Today we travel to Costa Rica, a politically stable, ecological paradise in Central America - endowed with pristine lush rainforests, sandy white beaches and an abundance of wildlife.
We visited Costa Rica back in 2016 and on our first night were greeted by the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever witnessed from the bizarre amphitheatre at the Zephyr Palace Hotel.
The next day we took the ferry across to Nicoya peninsular where we spent a few days at the Karen Mogensen Reserve (named after a Danish naturalist). Costa Rica is known for eco-tourism, but Karen Mogensen Reserve is completely off-the-grid. Forget infinity pools, air-conditioning, or even electricity. Instead, it’s just you and the sights, sounds and smells of the rainforest. It was an utterly fantastic place to spend a few days learning about Costa Rica’s wildlife and being completely disconnected.
The next stop on our trip was the Nicoya beach-town of Sámara. It was the perfect place to spend a few days hanging out on the beach, drinking cocktails and generally doing nothing. Sadly our last night in Sámara was ruined by the election of the tiny-handed screaming carrot-man. Still, at least we were in Costa Rica.
Playa Carrillo just down the road from Sámara
The next day we drove across-country to Arenal to spend a few nights in the shadow of the Arenal volcano. We hiked up to the top and then down into the crater of its smaller neighbour Cerro Chato. Cerro Chato’s crater is filled with dense, humid jungle and a large lake right in the middle. Also, lots of mud, tarantulas and snakes. This is definitely a hike I’ll remember my entire life.
Volcán Arenal
I’ll leave you with a few random facts about Costa Rica. Unlike pretty much every other country in the world, it has no army. In fact Costa Rica has been without an army for over 70 years and has instead invested the money it would have spent into education, health care and to create a social safety net. The final fact is more of an observation. Costa Rica has more speed bumps than any other country I’ve ever visited. They’re brutal, they’re mostly unmarked and the prospect of hitting one certainly keeps your eyes glued to the road.
Costa Rica is a truly wonderful country. Just beware of the speed bumps.
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