My family and I recently went on a long awaited family vacation to Costa Rica. Some time ago we had seen a television program highlighting all of the great adventures that destination held. For a family of nature freaks, such as we are, it seemed ideal and my family hasnt let me forget about it since.

Costa Rica, as the program described, is a small Central American country encompassing no more than 31,682 square miles. It is known for being peaceful and even gained a Nobel Peace prize for its efforts in brokering a peace accord in neighboring Central American countries where conflict existed. Over 12% of its land is protected and it is considered to have one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on the planet.

Our first stop on our itinerary was to be the cloud forest community of Monteverde. Monteverde, or Green Mountain as it were, was establish in 1951 by a group of Quakers who were attracted to Costa Rica after it had abolished its army in 1949. Then around 1970, as the story goes, a scientist by the name of George Powel came to Monteverde and explained to them the significance of the Cloud Forest ecosystem they had settled in. They then began protecting the land around the community and the rest is, as they say, history.

The drive up the mountain, as it turns out, was to be our first adventure. They views are stunning as you rise from sea level to 4,500 ft in elevation where Monteverde nestles into the mountain top. The road itself is quite narrow and more than a little harrowing but the destination is well worth the ride.

Our first planned activity was, as it turns out, our very best. We woke to an impossible chorus of birds and after finishing breakfast, were picked up by a driver and shuttled up to a place called Selvatura. To say that Selvatura offers canopy tours would be a gross understatement. They not only offer zipling but also a series of suspended bridges, a butterfly garden, an insect museum and more.

With all that Selvatura had to offer, we still had no trouble deciding that our first stop was going to be the ziplines. Fortunately, Selvatura is also known for incredibly high safety standards so I wasnt worried about my familys safety as we embarked on our high flying adventure through the forest canopy. The sensation of soaring through the forest canopy and the birds eye view of the rainforest splendor was something my family and I will always remember.

While in Monteverde we tried to fit in about as much as humanly possible. We rode horseback to a nearby look out for the Arenal Volcano which is active and perfect in its symmetry. We also enjoyed hiking in the local reserves and even ventured out on a night hike through the Childrens Eternal Rainforest. After leaving Monteverde, we headed south to an area of lush wilderness bountiful wildlife and pristine beaches and then on to the Caribbean; practically a country in itself with its own distinctive culture and personality.

As our plane took off and the beauty of Costa Rica faded into the distance, we discussed the favorite parts of our journey. It was fairly unanimous that the ziplines had won but the competition was stiff. After all, how do you choose one extraordinary adventure over another?