Discovering Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has been on my must-do list for years, as I’ve always been fascinated with nature and wildlife. As I hadn’t travelled with Just You before, I debated whether I should dip my toe into the solo travel “water” with a European holiday first but in the end I decided to just go all in, as it’s always been a dream to visit this amazing country, so why put it off any longer?

My fellow travellers in our group were fantastic, and I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in years as I did on this holiday. With the company and support of our Holiday Director, Marsha and the expertise of all things Costa Rican, Diego, our local guide, we had an amazing adventure. 

INTO THE WILD 

We saw some incredible wildlife that we would easily have missed, if it hadn’t been for Diego’s eagle eyes. I lost count of the number of times we made a quick pit stop to see something which Diego had spotted up ahead, from a family of coatis foraging on the roadside to iguanas, red frogs and birdlife. It all added to the excitement and anticipation of what we would be fortunate enough to see next. 

There are too many wildlife encounters to mention but seeing so many hummingbirds was high up on the list. They’re extremely hard to capture on camera, so we did resort to video clips to document their remarkable colours and movement. 

A personal highlight was when we saw white-faced capuchin monkeys on our boat trip in Tortuguero National Park. It was a bit of a spine-tingling moment as it’s not very often you see them in their rightful place, in their natural environment. Leaping from tree to tree, chasing each other just for the sheer fun of it, you can see where the phrase ‘cheeky monkey’ comes from! It was a real wow moment and captured your full attention.

I even loved the build-up of cruising into inlets and taking in the overwhelming silence (apart of course, from the lull of the jungle noises that we had become so familiar) as the captain cuts the engine, leaving us to engage our eyes and ears for the next wildlife show and tell. 

We all held our breath as a howler monkey, wandering along a branch at the edge of the river, prepared to jump into the water. It was quite something as we didn’t even know they could swim. But swim he did, and at one point looked straight at us and I think that’s when we realised we’re probably the wildlife to them!  Fortunately, he swam in the opposite direction from the crocodile that we’d seen lying in wait minutes earlier! 

WINGS AND WONDERS 

Toucans and sloths also starred in our visit. On our second day, seeing a sloth climb up a tree was a spectacular moment to witness, and at that point we knew we were in for an incredible tour. As you may know, sloths are well known for not moving due to having to digest their food for so long and are pretty much stationary for 80% of the time, so it was a privilege to witness!

You’re in very good company on this tour. We were told that there are more species of butterflies in Costa Rica than there are in the whole of Africa, while a third of the world’s bugs and over 945 species of birds call it home. 

It’s worth considering that you don’t always need to scramble to find your phone to start capturing endless pictures. In the last hotel, I pulled the curtains back one morning to see a large rat-like animal wandering in the gardens, and after consulting Diego, it turned out to be an Agouti, which is closely related to the Capybara. 

I didn’t have my phone or shoes handy, but got more enjoyment in just sitting and watching him amble along. I could have risked missing him if I had rushed around my room, but I’ve firmly committed that moment to memory – far better than a photo could achieve.  

THE COMFORTS OF COSTA RICA 

All the hotels were comfortable and great, and I’ve decided it’s time to change my pillows at home, as they were much better in the hotels we stayed at! Out of all the hotels, the Tilajari Resort was a highlight. It had a lot of facilities, including a lovely pool, tennis courts, a great breakfast area and bar. As with all the hotels we stayed in, the staff couldn’t do enough for us. Most of the rooms had a river view and was set in grounds where you could explore by the river to see everything from crocodiles to iguanas. Every hotel was charming in its own way, but this one was exemplary for the nature angle and wide-open space. 

Everywhere we stayed we were looked after – all our dietary requirements were accommodated and the food was good quality - expect staples such as rice, beans, plantain, chicken and fish. 

Coffee connoisseurs will rejoice in a cup of the finest to fuel up for the day ahead. I usually take milk and sugar in mine but found myself just enjoying it straight up – it was divine. 

