Costa Rica

Looking out across San José from my Airbnb’s balcony

After listening to my traveler friends constantly singing Costa Rica’s praises, I decided to go an experience it for myself last August. I managed to cram quite a few activities into the four days I was there, but my experience was positive enough that I went back to Costa Rica in October and stayed another 10 days.

 Zip lining over the jungle canopy, exploring the natural vegetation and wildlife, peering into the top of a volcano, learning about the coffee process from bean growing to sipping. Whatever you’re looking to do, you’ll find it in Costa Rica.

Doka Estate

Let’s start with the coffee tour around Doka Estate. This estate in X grows some of the highest quality Costa Rican coffees. It’s so good that it’s exported worldwide. Nestled in the country’s central valley, Doka has been offering guided tours for more than 20 years. They’ll show you how the seeds are grown, tell you how long it takes the coffee trees to grow, and how the beans are harvested and roasted. If you’re in Costa Rica for a few days (and are a coffee addict like me), I highly recommend this tour which ends in their gift shop where you can get yourself a bag or two of their world-famous, award-winning coffee.

Zip lining

Next, I took my adrenaline to a new level by signing up for the zip lining tour with Canopy la Carpintera. I took an Uber from my Airbnb in San José to San Rafael where the tour starts. It’s a short 30-minute ride, not too far. The experience is out of this world. You fly (or at least that’s what it feels like) across the vibrant green treetop canopy with sweeping views of the valley. Our tour group even managed to see a sloth just hanging out in one of the trees above us.

When the mist and clouds clear at Paós Volcano

Paó Volcano

One of the favorite parts of my trip was getting to check out the active Paos Volcano. Something worth noting: I booked this tour for my first trip in August and unfortunately, because of the weather, we didn’t get to see much. There was a lot of mist and fog that obscured our view of the volcano crater. So, I made sure to book the same tour for my August trip, and THIS time I got to see the eye-catching aquamarine of the water in the crater when the mist and clouds cleared just long enough to see the sulfuric, bubbling rain-fed lake and take a few photos. This is a half day tour led by an amazingly informed guide, Oscar.

San José at night

Overall, I loved Costa Rica. The people are incredibly friendly and you’re bound to experience some of the Pura Vida you’ll see and hear everywhere. The food is fresh and delicious and reasonably priced. The infrastructure in San José is world-class with stable Wi-Fi, good streets, clean drinkable tap water, and more. Something worth noting is that while the Uber app works in Costa Rica, it’s technically illegal to either drive for, or catch an Uber, so don’t be surprised if the driver either asks you to sit up front, or to just go with it if they get stopped at a check point to say you’re friends and not driver/passenger. Also, my Uber rides in Costa Rica were maybe the cheapest I’ve ever taken anywhere.

 There’s so much to see and do in Costa Rica, so what are you waiting for? Book that trip, feed your soul, fill your passport.