Destination: Costa Rica

There are trips you plan carefully and trips that quietly rearrange something in you. Our ten days in Costa Rica turned out to be both.

We flew into San José and hopped on a small regional prop plane, the kind where you can see the pilots' hands on the controls and feel every pocket of air beneath the wings. Forty-some minutes later, we touched down in Tamarindo, traded our shoes for sandals, and did not look back. Well, once we got our shoes. As it turns out, our luggage spent another night in San Jose and joined us the morning (be sure to ask for the full story next time I see you!).

Tamarindo: The Beach

Tamarindo is the kind of beach town that earns its reputation. We spent our days on the water, including a sunset sailboat ride on La Marsalada that I will not stop talking about for a very long time. We caught parrots in the palms, watched the sky turn every shade of orange, and ate way too well. The pace was slow in the best possible way.

Monteverde: The Cloud Forest

Then we boarded a bus and wound our way up into Monteverde. If Tamarindo is warmth and salt air, Monteverde is something else entirely. Cool, green, impossibly lush. Orchids with thirty thousand cousins. Treehouses half-swallowed by jungle. A bright blue bird that posed just long enough for me to get the shot. We sipped locally grown coffee, walked through the cloud forest, and felt very small in the best way.

Highlights of our days included sleeping in a treehouse (and watching nature literally pass us by!), visiting the largest Orchid house in the world, and a nighttime stroll through the jungle. Even managed to catch a small glimpse of a sleeping sloth! El perezoso lived up to his name and couldn’t be bothered to show his face, though.

La Fortuna: The volcano

Getting to La Fortuna was half the adventure. A bus, then a boat across Lake Arenal, Costa Rica's largest lake. The views crossing that water were surreal. We arrived to hot springs, jungle bridges, and on one very lucky afternoon, a completely cloud-free view of Arenal Volcano. Apparently, that only happens about once a month. We stood there in awe while it lasted.

Our last few days brought heavy rain, the kind that turns everything impossibly green and gives you full permission to stay in the hot springs for hours. We took it.

Costa Rica handed us monkeys, macaws, a volcano, a lake crossing, and more chlorophyll than I knew existed. My husband and I came home full in every sense of the word. Pura vida is not just a saying down there. It really does feel like a way of life.

Scroll down for the full gallery. This place deserves every photo.

View from under an airplane wing showing several small aircraft parked on an airport tarmac under a cloudy sky, with hangars and a few people in the background. The wing displays the website "www.flySANSA.com".

Black-and-white photo of a small propeller plane with "Green Airways" logo, parked on a wet tarmac near a building, viewed through a window frame with two traffic cones visible in front.

Two pilots in uniform sit inside a small aircraft cockpit, facing forward and preparing for takeoff, with flight instruments and navigation screens visible on the control panel.

A view from an airplane window showing thick white clouds below and the airplane wing partially visible on the right side.

Blue sky with fluffy white clouds viewed from above, suggesting the photo was taken from an airplane. The sunlight softly highlights the tops of the clouds, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Aerial view of a winding river cutting through green landscape under a cloudy sky, with distant land and scattered patches of forest visible.

Aerial view from an airplane window overlooking a lush, green landscape, a coastline with beaches, and a town near the ocean under a partly cloudy sky.

Black and white photo taken from behind a pilot inside a small aircraft, showing cockpit controls, part of the pilot’s head, and a view through the windshield of distant hills or mountains.

Tall palm trees and leafy branches are silhouetted against a blue sky with scattered clouds. Overhead power lines and part of a building sign are visible in the foreground.

A group of people stand and sit on a sailboat named "La Marsalada" out on the ocean, under a cloudy sky. Some wear swimwear and hats. Orange life vests are stored above the boat’s shaded area.

Two people taking a selfie on a boat; one person is wearing sunglasses, a wide-brim hat, and sticking out their tongue, while the other is shirtless, wearing sunglasses and a cap, smiling slightly. Others are in the background.

A sailboat is seen in the distance on a vast, calm ocean under a cloudy sky. The image is in black and white, with gentle waves in the foreground.

A calm ocean at sunset with gentle waves, a small boat with people is visible on the right, and scattered clouds are in the sky.

A sailboat floats on the ocean at sunset, with the sun low on the horizon, orange and purple clouds in the sky, and a small rocky island in the distance.

A pair of colorful parrots perch on a branch amid dense green tree leaves, partially hidden by the foliage and dappled sunlight.

A cozy bedroom with wooden walls, a bed covered in a white and orange blanket, white pillows, and two towel swans forming a heart shape. A painting hangs above the bed, and a glass door opens to a balcony with trees outside.

Dense green forest with tall trees and thick foliage, sunlight filtering through the canopy, and glimpses of blue sky above. The scene is lush and tranquil, evoking a sense of natural beauty and calm.

A vibrant blue and green bird with a long tail perches on a branch amid dense, leafy trees in a lush forest.

A treehouse with a balcony, partially hidden among dense green foliage in a forest, elevated above the ground and surrounded by tall trees.

A man wearing a cap, glasses, and a backpack crouches on grass, petting a small black dog near a yellow pole in front of a building with signs and greenery.

A sign in a lush garden explains orchid anatomy with illustrations and facts, noting over 30,000 orchid varieties and labeling orchid parts like petal, sepal, and labellum. Dense tropical greenery surrounds the sign.

A cluster of small, vibrant pink flowers with elongated petals, blooming against a blurred green and brown background of foliage.

A close-up of a plant with clusters of small, bright orange and yellow flowers surrounded by long, slender green leaves, set against a blurred background of foliage.

A close-up of fern leaves catching sunlight, with their jagged edges highlighted. The background is dark and out of focus, creating a contrast that emphasizes the bright green leaves.

A tall palm tree stands amidst lush green foliage with rolling hills and a distant body of water under a cloudy, overcast sky. A building with a red roof is visible on the right.

A person stands behind a wooden counter using a manual coffee grinder. The counter holds various containers and utensils. A refrigerator and a mural with greenery and the word "Don" are seen in the background.

A large volcano covered in clouds rises behind a small building labeled "Art Center Center" along a rural roadside with greenery and trees on one side and a paved road on the other.