COSTA RICA

After so long living on the boat it seemed strange to pack a bag, take a flight, stay in hotels and experience flushing toilets, the convenience of bathrooms, no cooking nor making water and no DIY!

Our week’s tour, organised via an agency, started with the Carara National Park on the north Pacific coast reached by crossing Crocodile Bridge underneath which umpteen crocodiles basked in the sun. In the dense, mature forests and wetlands our enthusiastic guide showed us many species of butterflies, insects and birds tracking down the rare Scarlet Macaw. Crossing 5 suspended sky bridges we experienced close up tropical rainforest vegetation and varied fauna.

We drove to the Osa Peninsula in the south where our hotel was only reachable by boat! Parque Nacional Corcovado boasts amazing diversity and during our 2 days of treks we saw many animals including Howler Monkeys, Poison-Dart Frogs and the elusive and endangered Tapir.

Our tour ended in the Monteverde cloud forest staying in an hotel actually in the forest. From the balcony we could see birds, monkeys, squirrels….Within the forest, including during a night walk, we glimpsed snakes, ants, frogs, bats….The last event was a Canopy Tour on 16 zip lines which was an incredible, if somewhat scary for Fione, way of seeing the rainforest extremely close up.

We left Costa Rica with memories of a beautiful, diverse and clean country doing its utmost to attract tourism.