Costa Rica - Sisters On Tour

After 300 days, Fernando and I said goodbye to each other for the first time: a scary thought, I know.

My sister, Lou, had a North America trip planned and it was the perfect opportunity to travel somewhere new together. When planning this trip we wanted somewhere easy for both of us to reach (her, coming from LA and me, São Paulo), fairly safe and easy to navigate and not too expensive. Costa Rica seemed to tick all these boxes. In the end we decided to do a G Adventures tour both to make our lives easier and (more importantly) to set our parents’ minds at ease.

Side note on flying within Central/South America: this is not as cheap as I originally thought! Routes can be very convoluted and will potentially send you up to the States (namely Miami) to get you back down to your intended destination. Compared to flying in Asia (thank you, Scoot and Air Asia), South America doesn’t have the same budget airlines and connected flight routes. My flight from São Paulo to San Jose (Costa Rica) and San Jose to Quito (Ecuador) were some of the most expensive flights I have bought this trip! I’m not writing this to put anyone off travelling within South/Central America but rather to give warning and to suggest planning ahead of time and travelling through neighbouring countries.

San Jose

Reunited in San Jose!

It was an amazing feeling to be reconnected with Lou. The holiday season in São Paulo was tough for me, ofcourse it was filled with so much love and good times, but being away from my family was a challenge, so getting to spend time with my sister was really special. This was also our first trip away just the two of us so I was keen to spend some quality time with her and was praying we wouldn’t have one of our famous fights.

We had a free day before meeting our group that night, so we decided to walk into the city and check out what San Jose has to offer. The city isn’t much to be honest; for tourists it’s simply a first stop before heading off to other destinations within Costa Rica and for the locals it’s a super bustling, semi-modern, semi-developing city, filled with commerce and workers. Nevertheless, it was great to get a taste of the ‘real’ Costa Rica, as the rest of the areas we visited were completely tourist-centric and gave little away in terms of local life.

Two different food experiences in San Jose: Eating jelly and ice cream at the Mercado Central (all the locals were sitting eating this, so we couldn’t help ourselves) and lunching on Vietnamese salads at Cafe Rojo (also couldn't help ourselves).

Some of sights in San Jose: The Museum of Costa Rican Art (free and filled with some interesting traditional and contemporary pieces) and vendors selling on the streets out of their trucks

La Fortuna

Outside the Arenal Volcano

After meeting our group the night before and sharing a dinner to get to know everybody, the next morning we set off by bus for La Fortuna.
En route we stopped at a Coffee Farm for a tour and lunch. Costa Rica is known for their high quality coffee (something I relished my entire time in the country) and it was really interesting to see the coffee making process from plant to roasted beans. I had never seen a coffee plant before, it was fascinating to try eating one (not nice) and to learn the traditional process, especially in a place that supports fair pay and workers' rights (a G Adventures supported initiative).

Scenes from the coffee tour: from plant, to roasting...to shots!

Located Northwest of San Jose, in the Alajuela Province, La Fortuna is a destination for all things nature and adventure. The small town sits just east of the Arenal Volcano national Park, where lives an active volcano set amongst a beautiful forest with lots of walking trails.

The town is built over natural hot springs coming down from the volcano, so naturally on our first night we all went to a hot spring resort (almost like a water park!) to enjoy the thermal water. Sadly we didn’t take any photos, but it was an incredible experience. I have been to a few hot spring resorts in my time but this one was next level: 8 different pools with different temperatures, a swim up bar, 3 water slides and jet-massage pools. Safe to say we were settling into our Costa Rican adventure nicely!

Los Lagos Hot Springs

We had just one full day in town and most people in our group opted to do activities such as white water rafting, canyoneering, and boat rides. With nothing appealing to us, Lou and I decided not to do any of the recommended activities and opted instead to fly solo and do our own thing. Interestingly, La Fortuna is designed around the various tours offered in town (they include pick up and drop off and usually lunch too - hence the high price) and as such they make it super hard to do anything outside of this, as everything is too far to walk and public transport is next to nothing.

Starting the day with an amazing breakfast at Organica Fortuna

Nevertheless, we persisted and took a taxi to the Arenal Volcano National Park and the driver was kind enough to come back to pick us up at a designated time. Hiking in the national park was incredible, this was our first experience of the Costa Rican ecosystem. We loved the beauty and tranquility inside the forest and ending at a high peak with an amazing view of the volcano.

Inside the Arenal National Park and views of the volcano

On the way back, our friendly driver recommended we stop at a free natural hot spring where all the locals go. This was just off the road and under a bridge and turned out to be an amazing experience. Completely different to the resort we visited the night before, this flowing stream comes directly from the volcano and results in a warm water stream with small pools you can lie in to relax. Watching the locals enjoy this - complete with tables and chairs in the water and women wearing face masks - was the best part, and it was a great way to relax after the hike.

Finishing off our day at another hot springs

Monteverde

Passing by beautiful farmland enroute to Monteverde

Stop two in our tour: Monteverde, a mountainous town found to the north west of the country. Because it’s famous for its cloud forest, it was a must to visit the Hanging Bridges, a set of six suspension bridges that go above the rainforest canopy, offering incredible views and the chance to spot some wildlife. It’s not super scary, so it’s a great option for the less adventure inclined, but an amazing one-of-a-kind experience nonetheless.

