

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