- For my birthday this year, my partner and I spent about two weeks in Costa Rica.
- We visited Arenal, Monteverde and Paquera, trying to see the highlights of the country.
- Here are three activities I would do again in a heartbeat, and one tourist spot I would avoid if I were to visit again.
To celebrate a milestone birthday this year, my partner and I decided to take a luxury vacation to Costa Rica. We spent 12 nights traveling around western Costa Rica, trying to see as much of the Central American country as possible.
Costa Rica boasts 5% of the world’s biodiversity, has white sand beaches and lush jungles to explore – a big draw for animal lovers like us – and is home to a small Blue Zone in the Nicoya Peninsula, where residents are said to live longer, healthier lives than average.
In the end, we got a taste of coastal life, visiting Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, La Fortuna volcanic hot springs in Arenal, the Monteverde cloud forest in Santa Elena, and the beaches of Paquera and Montezuma in the Nicoya region. There were moments when our experiences felt a bit too sophisticated and quirky, but overall it was a trip filled with incredible wildlife encounters and stunning scenery unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else in the world.
I would love to fly back tomorrow if I could, but there are a few things I would like to skip on the return journey.
Rafting on the Rio Celeste in Arenal
Our first main destination was La Fortuna, at the base of Arenal Volcano, one of Costa Rica’s active volcanoes. The area is full of hanging bridge tours and night walks where you can see wildlife like sloths and glass frogs, but you can also go rafting on the Rio Celeste river. I got to see the jungle from a different perspective.
We traveled at the end of May, when the rainy season in Costa Rica begins, so we encountered fewer tourists than usual during our trip. This was especially helpful on the rafting trip, as there were only two of us on the tour, excluding our guide.
We spent about two hours and $75 per person navigating the Rio Celeste’s Class II and III rapids (medium difficulty, with 3-foot whitewater and obstacles along the way), taking short breaks to swim in the beautiful, crystal clear water, and capturing drone footage of inquisitive howler monkeys watching us from the shore.
Our guide pointed out local birds and fish and helped us stop the raft when we wanted to see something interesting. After our water activities, we enjoyed a hot lunch of fresh fruit and empanadas, which was included in the price of the tour.
El Tigre Waterfall Hike from Monteverde
Hiking in the Monteverde cloud forest quickly became the top of our bucket list while planning our trip, and it’s one of the things we would like to do more of if we could extend our stay longer, as we would love to see more of Puntarenas province’s incredible wildlife.
Thirty minutes outside the artsy town of Santa Elena, deep in the mountains, we embarked on a self-guided hike to see El Tigre waterfalls. The five-mile hike takes us through humid jungle, crosses several suspension bridges and offers stunning views of nearly a dozen waterfalls, but the highlight is the animals.
We saw giant butterflies, multiple species of hummingbirds, frogs, We saw toucans, motmots, a worryingly large snake and even monkeys in the branches above.
Even in the cooler months of May, the jungle was blisteringly hot, so while the trek wasn’t physically demanding, we opted to hop in a 4×4 and hike up the mountain for the final section of the trail, which cost an additional $20 on top of the $46 entrance fee. The hike was just over three hours, but a cheaper way to spend an afternoon than some of the other tour options. We also felt like we had the trail to ourselves, only passing other groups the whole time we were exploring.
Bioluminescent Kayak Tour in Paquera
the only The coastal waters of the Nicoya Peninsula are one of the few places in the world where bioluminescent algae can be observed all year round.
The trip was magical, despite less than ideal conditions for the bioluminescence to occur. We climbed into kayaks and paddled through the darkness with an enthusiastic guide who explained the chemistry behind bioluminescence and helped us find a secluded cove to see the light produced by underwater algae.
This algae prefers warm, still water with plenty of daytime light. When it has gathered enough energy from the sun, it will glow a bright blue. If conditions are less favorable, it may appear greenish or white.
Our algae, not fully “charged,” glowed an eerie white as our paddles broke the water’s surface. We didn’t catch it on camera, but our guide encouraged us to seize the moment instead, so we got out of our kayaks in a shallow cove to pick some algae off our shirts, watching them glitter against the fabric and our skin.
For $36 per person, we could have rented kayaks and explored the coastline, but this unique experience was one of the best memories of the trip for both of us.
Is a coffee and chocolate walk worth it?
Costa Rica is known for its coffee and chocolate, so as you drive along the main roads, you’ll almost always see signs for tours detailing how these produce is grown and cultivated.
It’s not worth it – any questions you have about the process will be answered in the gift shop at the end of the tour, and you’ll likely get free samples regardless of whether you paid for the 2+ hour tour.
We opted for the evening walk that included a coffee and chocolate tour: our guide ($60 per person) took us around the grounds of a coffee plantation, explained how chocolate is made from cocoa beans, and then we grabbed flashlights and set off in the dark to look for wildlife.
We bought some chocolates as souvenirs for friends and family, but we didn’t see any interesting animals or gain any particularly interesting knowledge from our guide, so this tour stood out as an expensive decision that we could have skipped without losing anything.
Overall, our Costa Rica adventure was amazing, filled with incredibly beautiful scenery, exciting excursions, and delicious meals that we will never forget. If you are planning a trip, skip the curated excursions and explore the less popular attractions of the country. And keep your camera quick, the jungle won’t wait.