Above the canopy on the Hanging Bridges of Monteverde

That night, equipped with our own flashlight and clinging to our hoods to make sure nothing fell down our necks, we all went on a guided night walk through the forest. This was pretty cool, but teeming with tourists everywhere (begging the question as to what smart animal would hang around?). The guides, however, were super knowledgeable and could seek out creatures easily. We saw a few native possums and an incredible glow in the dark scorpion and two tarantulas (two more than I felt comfortable seeing, to be honest).

Glow in the dark scorpion and spot the tarantula

Our final activity in Monteverde was zip-lining, another must-do, as we’d get to go on the ‘longest zip line cable in Latin America’. The company we used was 100% Aventura. It was a seriously fun day, there were 13 zip lines in total, two of which you could do “super man” style, meaning you are hooked up by your feet and you fly head first(!). The super long zip lines were not so much scary as they were relaxing, going for such a long time so you could take a breather and actually enjoy the scenery below. It was a really fun day, made all the better by the others in our group, all encouraging each other and sharing the exhilaration.


Zip lining in Monteverde

Quepos

Beach views in Quepos

Our final, and arguably best, stop was Quepos - located on the southern coast of Costa Rica. This was our first taste of the Costa Rican beach life, and I have to say it was pretty nice! After the morning bus ride we arrived in town to our hotel, from where we took a local bus (around 20 minutes) straight down to the beach. After lunch and a few cocktails, we enjoyed our time laying on the beach, swimming in the warm water and finishing the afternoon with a banana boat ride while the sun set. It was a glorious afternoon, enjoying the company of our tour mates in the best location.

Cocktails, sunbathing and a beautiful sunset in Quepos

The next day, with the morning free, Lou and I set off in search of another smaller, more private beach. Just a taxi ride away, Biesanz beach was super beautiful and felt much more secluded. Chairs and umbrellas were a lot cheaper here too, compared to the main beach, so we enjoyed the morning lying in the sun and having a swim before we had to meet the group back at the hotel.

Biesanz Beach

The afternoon’s agenda was a catamaran ride. This was something Lou and I were both looking forward to and we weren’t disappointed. Most of our tour group joined us for this, which made it all the more fun. We sailed to two snorkelling spots, swam in amazingly clear water, enjoyed good food and plenty of cocktails on board and finished with following a pod of dolphins and false killer whales! It was a seriously amazing experience, showcasing the incredible beauty of Costa Rica, the free flowing cocktails didn't hurt either...

Fun on the catamaran

With only the morning left in Quepos before we had to bus back to San Jose, it was finally time to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park - a place I knew was high on the list for many people in our group. I hadn’t heard of it before, but now, after being there I can see why everyone was dying to go. As far as National Parks go, this one ticked all the boxes: plenty of gorgeous trails to keep you busy, so much wildlife (we saw 2 sloths, as well as too many monkeys, birds and raccoons to count), big climbs that reward you with amazing views and finally a number of paradise-like beaches with clear blue water and tall trees on white sand to shade you. Evidently, it was a dream!

Manuel Antonio National Park

Conclusion

Lunch with the gang in Monteverde

This was my third G Adventures tour (having done one with my family to Morocco in 2010 and India/Nepal with Fernando last year) and once again I was incredibly satisfied with the experience. I enjoy free-travelling a lot: creating my own agenda, doing whatever I want when I want, and having complete freedom. But tour group travel can be really meaningful and is something I recommend for everyone. I particularly like G Adventures as the groups are never too big (never more than 20), they do great social enterprise work and I feel they attract really awesome people. As we have spoken about before, travelling (even as a couple) can get lonely and so many of the best experiences we had in Costa Rica (and India too) was because we shared them with our tour members. I feel so blessed by the group we had in Costa Rica, a true mix of ages, nationalities and walks of life - which is exactly what makes it so interesting and fun.

If any of you are reading this, I am so glad to have met each and every one of you, thank you for making my trip so special!

Hands down, this is my favourite thing about travelling the world: getting outside of your bubble and meeting new people. The things I have learnt about the world and about myself through these encounters is life changing.

On a seperate note, for anyone thinking of visiting Costa Rica in the future, my advice would be to hire a car and do it on your own if you can. It’s a small country, with fairly good infrastructure and the distances between major destinations are doable, safe and it will save you a lot in taxi/tour fees to be able to drive up to attractions yourself. The country is well catered to tourists and feels very safe, it has SO much to offer and I plan to come back with Fernando one day soon! All three destinations we visited I would highly recommend, but they are all quite touristy (for good reason though!), with a car you’d be able to go off the beaten path and see more.

All smiles here

Lou and I had such an amazing time in Costa Rica, it was filled with everything we love in a holiday: beautiful scenery, fun, exciting adventures, great food and great company (and I guess I shouldn't forget all the amazing piña coladas). And finally, no, Lou and I did not have any big blow outs #PrayerEmoji, our time together was peaceful, meaningful and something I will cherish greatly. As we will both be in full time jobs soon enough, I know this time together is special. Time is our greatest gift and this is something I don’t want to ever take for granted. So thanks Lou for coming down to Costa Rica and spending time with me!

And now? I’m back with Fernando, joining him alongside his dad and brother for some adventures in a new country: Ecuador! Stay Tuned.

Love you Lou