A trip down to Costa Rica with my mom for Christmas and New Years of 2011/12. Had an amazing time zip-lining, hiking, wildlife viewing, and kayaking… just to name a few!
Day1:
Fly to George bush airport in Houston. 1st class with individual pods that reclined
Fly to Liberia costa rica. Get shuttle to Hilton and sleep
Day 2
Got picked up at 8am by driver. 3 hour drive to monteverde. Stopped to see howler monkeys hanging over road and Scarlett macaws.
Hiked to San Luis waterfall and our cab driver ended up coming with us. Maximo. Beautiful hike with multiple river crossings. Had home made tamales and coffee at a house near the start of the trail. Didn’t pass any other people. Got flea bites because of cute farm dogs.
Dinner at hotel. Slept in loft.
Day 3:
another early morning. Picked up by shuttle at 750 to go up to selvatura nature park. Got suited up with harnesses and gloves for zip lining. Quick intro talk and then we had 12 amazing lines! The longest was crazy!!! Windy and misty and sunny made for a surreal and awesome day.
Continued to do hike along 10 suspension bridges, saw a coati cross the trail.
Headed back to hotel for dinner and sleep
Day 4:
Picked up by shuttle at 830. Saw a Scorpion
4 hour drive to Manuel Antonio. Saw American crocodiles along the way. Checked in to arenas del mar and hung out on private beach. Dinner. Sleep
Day 5:
Up at 6 for 7 oclock tour of national park with our awesome guide roger.
Saw lots of interesting animals and plants including sloths monkeys iguanas and raccoons. Went for swim at beautiful beach. Back to hotel for beach time and dinner.
Day 6/7
Lazy days at si comi no. Slept in. Went on night walk and saw lots of frogs and a huge spider. Along with other bugs. Bullet ants. Catadids.
Dinners at seafood restaurant. Breakfasts and lunches at bar. Iguana ate breakfast near us
Day 7-11:
Fly to puerto Jimenez on nature air, take boat across the golfo dulce to playa nicuesa rainforest lodge… most amazing place ever to stay! slept under mosquito nets for four nights, fell asleep to constant chatter of jungle noises, family of 3 lizards also lived in our room along with spiders and giant roaches! Went sunset kayaking, lots of jungle hikes including early morning wildlife trips, hiked to a secret waterfall, kayaked down a river through mangrove swamps, went swimming in the gulf, new years eve with locals including fire juggling (not me!).. a trip to a secluded nature reserve where I got to hold an endangered pregnant squirrel monkey… guided night hike full of bugs and snakes!! fresh food every day, eating what they caught that day. fresh fruit smoothies. paradise.
