Pura Vida Unveiled: Discovering Costa Rica’s Joyful Way of Life in La Fortuna

Feb 24

Pura Vida at Sky Adventures Arenal Park, Costa Rica — Sky Adventures Zipline

Before traveling to Costa Rica, we’d read that it’s one of the happiest countries in the world. It didn’t take long to understand why. Their motto, “Pura Vida,” means simple, or pure life… being thankful for what they have and not dwelling on the negative. From the moment we stepped off the plane at the Liberia airport, we were surrounded by kindness, smiles, beauty and peace.

First, we headed to La Fortuna, located in lush rainforest of northern Costa Rica. Not wanting to drive ourselves in an unknown country, we pre-arranged to have a driver take us from the airport to our ecolodge near the Arenal volcano. On the way, we stopped for a hike through the Mistico Park, Arenal Hanging Bridges. This is definitely worth the time to explore and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Costa Rica.

Along the way, we saw coati, exotic birds, waterfalls, and views of Arenal Volcano National Park - including Lake Arenal and its namesake volcano, one of seven historically active volcanoes in Costa Rica. The youngest of the volcanoes, Arenal last erupted in 2010, but has since been dormant.

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Enjoy some rest and relaxation to an ecolodge

We highly recommend staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails - a cool ecolodge set at the base of Arenal Volcano, down a long dirt and gravel road. The 870-acre property is the only lodge located within Arenal Volcano National Park. While there, you’ll dine in the El Jiguero (The Goldfinch) restaurant, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the lake and volcano, then sit on the observatory deck and watch for glimpses of the 500 species of birds living there as we can spot.

There are 7 miles of maintained trails on the property, and frequent guided walks for guests. We relaxed by the pool for a bit; climbed to the top of The Nest - a 28-meter-high observation tower - for a sunset view of Arenal and Cerro Chato volcanos, Lake Arenal and the Tilarán Mountain Range; and hiked out to the Frog Pond where we were serenaded by a nighttime frog song.

Ziplining - a must in Costa Rica

The concierge at Arenal Observatory Lodge helped us book excursions in nearby Fortuna, as well as arrange transportation to and from the lodge.

First, we went ziplining - a must in Costa Rica! - at Sky Adventures. Sky Trek zipline adventures features stunning views of Lake Arenal and the surrounding volcanoes, while you zip hundreds of feet above the rain forest canopy. It’s not for the faint of heart though… As I landed from the last zipline on the adventure, the “Big Daddy,” my Apple watch alerted me, asking if I had taken a fall…? Nope! Just had my heart racing and a fast stop. Holy smokes! What a rush!!!

Coffee and Chocolate Tour

Next, we visited the Don Juan Coffee & Cacao Plantation for a tour and tasting. On the tour, we learned about the growing and production process of both coffee and chocolate beans. We got to grind the cacao beans and make our own chocolate bar, then grind and brew our own authentically Costa Rican coffee.

Some fun facts we learned…

Vanilla grows on a parasitic vine that thrives by winding around other tree trunks
Banana trees are actually a weed that fruit only once, then must be cut down
Cacao beans are sweet and slimy until fermented, dried and processed into chocolate
Arabica coffee beans ripen at all different times, and therefore still have to be picked by hand