Pura Vida

"The Rich Coast", Costa Rica: adventure, nature & relaxation.

Costa Rica is renowned for its remarkable biodiversity and abundance of wildlife. Encounter colourful birds, rainforests, and national parks, and relax or surf at the beach.

Bed in for the long-haul flight to Costa Rica. I wear a Jigsaw cashmere hoodie and enjoy the in-flight entertainment with brilliant, active noise-cancelling M4U 9 headphones from PSB Speakers. Arriving from San José Airport, we drive into Hotel Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda past their coffee plantation and see the Central Valley lights twinkle in the distance. At sunrise, there is a cacophony of birdsong in the palm trees. Parakeets squabble as gray hawks glide above grassy mountains. Buffet breakfast is on the terrace overlooking glorious grounds and blue skies from this yellow colonial-style hacienda. Facilities include pools, a gym, a spa and a 24-hour café. Birds chatter as we chat by the pool on a sunbed while Rufous-backed wrens feather their nest.

Nearby Anfiteatro de Villa is an unusual yet entertaining tourist attraction. After a sangria in the Italian restaurant, we tour the underground tunnels with art, an Egyptian room and replicas of famous sculptures including the Trevi Fountain! San José is urban and gritty - visit Teatro Nacional, Museo Nacional and the Gold Museum. For local dishes, including popular ‘Gallo Pinto’ rice and beans or patacones, dine at Nuestra Tierra or try cool Café Rojo for Vietnamese fusion. Driving up to Monteverde past green landscapes, rivers run over boulders and horses graze. The bus beep beeps along windy steep roads and strains up the mountain in Puntarenas. One of my favourite meals is at Tortillas restaurant and a quote on my refreshing G&T reads ‘It’s not about living but being alive’!

Light filters through the leaves as we breathe in the pure air at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Walking high above on suspension bridges on the Sky Walk at Treetopia Park. The brave can zip line, soaring at heights of up to 328 feet! On a mountain ridge with its own microclimate, it’s cool and cloudy. Well, it is the Cloud Forest. Mist swirls in the continental divide between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Moss grows on all sides and it rains a lot, with light rains common even during the sunny season, so pack that mac. For all you fledgling twitchers, download the Merlin Bird ID app to identify bird species.

Our guide points out a Trumpet tree, epiphytes, parasitic plants, tiny orchids, a bright green viper and a tarantula! A white-nosed Coati wanders past. The hummingbirds are sensational to watch as they whizz, click and buzz to the feeders, the humming created by the rapid beating of their iridescent wings.

The ‘Jardin de Mariposa’ Butterfly Garden has stick insects and the Blue Morpho butterfly, the national symbol of Costa Rica, shimmers with translucent wings. We spot a woodpecker and a turquoise-browed motmot bird. Take the scenic route by boat across Arenal Lake towards the imposing Arenal volcano, La Fortuna. Listening to the thrum of the engine, the boat creates white waves that echo the white clouds above the lush green rainforest. The Sloths & Birds Mariolas Trail is interesting and educational. We see sloths and a toucan, and love tortilla making and exotic bird watching! Lunch is at Organico Fortuna. My heart beats climbing the stairs to the Fortuna Waterfall and there’s a roar in my ears… of the rushing water. Relax at Paradise Hot Springs, where the highlight is a swim-up bar in the warm thermal baths in the pouring rain! Dine at delicious, fun restaurants Fortuneño or Kenko.

Difficult roads can lead to beautiful places… it’s an early start and I close my eyes, headphones on for the next rainy journey on challenging roads to Pacuare. White-water rafting with Exploradores Outdoors down the Pacuare River is for thrill-seekers, adrenaline junkies or people like me who’ll try anything once! I distract myself from the sheer terror… Ooh, a butterfly flutters, a tiger heron, cormorants. Golden Pendulum ‘Montezuma Oropendola’ birds fly above us. Our professional guide soon takes our minds off the rapids. He makes an extreme experience exhilarating and fun! Our hero, I mean, guide Enrique (from Costa Rica Extreme) plucks the first person to fall in, with ease, out of the water. On-Running Cloud trainers were invaluable for hiking the Cloud Forest, and rafting as I wedge my feet in the boat clinging on for dear life.

Head to the southern Caribbean coast of Puerto Viejo Talamanca. Arriving at Cariblue Beach & Jungle Resort we see a sloth with its baby pulling itself slowly up the vines on a tree. At morning yoga, a low guttural noise emits as we bend and stretch. It’s not me, it’s a troop of howler monkeys in the trees. I spy them swinging from branch to branch as I swing to breakfast. A monkey runs up a rope above my head into a tree and an Agouti runs in the jungle as I sip a star fruit juice. I spy a gold iguana nodding by the freshwater swimming pool. Over the road is the beach of Playa Cocles with volleyball, tightrope walkers, surfers and lifeguards. Cycle past the gorgeous boutique Hotel Aquas Claras and Gigi Beach Club to Playa Punta Uva.

Hydrate skin with The Organic Pharmacy Vitamin C serum and beachy hair with Monpure Ultralight Healthy Hair Oil. Watch the moonlight on the waves and the fire dancers at Firespace as the sky turns pink and the stars come out to shine. Tuk-tuk up the road for breakfast at Nanku or Bread & Chocolate, pizza at Cafe Viejo or dine with local ‘Ticos’ at Tamara. Stylish Aloe Boutique is a collective of Costa Rican designers. Buy souvenirs and dreamcatchers at Wolaba Cat. Hot Rocks has live music, and La Salsa Brava beach bar (named after Puerto Viejo’s famous 20-foot wave) is fun for cocktails.