Last summer, summer of 2021, I had booked a trip to Costa Rica. Everyone I knew that had been to Costa Rica had nothing but wonderful things to say about it. It’s a country full of nature and adventure. However, Covid wasn’t done ruining my travel plans and to much disappointment, the trip was canceled. Now here we are, a year later, and I can finally say I’ve been to Costa Rica!
Part of the appeal of the trip was that it was for 16 days. The longer the adventure the better. Packing for a 16 day trip was easy. I’ve learned from my previous travels how to pack light and only carry on. The key is to pack quick drying clothes, neutral colors so you can mix and match everything, and be prepared to do laundry. You can easily pay the hotel to do laundry for you, or be like me and wash it yourself. In addition, I packed my Chacos (adventure sandals) which were helpful because I could wear them for most outdoor activities and not need many pairs of socks. However, closed toed shoes are incredibly useful in Costa Rica. With my bag packed, my mask tightly secured, I was ready to make the journey to San Jose, Costa Rica to begin my 16 day adventure.
The part of group travel that always makes me the most nervous is getting to the hotel. Taking a taxi alone in a foreign country is never on the top of my favorite things to do list. However, just like every other time, the taxi journey went without incident. I even made sure to take enough money out of the ATM to pay the driver, but he wanted to be paid in dollars. Dollars are widely accepted in Costa Rica and can even be taken out of the ATMs. The only downside is that you will receive change in the local currency, colones. In addition, they will not accept any bill that has even the slightest tear in it.
I had taken a red eye flight and arrived at my hotel around 8:30 am. I was unable to check into my room until 2 pm, so I had time to kill. Luckily I was able to connect with a couple of people on my tour. We went to the Gold Museum, got empanadas for lunch, and then participated in a chocolate workshop with a chocolate store owner from Belgium. San Jose isn’t a city I would want to wander around on my own, nor is it a city I would choose to return to. While I enjoyed the chocolate workshop, the city left a lot to be desired.
As soon as the clock struck 2 pm, I headed back to the hotel for a nap. I felt exhausted. I set my alarm to wake up in time for the first meeting with our guide and the rest of the group. The groups on average are about 16 people, but this group was only 11. Considering the tour is for educators, everyone on the trip was a teacher. Our guide, Danny, a local of Costa Rica, was excited to share with us everything he knew about birds! That might excite some people, but me, not so much.
After our first meeting, which is usually a nuts and bolts meeting, we went out to dinner. Everyone was quiet, and there is nothing worse than awkward silence. I broke the ice by asking everyone to share where they are from, and what they teach. The group on average was fairly young, in their mid-twenties and from all over the US. A couple of the people had never even left the United States before. After dinner we called it a night and went back to the hotel.
The next morning we loaded the bus with our luggage and headed to Quepos, a coastal town on the Pacific Ocean known for Manuel Antonio National Park. After about a four hour drive, we finally arrived. Wasting no time, we immediately caught the local bus for Manuel Antonio. The local bus is a cheap and convenient way to get to the national park. Upon entering the park, a ranger checked our bags for food as they don’t allow outside food in the park to prevent people from feeding the animals. Finally in the park, binoculars around my neck, the hunt for animals, sloths specifically, began. Luckily our guide had a telescope, and after many years of experience looking for animals, he was able to find the impossible.
On our two hour walk through Manuel Antonio, we saw many birds (this pleased our guide), iguanas, deer, capuchin monkeys, bats, and a sloth ball. A sloth ball, a term given by someone on my tour, is when you see a sloth sitting in a tree, but can’t see its face or any limbs. It looks just like a ball of fur. In addition, the sloth ball was only seen through the telescope so in my opinion it didn’t count. I tried to find it through my binoculars, but I could not. On our way out of the park, it started to pour rain which I would soon learn is a common occurrence in Costa Rica. We waited for the bus in the shelter of a convenience store and then crammed into the bus like sardines.
In addition to visiting Manuel Antonio, we also went on a catamaran tour. However, it was gray, raining, and the visibility for snorkeling was described as zero percent and murky. That’s all I have to say about that excursion.
From Quepos we made the journey to Monteverde. Monteverde is in the cloud forest region and is a popular spot for ziplining. I had been ziplining before, but not at the scale they do in Costa Rica. The park has 10 different lines, including the famous Tarzan swing. You start off on the short and easy line, and then they get progressively longer. When you get to the lines that are a mile in length, you have the option to go across like Superman. I, of course, had to try the Superman. It’s hard to describe the experience of flying high above the treetops, body parallel to the ground, but it was incredible!
The Tarzan swing was the final “event”. There was no question I was going to participate. Well, that was until I was standing at the edge of a 130 ft platform about to be yanked off and would then fall straight towards the ground. I had to back out. I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t follow through with it. Maybe next time!
In Monteverde we also went on a night walk. There was a possibility that we would have to cancel due to thunder and lightning. They don’t ever cancel anything due to rain but for thunder and lightning, yes. We sat in the van, in the dark waiting to see if the storm would pass. Luckily it did, and with a local guide and flashlights, we trekked through the rain forest.
Our guide’s ability to find everything that he did impressed me a lot. We saw birds (there’s always birds), a tarantula, a frog, a scorpion, a sloth hanging (not a sloth ball!), a viper snake (that was apparently ready to attack), and a porcupine. The porcupine was in a tree and was apparently a baby and mom. However, it was questionable whether I actually saw it or not. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend a night walk to anyone that visits Costa Rica. Most of the animals and critters are nocturnal and to see them, a night walk is a must.
When we got back to our hotel, I packed my bags, set my alarm, and went to sleep. The next morning we would head to La Fortuna which would bring more animals, adventures, and waterfall rappelling!