Oh hey there! How are you feeling???

We are feeling La Pura Vida after our wonderful trip to Costa Rica last month!

What we loved most about the trip was how easy it was to rent a car and drive to various parts of the country. It was amazing how different the the geography is between places that are just a few hours apart. In fact, we learned that it has 12 distinctive ecological zones ranging form cloud forests, to rainforests, to mangroves, to dry forests. In just minutes driving you can experience changes in climate, temperature, forest, development and landscape. Just driving, in the morning you can be 11,000 feet high and in the afternoon be at sea level.

We are happy to share our road trip experiences with you! Below are three trips we really enjoyed.

1. San Jose to Arenal (Approximate driving time: 2.5 hours

Arenal is an adventurer’s paradise, with outdoor activities that make it an easy place to check things off your “must do in Costa Rica” list. Here you can visit one of hte nicest volcanoes in Costa Rica, trek in raninforests, windsurf in a world-famous lake and see an incredibly diverse population of wildlife. Here are some recommendations for things to do in the area:

• La Fortuna Waterfall Hike, where you can enjoy swimming in freshewater pools with amazing surroundings
• Arenal Volcano National Park, with its extensive trails to explore and where you can marvel at the beauty of the volcano
• Tabacon Hot Springs, which is the largest network of natural hot springs in Arenal. Also, you can enjoy a great meal here after your visit to the springs

2. Arenal to Monteverde (Approximate driving time: 3 hours)

The main reason we wanted to visit Monteverde is to walk in the cloud forest! The Monteverde Cloud Forest was founded about 40 years ago by a small group of conservation-minded Quakers who were looking for a peaceful place to live. It is one of the most outstanding wildlife sanctuaries in the tropics. The rainforest in this area offers miles of trails with excellent opportunities for bird watching. We spotted the beautiful Quetzal! There were other beautiful birds as well. Other things to do in Monteverde include:

• Night walks to see snakes
• Bat tours
• Butterflies or Orquid gardens
• Ziplining

3. Monteverde to Manuel Antonio (Approximate driving time: 3.5 hours)

Manuel Antonio is one of the most beautiful national parks in Costa Rica, and offers exotic scenery and a tropical rainforest with a lot of wildlife. Here, iguanas and monkeys share the park with you. We really enjoyed our hike in Los Campesions! Despite being one of the most touristic and crowded places in Costa Rica, the white beaches, where the vegitaton merges with the sand and blue water of the ocent, makes it paradise. Here are a few activities to enjoy in the area:

• Catamaran tours
• Off-road ATV trekking
• Surf lessons
• Whale watching tours
• Ocean Kayaking

We hope this inspires you to think about your next trip to Costa Rica!  Click here to see vlogs from our trip!

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