Costa Rica

Poás Volcano is supposed to be spectacular: a massive crater filled with striking turquoise water, visible right from the viewpoint. We had done everything right, but it was a big disappointment. The volcano was fully covered by clouds, and the park itself had nothing else to offer.

On the road, we spotted a waterfall that turned out to be La Paz, part of the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park. I actually had it in my original plans, but we decided to skip it in the end. The park combines waterfalls with a wildlife rescue centre, but the animals are kept in enclosures, which felt a bit too much like a zoo for my taste. That said, you can see the waterfall perfectly well from the road for free, and there was a group of white-nosed coatis right in front of the falls, curious and completely unbothered. A lovely little surprise we were not expecting.

Before heading to La Fortuna for the night, we decided to spend the afternoon at Catarata del Toro, about 1.5 hours from Poás Volcano. Honestly, wow! What a surprise. If you can only visit one waterfall on this trip, make it this one. One of the largest in the country, it drops into a perfectly round volcanic crater, which makes it unlike anything else you will see here. After arriving, you walk through a beautiful area full of birds and hummingbirds before hiking down through steps to reach the base of the falls.

We stayed at Fortuna Retreat, and it is beautiful. You can choose between private villas with their own pool, or classic rooms with a private garden, plus a main pool with a direct view on Arenal Volcano. Arenal is one of the most iconic volcanoes in Costa Rica, a perfectly shaped cone that dominates the whole region. On a clear day it looks almost too perfect to be real.

I woke up around 5am the next morning, which sounds rough but is actually completely normal in Costa Rica. The sun rises early, the wildlife starts before you do, and after a day or two your body just goes with it. Watching the sunrise slowly reveal the volcano that morning made me forget everything about the chaos of the night before.

We had breakfast at a restaurant right next to our hotel called Restaurante Mi Tierrita, set inside the forest with birds everywhere around you.

After breakfast we headed to the Mistico Hanging Bridges, one of the most popular things to do around La Fortuna. It is a walk through well-maintained rainforest with a series of suspension bridges above the canopy, some of them quite impressive. Wildlife is not guaranteed here, but the forest itself is stunning. And then, out of nowhere, someone screamed ahead of me on one of the bridges and I looked up to find a massive sloth hanging in a tree right above us. Just sitting there, completely unbothered. We were extremely lucky because apart from that sloth we did not spot any other animals, but the walk was still lovely, especially the trees and vegetation which were just stunning.

In the afternoon we joined a guided wildlife tour near the city centre called the Boragain Trail, and this was one of my favourite moments of the whole trip. Everything depends on the guide, and ours was exceptional. Funny and incredibly skilled at spotting animals the rest of us would walk right past. We saw many sloths, toucans, frogs, and many birds. He had incredible stories, including apparently once taking Will Smith on this exact tour.

After this beautiful day we went back to our hotel for the last night. I wish we had planned to stay longer because two nights is simply not enough. There are still so many things to do and see, such as the Arenal hot springs, a kayak tour on Lake Arenal, and the La Fortuna waterfall, but we did not have time for any of it.

On our last morning in La Fortuna we discovered a butterfly garden close to our hotel called Mariposario El Jardín de los Sueños, with free entry, which is quite rare in Costa Rica. You walk in and butterflies are everywhere around you. It felt a little magical having so many huge, different butterflies flying around and some of them landing right on me. The most iconic is the Blue Morpho, one of the largest butterflies in the world with a vivid electric blue. It is considered a symbol of Costa Rica and apparently brings luck when one lands on you.

The famous turquoise colour was very much real and we got lucky with the conditions. That said, the waterfall itself felt a little crowded, more of a snap your shot and move on kind of moment than a genuine escape into nature. There was a queue for photos, and it did not feel like an authentic experience.

The hike through the park was stunning. We walked past the boiling springs (borbollones), where volcanic gases send the water bubbling at over 90°C, then reached the Teñidero, the most spectacular point of the whole trail. This is where the Quebrada Agria and the Río Buena Vista meet to form the Río Celeste, triggering a unique natural chemical reaction that turns the water that vivid turquoise. The line between the two clear rivers and the blue water that emerges from their meeting was impressive.

As we wrapped up the hike and headed back, the sky opened up, a full tropical downpour and suddenly wild screaming from the trees. Howler monkeys. Absolutely terrifying in the moment but perfectly on brand for Costa Rica.

We had booked a guide online in advance to visit the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve but he never showed up. Well, as they say in Costa Rica: Pura Vida! I love the Pura Vida philosophy. It is a way of life centred on the simple enjoyment of living and letting go of negativity. After waiting more than 40 minutes, we decided to stay Pura Vida and take a guide directly from the reserve desk. He was knowledgeable and passionate about the forest.

The guide spotted a green eyelash viper coiled in a tree right above the path. The eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is one of the most striking snakes in Costa Rica: venomous, and camouflaged so perfectly in green foliage that you could walk right past it without ever knowing it was there.

The forest itself was one of the most magical places I have ever been. I could barely see the sky. The canopy was so dense and draped in moss and mist. It felt like being inside a Tarzan film.

There is also a large observation tower with a 360-degree view at the top, not for those afraid of heights, but absolutely worth it.

On one of our evenings we joined a guided night tour to spot wildlife. Most mammals and many reptiles are nocturnal here: sloths, numerous snake species, huge tarantulas. We did see many animals but to be honest it did not feel entirely authentic. The guide clearly knew exactly where each animal was hiding, often in the same spots every night, which made the whole thing feel slightly staged. Worth doing, but go in with adjusted expectations.

Other activities worth considering include a visit to the Curi Cancha Reserve, which offers the best chances of spotting the Resplendent Quetzal, a coffee plantation tour (Monteverde's altitude makes it one of the best coffee regions in the country), a walk along the Ficus El Puente Raiz in Santa Elena where capuchin monkeys often visit, and for the adventurous, the Cascade San Luis, a 100-metre waterfall reachable by a 3-hour hike or on horseback. The centre of Santa Elena itself is small but lively, with good restaurants and a relaxed atmosphere worth an evening.