This post has been a long time coming. But the follow up to this guy is finally here!

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but things did not go exactly according to plan.

First off, we learned a lot. We learned you should pack light clothes that dry quickly. We were there during the rainy season, so there was a lot of rain. And when it wasn’t raining, it was pretty humid. Things took forever to dry. Relatedly, especially if you’re doing the canyoning adventure, we learned you should take along swim shoes or walking sandals. Basically, shoes that can get wet and still stay on your feet, that are good for walking, and will also dry quickly. Also, bring multiple swim suits. You’ll probably end up wearing them more than you’d think and you want to have a dry one while the other is drying. Finally, the sun sets at 5:30 everyday and there’s very little twilight, so it gets totally dark really quickly. This is really important to keep in mind if you’re driving. Make sure to plan around that as the roads are pretty bad in a lot of places and there isn’t a ton of street lighting. The early sunset also means that you’ll probably end up getting tired earlier…and waking up earlier as a result.

San Jose – Grano de Oro is DELICIOUS. They didn’t have a ton of vegetarian options, but they did have some, so it’s definitely worth checking out. We didn’t end up going to the Bank Museum or National Theater, but we did go dancing at a place called Mojitos, which was tons of fun: salsa, tango, etc. We weren’t very good, and everyone else was, but we didn’t let that stop us!

 

Arenal – Since we prioritized watching Costa Rica play their round of 16 World Cup match, we didn’t actually see the volcano. But we took a great hike (lots of bugs and plants!), and the Tabacon hot springs are amazing, especially if you go in the evening when it’s less crowded. The canyoning adventure was awesome. It’s a bit more hiking than we expected, so plan on that. And it’s not the easiest on the knees, so keep that in mind if it might be an issue. Really beautiful and thrilling though. Also, if you’ve got time, check out Rio Celeste. It’s this incredibly blue river that’s supposed to be amazing. We tried to go, but ended up with a flat tire and had to skip it.




Monteverde – The Lucky Bug Gallery (which is technically en route to Monteverde) is adorable. Definitely stop by. They were wonderful, and we got some really great gifts for people. Kathryn, the daughter of the owner, was a delight and ended up really helping us out when we got the aforementioned flat. The Monteverde Cloud Reserve is great. Get a guided tour (if you’re lucky, your guide will be Sergio); it’s totally worth it. Stick around to hike more if you’d like since the tour only covers a small portion of the total walkable park. We went back for a night tour as well, which was great because a totally different set of animals come out. In addition, we stopped by the Hummingbird Gallery, which was delightful, and the bat jungle, which was fun as well. Check out Stella’s cafe near the bat jungle. Tasty, simple food. The zip lines at Selvatura were spectacular. And the huge Tarzan swing was a terrifying experience that I’m glad I did. We went for it and did the Superman version of the last one. Totally worth it.




Manuel Antonio – Beautiful beaches. Definitely plan on spending some time in the surf and sand. The water’s powerful but warm. The beaches are sandy and soft. Pretty much everything I want out of a beach. We took a boat tour of the mangroves, which was really cool: lots of trees and interesting information and crabs and a glimpse or two of a croc. (Speaking of crocodiles, if you’re driving, make sure to stop at Tarcoles on the way to or from Manuel Antonio. There’s a bridge you can’t miss (because everyone will be standing there) because it offers a great view of loads and loads of crocodiles.) In the morning, we took a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. Saw lots of animals. If you do this, make sure you wear/pack your swimsuit, as the tour includes a break to go swimming at the beach inside the national park.

Overall, it was a great trip. The locals were warm and welcoming. Since tourism is their biggest business, there were lots of other travelers to form spontaneous bonds with, and things are made very easy for tourists. Everyone speaks English. Most places take dollars. Some ATMs even dispense dollars. There really is something for everyone: beaches, mountains, flora, fauna, adventure tourism, good food, GREAT coffee (everywhere, too). I cannot recommend this trip enough.