And we had the chance to learn about where it comes from. The Mi Cafecito Coffee Tour is a fantastic excursion, and so well organised. Our guide had started out working in the fields harvesting beans, so he has a wealth of knowledge and showed us the husks and various stages of production - there’s a lot of them – and the different grades of beans for quality, and the ones to avoid.  Knowing how Planeterra work with Mi Cafecito and how our tour makes such a difference to the local community, we whole-heartedly stocked up on their coffee in the shop afterwards.  

We spent a wonderful day with an indigenous community of Bribri people. Set on a working farm with dogs, pigs and ducks running free, we were treated to a tour and learned about the plants used in medicine. The village has its own shaman who guides with the philosophy that everything you could ever need comes from nature.  

Then we moved onto the sweet stuff: chocolate. The process here is very manual with the beans grinded by hand. It’s hard to believe that a cocoa bean can go from a rough, textured husk to something so smooth and delicious! Some of us had a go at grinding some beans, while we all made the most of the quality control check in sampling some, melting over freshly cooked plantain! We all left with a new-found appreciation of the hard work that goes into producing something we take for granted. 

RAINBOWS AND SILVER LININGS 

Not that we were keeping a tally of all the wildlife we’d seen (much!) but on the last day, we realised we hadn’t seen any Macaws. This was soon rectified when enroute to the airport. Hearing our usually very laid-back Diego get excited, shrieking and pointing, we knew we were in for another treat. Lo and behold, our wonderful guide had surpassed himself once more, spotting not just one, but a whole flock of Macaws.  The coach driver pulled up, we all got off, and watched as they put on a stellar performance for us, flying to and fro and showing off their rainbow of colours. They were really playing to the cameras, and if we didn’t know better, we’d say they were drafted in especially for our farewell journey.

That would have been more than a fitting end for us, but there was more waiting in the wings. There was a butterfly enclosure at our lunch stop, and me and a fellow traveller, Maggie had been desperate to get a good photo of the Blue Morpho all week. 

It’s one of the many national symbols of Costa Rica and is a celebrated emblem of the nation’s natural beauty. With a wingspan of 12 centimetres, it’s difficult to miss (and photograph!) especially with its beautifully brilliant blue, iridescent wings. Its underside is equally as impressive, camouflaged with eye spots and browns. Safe to say I managed to get the money shot when one of them landed on Maggie’s shoulder – I still say her blue, flowery clothing that day was the key to our good fortune! 

FORECASTS AND FRIENDSHIPS 

The group were just a delight, and I would never have believed that I could have formed such a strong bond with people I had only just met. I feel so fortunate to have been part of this group. We found we had so much in common before we had even met and as I mentioned earlier, I haven’t laughed like we did for a long time. 

It was encouraging as well to find myself joining a group where many of them had plenty of Just You trips under their belt, one of our group had racked up something like 17 holidays and counting. I think that’s testament to knowing what you’re getting with Just You and I really couldn’t have asked for more on this adventure. 

It's one thing you can’t always plan for, but the weather gods were definitely on our side. When on the Caribbean side and for most of the holiday we had glorious sunshine, but once we entered the rainforest, it seemed fitting that the rains came, making our zip-lining and the Hanging Bridges of Arenal excursions even more memorable.  

Make sure you pack for both weathers, including a pack-a-mac. Binoculars are really useful otherwise you might miss the wildlife, and a reusable water bottle is essential as the parks are quite rightly very stringent on sustainability. There were water stations in most of the hotels as in most of the places we visited, you can drink the water! 

Just You has given me the confidence as part of a group with other solo travellers and really enjoy myself. I admit, I was so nervous as I left home, but I’m glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. My one regret is that I just wished I had done it sooner! 

The only way to sum up this trip is to say it has been the most incredible holiday of my life, shared with people I now call friends. I discovered Pura Vida (the Costa Ricans philosophy for a pure life), now it’s your turn!