In the same way that some people seem to have more than their fair share of beauty, so it goes for countries. And Costa Rica was definitely very near, if not at the top, of the pile when global beauty was being handed out.

The landscape, vegetation, wildlife and coastlines of this sliver of a Central American country, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east (hence the plural coastlines), are simply breath-taking.

In a country approximately a quarter of the size of the UK (it’s roughly the size of Wales) you’ll find imposing volcanos (both active and inactive), verdant mountains, lush rainforests, wide, tumbling rivers, huge lakes, fertile plains, pristine beaches and a plethora of native animals and dazzling birds.

You’ll also encounter some of the friendliest people imaginable, each of whom is, entirely understandably, intensely proud of their native land and fiercely protective of its resplendent but delicate riches. And each of whom wants you to experience the very best of it in the most enjoyable and well informed way possible.

Combine all of that with the abundant opportunities to have adventures that can include white water rafting, zip wiring, rappelling (aka abseiling), wild swimming, horse riding, hiking and kayaking, and you have all the ingredients for a holiday experience that is as thrilling as it is memorable.

We started our trip with a couple of nights in a delightfully quirky hotel in the hills above San Jose, the capital city (it’s worth mentioning that as beautiful as the country is, its cities and towns……aren’t. And whilst I’m sure there is Costa Rican culture to experience, we….didn’t. Like many (most?) visitors, we concentrated our itinerary on experiencing as much of the natural riches the country has to offer as possible)

The Fina Rosa Blanca, aside from having one of the most colourfully bonkers hotel bathrooms I’ve ever seen (told you)

Our extraordinarily colourful bathroom at Finca Rosa Blanca

also has it’s own coffee plantation and in the course of a morning tour we learnt not only about the growth and production process of shade-grown coffee beans, and the difference between arabica and robusta (the former has nearly twice the sugar than the latter which are bitter and more astringent but with twice the caffeine) but also the correct way to taste (rather than drink) the finished product - a sharp slurp then hold the coffee in your mouth for about 3 seconds to give the various taste sensor areas on your tongue and in your throat time to fully assimilate the different elements of the flavour. Who knew.

From San Jose, which is pretty much in the centre of the country, we travelled east towards the Caribbean coast, heading for the magnificent Pacuare River, where we were deposited for unquestionably the most unusual and memorable way to be transported to a hotel I’ve ever experienced. Because the main way to reach the Pacuare Lodge, an eco-retreat deep in the heart of the rainforest, …… is by raft (there is an alternative route via a long unpaved road then being winched across the river in a metal cage! Which is how your luggage magically arrives in your room.)

We were told that the rapids on the way to the hotel would be relatively gentle class 2 to 3, whilst the ones on the longer journey out were more challenging class 4 to 5. Yikes! After a short, but thorough safety and instruction briefing, we set off. This had been the part of the trip I was most nervous about. Although I’m a strong swimmer, I’d never done white water rafting before and I had no idea what to expect. Suffice to say my worries were entirely wasted.

White water rafting on the Pacuare River. That’s me in the pink t-shirt

Not only was the rafting the most thrilling and exciting experience of the whole trip - thanks in great part to the hugely expert team guiding both the raft and us (white water rafting is very much not a sit-back-and-enjoy activity, you’re working hard to keep the raft where it needs to be) and paddling the accompanying safety kayaks - but the river flows through gloriously beautiful dense rainforests, narrow canyons and alongside crystal clear waterfalls, tumbling through the forest greenery, making the journey all the more magical.

The rafting wasn’t the only thrill we experienced during our stay, we spent a breath-taking (in several ways!) morning zip-wiring through the tree canopy and rappelling down from platforms high in several of the huge forest trees.

We hiked through the rainforest, learning about the vegetation and animal life from our knowledgable guides (the leaf-cutter ants were a particular fascination for me. These industrious creatures carry leaves three and four times the size of their bodies for anything up to a mile to feed the fungus in their nest that keeps them alive, then return to collect more, never once straying from the path they have established in spite of the fact they’re almost completely blind. They follow each other so perfectly entirely using scent.)

Everything in the rainforest grows to huge height - including the bamboo

And we saw and learnt about the lives of the indigenous tribes who still live in the rainforest, growing and making most of what they need to survive.

Our journey to our next destination (by more conventional car this time) was north and west to one of Costa Rica’s most iconic destinations, the still active Arenal volcano in the country’s fertile central belt. Heavy rain and cloud obscured our view of the volcano for the first 24 hours, but we did manage to see almost all of it during our stay, although the very top remained tantalisingly shrouded by swirling cloud.

Hoping for the cloud to break enough to see the top of the Arenal volcano. It never did.

Arenal’s peak stands at 1,670m and it dominates the lively town of La Fortuna, so named because during one particularly devastating eruption it was fortunate enough to escape the destructive lava flow. Eruptions are reassuringly rare these days, and although the lava from previous activity is very much in evidence in the surrounding landscape, visitors can enjoy one of the main benefits of being so close to an active volcano - relaxing in one of the many naturally heated hot springs.

This is another area offering plenty of adventurous activities and experiences. We settled for a more sedate, but none the less hugely enjoyable, horse ride through the lush green countryside, along shallow streams and beside gushing waterfalls.

Riding through the lush countryside surrounding the Arenal volcano

We also climbed to the highest point on the volcano that the public is allowed (quite near the base, it’s dangerous to go much further up) giving us the chance to observe its grandeur from a closer vantage point and enjoy the wide reaching vistas across the stunning surrounding landscape.

Our next drive was west all the way to the Pacific coast for a few days of nothing more adventurous than chilling, swimming and walking along the beach. But of course, like everywhere in this fabulous country, there was still plenty of wildlife to enjoy. Including one of my favourite bird encounters, when, on an early morning stroll along the sea edge we were treated to a mesmerising display of insanely accurate, beak-first dive-bombing for fish by a group of hungry pelicans.

The beautiful Pacific beachfront with our hotel perched at the top of the hill in the background.

An hour and a half flight (in an alarmingly tiny plane) took us directly south to our final destination on the southern most tip of the Osa Peninsula, where the Golfo Dulce meets the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t think it was possible, but this turned out the be even more stunningly beautiful than any of the other stunningly beautiful places we had experienced over the previous 10 days.

The Peninsula is home to some of Costa Rica’s most exotic wildlife and pristine rainforest and over half of it is covered by the Corcovado National Park, considered to be one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

Although we weren’t staying in the park itself, it was here that we saw the largest number of animals, particularly the four different species of playful local monkeys. And here where we enjoyed the most spectacular bird encounters and sightings of anywhere on our trip. The ridiculously colourful, absurdly loud macaws and their habit of flying in close formation, and the cheeky, brightly throated tucans, with their huge curved beaks were my favourites.

A brightly throated toucan in the early morning sun outside our hotel bedroom. Turns out they’re quite hard to photograph!

And there were yet more devilishly skillful fishing pelicans along the beautiful pristine beach.

Another stretch of pristine Pacific beach

Here was also where we spent a memorable morning hiking through and across a gloriously beautiful river in one of the nearby canyons and swimming in a pool bordered by a gushing waterfall which provided an invigoratingly pummelling massage to anyone brave enough to swim underneath it (which, needless to say, I did!)

River hiking and wild waterfall swimming. Can you spot my mad fella right under one waterfall in the middle shot?! And that’s me heading for the waterfall in the pool in the one on the right.

As with everywhere we visited in Costa Rica, our expeditions were led by fabulously knowledgable, wonderfully friendly guides whose expertise and enthusiasm only added to the deep joy of experiencing this glorious country and discovering the wealth of natural riches it offers.

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