‘Pura Vida’ or pure life is a Costa Rican mantra that visitors will struggle to avoid. This is a country confident in its direction and with an enviable environmental awareness that we could all learn from. How many other countries have the confidence to dispense with their army, or to protect over 25% of its territory? Costa Rica has 161 protected parks and rich biodiversity to match. The population enjoys an enviable life expectancy and one of the highest literacy rates in the world. I travelled with a group of teenagers and everyone we met in this magnificent country was fiercely proud of its natural wonders and the outdoor way of life.
Humming birds are everywhere…
Hiking on Volcán Arenal
Like many tourists we gravitated to La Fortuna, a couple of hours north of San Jose, the capital. The town lies at the edge of the Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal, where the classic volcanic cone generates its own cloud forest. We spent a day hiking up the slopes with a guide and were astounded at the birdlife and crater views. The Arenal park also offers a vast range of adventure activities. Zip-lining through the forest canopy is quite an experience and we went white-water rafting beneath trees with sloths and iguanas in plain view.
Zipline arrivals!
Preparing the terraces
Three days spent on an organic coffee farm near Santa Elena allowed us to witness a sustainable way of life. We helped pick the beans, plant bushes for future crops and make terraces to reduce soil erosion. We all took much from the experience, but it was invaluable for the biologists and geographers amongst us. A beautiful drive to the coast followed through rolling hills and a patchwork of small farms nestled between virgin forest. Just when you thought a country couldn’t have any more to offer, we found ourselves on the Pacific shoreline and the Nicoya Peninsula. Here were picture book beaches with white sand, snorkelling amid the coral and even macaws overhead. Ten days wasn’t nearly enough but we all left with a hankering to return.
