From Beaches to Rainforests: Feel the Spirit of Pura Vida in Costa Rica
Coco Beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Costa Rica is commonly known as one of the happiest countries in the world. Heck, their motto, “Pura Vida,” means simple, or pure life and embodies just about every aspect of life in Costa Rica. When staying in the Guanacaste region, flying into the Liberia airport is ideal. It’s close in proximity and, being a small airport, was super easy to navigate.
After spending a few days in the rainforest, in La Fortuna, we headed back to the northwestern coast of Costa Rica to Guanacaste. There, we stayed at the Occidental Papagayo adult, all-inclusive resort. Our week at the resort was filled with massages on the beach, caipirinhas and chili-guaro shots, adventure excursions and lounging by the pool.
☞ Tip: Unless you’re looking to park yourself in a lounge chair by the pool or spend all your time on the sandy beach of your resort, don’t be afraid to explore different areas of Costa Rica. Even if you only have a short time, Costa Rica is small enough that it’s easy to spend a few days (for example) in La Fortuna or Monteverde, then a few days in Guanacaste, and then even a few days in the capital city, San Jose.
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We’d pre-arranged a couple of excursions with Frank-the-Tank CR (including a daytrip to Nicaragua), but also took advantage of the onsite services for some local activities, including a sunset snorkeling trip and kayaking to Pelican Island. If you’re looking to wander with a group, reach out to Frank-the-Tank or talk to one of the tour coordinators who often hang out in the resort lobbies.
☞ Tip: If you decide to rent a car in Costa Rica, you’ll have more freedom to get around, but one of the benefits of going with a group is all the extras you experience when going with a guide. Every one of the excursions we took - even those that were just us and a driver - was filled with education about the country and its people, endearing us even more to Costa Rica’s pura vida way of life.
We cannot recommend Frank-the-Tank CR excursions highly enough! They were well coordinated, fun and informational. The first trip we took was to the Rio Celeste Waterfall in the Tenorio Volcano National Park. We were a group of 13 tourists from 4 countries and 3 U.S. states; all different ages and backgrounds; all excited for an adventure.
After a convenient pick-up at our hotel, our guides - Carlos and Jenner - stopped a few times for us to catch a glimpse of local wildlife (sloths, toucans, etc.), as well as a quick stop to see the Llanos del Cortez waterfall. At Rio Celeste, we went on a 2-mile hike that included 262 steps down to the waterfall lookout, then back up again. The water was the most beautiful shade of turquoise! Along the way, Carlos shared interesting tidbits about the flora and fauna, always on the search for cool things to show us (like the hole that was home to a tarantula).
While we couldn’t swim at either waterfall, the very hot hike earned us a break at a beautiful swimming hole just downstream from Rio Celeste. The water was cold, but so blue and inviting, it was perfect!
Along the way, we made little side stops at a family-owned coffee plantation, a quaint “soda” (local restaurant) where we had casado for lunch (a typical Costa Rican meal consisting of rice, black beans, plantains, salad and a protein), and a butterfly garden that we walked through after lunch. Last but not least, was our stop to see the sloths - Costa Rica’s beloved national animal.
On one of our “down days” we took a taxi to Coco Beach. There’s not a lot to do there, but we enjoyed browsing through the little souvenir shops - of course talking with the locals and learning more about their country - and snacked our way up and down the street… Capuccinos and gelato, guacamole and margaritas, fresh coconut milk right out of the shell, octopus poke and Greek salad, and of course more caipirinha cocktails!
As happy wanderers, we’ve been to several places around the world, and our list of places yet to go is long. But Costa Rica - it’s beauty, wildlife, people and pura vida attitude - will forever beckon to us to return.
Getting there:
Hotels we recommend:
Occidental Papagayo (Guanacaste)
Excursions we took:
Kayaking to Pelican Beach
Snorkeling Sunset Tour
Rio Celeste Waterfall and Sloths
Exploring Coco Beach
Services We Used: