Costa Rica Adventure - Pura Vida!

We had an absolutely amazing time in Costa Rica!!! Five days flew by, but they were filled with a ton of adventures. The first thing for me was that this was really my first time in Central America - while I have technically been to Mexico, it was on a cruise and we stopped at the port but I didn't venture beyond Cozumel. So for me this was really the first experience being immersed in the region. We stayed near the Arenal Volcano in the city called "La Fortuna." On our drive in we drove around the beautiful Lake Arenal, which is a beautiful man-made lake that also powers over 80% of the country's electricity - I found this fascinating!

Our hotel had incredible views of the Volcano, and on clear days we could see it from our back patio.

One of my first impressions about the country was how GREEN it was - the colors are so vibrant (all of my pictures look photoshopped) - we couldn't believe the colors. A stark difference from what we are used to in NYC!

Our first adventure lined up was called canyoneering and rappelling - wading through water up to waterfalls and then rappelling down. It was really fun! The only one I couldn't do was the 225 foot free fall - Nate did though, and of course he loved it! I was not a natural but I did try!

At one point our guides convinced us to sit and have a break - and before we knew it they had surprised us with an avalanche of water spewing over us!

After a long day of trekking through the rainforest, that night we relaxed at Los Lagos Hot Water Springs! The springs look like regular pools, but they are actually natural mineral springs that are heated from the volcano. The best part was that there was a wet bar in the hot springs where you could order drinks - and our pina coladas came in pineapples! There were also water slides into the hot springs and smaller pools where you could enjoy the springs with more privacy and less noise. Highly recommend it to anyone!

The next day we had another adventure lined up - white water rafting! We were on class 2 and 3 rapids (next time I would do 4, the harder one was the most fun). We had a great guide and friendly people in our boat - and the rapids were amazing!

Our last adventure lined up was ziplining - I had really hoped to do it but unfortunately my fear of heights got the best of me. Nate was a natural though and despite the fog and rain he did the whole zipline course!

We also did a walking tour up to the base of the volcano and through the rainforest - it was really cool to get that close, and to walk the floor of the rainforest. Since the Arenal Volcano is active, being so close to it and seeing smoke come out of the top is a little surreal! And the rainforest was amazing, despite not seeing many animals (huge ants and a snake were all we saw). I still couldn't get over all the colors! 

To unwind at the end of the day, we relaxed in our hotel's hot tub that features a view of the volcano, and played in the pool, which had a mini waterfall. We absolutely loved our hotel and would recommend it - Volcano Lodge & Gardens.

Finally we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on our last night in Costa Rica. It was an incredible trip, and one day I would love to go back and also see the beaches on the Pacific which are supposed to be gorgeous! I have heard good things about Punta Gorda from other travelers on this trip, so I'm noting it for next time!