An Adventure Around Costa Rica’s Wonders

November 24th, 2011

The wonders of Costa Rica are endless; ranging from the famous canals of Tortuguero to the enchanting wildlife that flourishes throughout the country. In 14 spectacular days and 13 unforgettable nights, it is possible to fully experience all of these wonders.

Where else could a Costa Rican adventure start from, than the lovely San Jose? Within this bustling capital, visitors can enjoy an extensive tour of this beautiful city, immersing themselves fully into the rich Costa Rican culture. Visitors can experience the many sights this great capital has to offer, including the historic National Museum, dating all the way back to 1897, and the monumental Sabana Park, amongst others. These unique attractions contribute to make San Jose the hive of diverse culture it is renowned for today.

A trip in Costa Rica is not complete without a stay in Tortuguero; where guests are presented with the chance to hike, cruise the famous canals, experience the worldly flora and fauna at dawn, try mouth-watering food and delicious cocktails, and to let themselves truly relax and unwind on the warm, sun-kissed beach. The excitement of Tortuguero doesn’t end there though; between July and September visitors will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness green turtles nesting at night; experiencing first-hand why Tortuguero translates to ‘Land of Turtles’.

After the memory-filled days in San Jose and Tortuguero, the next stop is Arenal; a utopia of waterfall-gardens, deep rainforests and crystal-blue sulphur-pools, from the Poas Volcano; one of only four active volcanoes in Costa Rica. This really is a place of the unreal! After experiencing all of Arenal’s unique highlights, the journey continues across its vast lake to Monteverde; home to hummingbird reserves, over 50 species of butterflies and what National Geographic have named ‘the jewel in the crown of cloud forest reserves’. It is easy to see why it takes this name, as visitors have to make their way through 1.9 miles of treetop walkways that weave throughout the dense forest.

The following morning, the trip continues to Manuel Antonio; the paradise which greets you with an astounding array of wildlife; ranging from monkeys and sloths to reptiles and birds. A guide will take you on a long walk through the National Park so you can see as much wildlife as possible, before rounding off the day with a sumptuous beach buffet; could it get any better?

Well, for marine life lovers, the answer might be a very loud ‘yes’, as the third and final day in Manuel Antonio could include the Catamaran Coastal Adventure, which includes snorkelling along the Pacific coast, whilst humpback whales and dolphins swim from afar. Top this scene off with a luminous orange sunset for the perfect ending!

After hanging up the snorkel and bidding farewell to the wildlife, there is plenty of time to relax and reflect on all of the memories stored from the past 2 weeks. Visitors will return to San Jose for their flight home, leaving behind an adventure that will never be forgotten.

The Peru Adventure Experience

November 20th, 2011

We trudged through the deep, dark swamp, under low hanging trees, past wet, thick shrubs and leaves. It was already night time and the air was thick after the heat of the day and many of the animals were beginning to wake and stare at us with their big luminous eyes.

We were in the Amazon on the last part of our Peruvian adventure. We had already been on the Inca Trail and seen the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca and now we wanted to see that great unexplored world of the rainforest. But first we had to get there.

There wasn’t just a walk. We also had to travel by boat. 2 hours by canoe – which, not very long in the grand scheme of things – certainly feels like a long time after what was already a long group holiday with the added delight of an the internal flight from Cusco.

But the long journey is all part of the rainforest experience. The Amazon Rainforest is after all a very big place. It occupies about 5.5 million square km and doesn’t just cross Brazil – as I had always thought – but also enters Peru – and it’s the Peruvian Amazon that we were exploring for the next three days.

After piercing a tiny part of this vast ecosystem, we finally arrived at our destination, a tiny village tucked far far away from the next nearest sity for miles.

The tribe we were visiting on this group holiday were small and lived in a few simple one rooms huts in a clearing elevated above the river.

It was a beautiful serene place with few other people let along tourists, which made it a refreshing change from the Inca Trail, where you bumped into other walkers frequently and your cooks and porters often had to race for the nearest camp site!

Here your neighbours were beautiful parrots of every colour, screeching monkeys with big yellow eyes and toucans. We were all captivated.

Our hosts were wonderful too and we were met with the great honour of meeting the chief of the village and were given the chance to try spear throwing and poison dart throwing (by blowing through a wooden tube. None of our group were good enough to give up our day jobs!

We also had a wonderful time canoeing along the river, soaking up the wonderful sights and sounds, before it was time to go home!