Pura Vida in Costa Rica
With that said, a holiday including a healthy dose of nature and wildlife is always a good place to start for me, and of course these are promised by the bucket load in Costa Rica. It’s a destination that’s been on my radar for some time, pipped to the post a few years ago by Guatemala and Belize as a more cost-effective alternative, but with relaxed entry requirements already in place this year it felt like the right time to go.
With my enquiries busier than ever at the start of the year (thank you!), relatively little time to plan thanks to a late booking, and fancying some company, I opted to join an Intrepid Travel small group tour – an easy option for enjoying a selection of the best bits, travelling with a group of like-minded people and a tour leader available to do most of the thinking for me. It was the right choice! Our tour leader, Luz, was a pocket rocket of fun and knowledge, and our group of 16 were soon like old friends sharing belly laughs and giggles every day. So much fun!
And Costa Rica really is a fabulous place, living up to its reputation with stunning beaches, lush rainforest, and the richest biodiversity. For me, of course, the nature was a highlight, too plentiful to list in full but some of my best bits were:
• the excitement of the day 1 boat journey to Tortuguero NP – spotting our first caiman, followed by lizards, turtles, wading birds, iguanas, river otters … • an early morning canoe trip through the black water canals of Tortuguero NP with entertainment provided by a family of spider monkeys looping through and playing in the branches above, followed by the almost spooky, ethereal quiet of the channels formed by buttress roots and hanging vines, home to lizards, birds, and camouflaged caimans • Tortuguero generally, I loved the chilled, Caribbean vibes and dusty streets • watching troupes of howler monkeys traversing the treetops of the National Park, feeling very relieved when an older group member finally spotted the little one too frightened to jump the gap on its own • spotting colourful toucans (and recognising their calls like a pro) • the riotous sounds of the birds and insects at sunset • the sunsets! • the sky-blue waters of Rio Celeste • being mesmerised by a hummingbird flitting busily between the trees and shrubs in front of our rooms • hanging out in the hot pools near La Fortuna, with a few fruity cocktails and an impromptu poolside salsa lesson (thank you, Luz!) • early morning sloth spotting! Through a telescope as they were too sleepy to come down to say hi, but I did see a mum and baby having a little sleepy stretch, which was the cutest thing! • finding a break in the clouds to enjoy the views from the Cloud Forest at Monteverde and spotting an elusive quetzal! SO happy • sunbathing and wave jumping at the beautiful beaches at Manuel Antonio NP • spotting teeny tiny squirrel monkeys zip through the trees overhead from our lunch stop • seafood extravaganzas!
While nature was the main draw for me, it would be remiss of me not to mention the other big attraction of Costa Rica: adventure. Hike, bike, zip, kayak, raft, tube… the adrenalin junkies are well catered for.
Some of our group enjoyed tubing on the Rio Celeste, which looked lots of fun and I’m very jealous that I missed it. The Canopy Zip Line at Monteverde would be waaaay too much for my fear of heights but the images were incredible. If you have a moment search for “child runs into sloth while ziplining in Costa Rica” – this was around a week after our group was there and it’s an amazing clip! (and I have it on good authority that the sloth was unharmed).
The only little negative thing for me was that on occasion the park trails were busy and volume levels increased to make wildlife spotting tricky, particularly evident in Manuel Antonio NP. I suspect this was exacerbated over the past two years as so many other popular backpacking stomping grounds have been largely off limits, so the demographic was skewed compared to usual years (my full flight out looked at least 70% under 25s). Costa Rica is not a cheap destination so I’m sure the balance will be restored now that other destinations are opening back up, and in reality, there is so much nature on offer in Costa Rica, it’s not difficult to escape the crowds either way.
So, will I count this as a favourite holiday? It is up there. It’s a lovely destination and I loved my trip. I was very lucky to share some incredible moments with a great group of people, and I have a wealth of happy memories. Would I recommend a visit? If budget allows, yes, absolutely.
Thank you, Costa Rica, and Pura Vida!
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I hope you enjoy my selection of photographs - I found it very difficult to whittle them down, as you might be able to tell! Close up wildlife photography credit goes largely to Jason and Mark from my tour who have a much steadier hand (and better photographic equipment) than me, and who kindly shared their pictures. Thank you!
