We departed Boston early Tuesday morning and arrived in Costa Rica around lunch time (they were two hours behind us). After some confusion at the airport due to flight changes, our private van to the resort picked us up. We were treated to local snacks for our three hour trip to Nayara Gardens. The drive was fascinating as we observed city, country towns, and landscapes. Upon arriving at the resort we were greeted with refreshing lime drinks, cool scented towels, and then a golf cart ride to our casita. The casita was its own paradise with a private deck and plunge pool, an outdoor shower, and included minibar. That night we settled in with room service served on our deck.

We spent our first day in Costa Rica exploring what Nayara Gardens had to offer. We started our day early with the guided bird watching walk that we then extended to continue our exploration. The resort was quiet due to it being off season so there was a lot of wildlife. We saw a baby sloth, basilisks, and an agouti. Next was a breakfast the size of three breakfasts at their amazing breakfast buffet. Following breakfast, we walked up to the hot springs where we sampled a few different pools and watched a hummingbird playing in the water. That afternoon the resort hosted a coffee event where we learned about processing and brewing methods as well as the coffee flavor wheel. That evening we enjoyed a massage at the spa where we saw howler monkeys. Lastly, we went to the wine bar (check out the cool automatic dispensers) for some small bites.

On Thursday we continued a tradition of waking up early so we could enjoy watching the sun rise from our pool. That morning we also discovered that we could get fresh coconut water, straight from the coconut, at breakfast.

Our first activity of the day was a tour of Northfields Farm where we learned about and sampled coffee, cacao, and sugarcane. One of our favorite parts was trying the cacao fruit which tasted somewhere between lychee and apple.

We returned to the resort for lunch, where we had some small bites at a poolside bar with swings for seats. While we were waiting for food, the bartender pointed out a HUGE orange iguana off in the trees.

That afternoon we went to a small farm for a farm to table cooking class. First we harvested some ingredients from the gardens including yucca. To harvest yucca you first chop down the tree then you pull up the roots (the good part). Afterwards, you can re-plant part of the tree to grow new roots. We then moved to the cooking area where we prepared patacones, tortillas, pico de gallo, annatto chicken and more over a wood stove. The food was delicious!

Friday was our big day with three different hikes. We were the only ones signed up for the first two stops so we got the private tour treatment. The first stop was Mistico Park Hanging Bridges. This hike traversed old growth rainforest and featured long suspension bridges. Our guide, Diego, was very knowledgeable and great at spotting creatures. We saw hummingbirds, a bullet ant, a tarantula, a lizard hiding in a hole, leaf cutter ants, crested owls, a two toed sloth, toucans, stingless bees, a jumping pit viper, and blue jeans frogs. We even saw a caterpillar infected with cordyceps fungus.

The next stop was La Fortuna Waterfall. We took over 400 stairs to the base of the waterfall where we were able to swim a bit. The water was incredibly turbulent so we mostly sat on the rocks around the pool of water. The waterfall was so powerful that it was like being at the beach, with waves of water washing over you. The spray of the water was like being in a storm.

The last stop of the day was at Mirador el Silencio. This park is as close as you can approach Arenal Volano. The volcano was active from 1968 til 2010 and, in that time, wiped out much of the rainforest around it but it has since started to grow back. This new growth forest lacks the diversity of the old growth forest and is mostly quiet, giving the park it's name. Here we hiked over old lava flows to an amazing view of Arenal. Thanks to the clear sky we could even see the gases coming from the top of the volcano.

Saturday morning we were again greeted by Diego as we embarked on our trip to Rio Celeste. Today was the first day we had to really contend with any rain, so we were glad to put our gear to the test and experience the true rainforest. At Tenorio National Park we started our hike in another stage of rainforest, secondary forest. While we never saw any tapirs, we did find some of their tracks. The highlight of the hike was seeing a group of capuchin monkeys eating and swinging through the trees overhead. There was even a mother carrying her baby. We also came across an assortment of snakes, from a less aggressive pit viper to a territorial fer de lance. On our way Will was bit by an ant. Fortunately it wasn't a bullet ant! On our hike we saw a fumarole where volcanic gases escaped up through the river. For the first few feet above the river the gases are deadly, but the tapirs have found a way to use this to kill the ticks on their back. Our hike's destination was where the Buenavista River and Sour Creek met to form Rio Celeste. Here the rivers' minerals combined, leaving sediment on the river bed and turning the river bright blue.

Sunday morning, after our time in the pool, we started our day with a complimentary yoga class. The class was held in an open air pavilion surrounded by the trees where we could hear the birds. At the end of class we were treated to fresh coconut water before heading to breakfast where we got even more. Today's adventure was white water rafting feature class II and III rapids. As soon as we pushed off, we were battling a class III rapid and got completely soaked. Fortunately, our guide knew every rapid, obstacle, twist, and turn very well and successfully navigated us down the river. He'd shout which way to paddle and when we needed to slide down into the raft in order to not fall out. We were surprised how the rapids would completely wash over us.

After returning to the resort and getting cleaned up (and using the complimentary laundry service), we took an Uber into the neighboring town, La Fortuna. First we explored the grocery store as we both feel that grocery stores are a window into local culture. We discovered that most of their sauces, from local favorite Lizano to lime mayo, came in bags. We stocked up on some treats to bring home then did some souveneir shopping at one of the MANY souveneir shops in town. Our next stop was Chocolate Fusion where we found the world renowned coffee we'd heard about and picked up some gourmet chocolate. For dinner we went to Fortuneño, the restaurant that everyone we talked to was recommending. It's well known for it's chicken, which you can see roasting in a rotisserie from the street. The restaurant had a very interesting aesthetic, with each area having a different theme. The decorations were over the top, designed for Instagram photo opportunities. We split two entrees that were both AMAZING. Each entree only cost about $15 USD but looked and tasted like a gourmet meal.

Monday was our last real day in Costa Rica. We started the day with another yoga class, then set out to find as many animals as we could. Since we weren't prepared to find so many animals the first day, we wanted to re-find as many of the animals as we could with our phone camera accessories. Once we explored the paths we hadn't seen yet and found about as many animals as we could, we went to the swim up bar for lunch and some fun drinks. We then spent the afternoon relaxing at the spa with a volcanic mud massage. After our amazing dinner the night before, we knew we had to return to La Fortuna for one last dinner at Fortuneño, and it did not disappoint.

Our last day had come at last. We spent one last morning waking up with the sunrise to relax in the pool and admire Arenal Volcano. At breakfast we relished our last coconuts of coconut water and the fresh fruit since we knew it could never be the same back home. During checkout, we were treated to the cool scented towels one last time. We spent our three hour trip to the airport trying to soak in all the sights, with a new perspective than when we first arrived. The airport had a gift shop experience unlike any we'd seen before. As soon as you made it through security, you found yourself in a sprawling set of gift shops that flowed into one another containing every souvenir you'd ever encountered. For lunch we got some of the worst and most expensive burgers we've had from Toro Burgers. The buns were very dry and stiff and overwhelmed anything the burgers may have had going for them. By the time we made it back to Logan, we caught the last shuttle of the night to get our car, concluding our trip.