On the trail of the quetzal – Monteverde, Santa Elena and surroundings

Monteverde
Walking through Monteverde reserve is like walking through the most perfect fairytale I’ve ever read. The forest on every side is green from the ground to the canopy, moss covering the trunks, and plants upon plants hanging from every bit of bark. Creepers and vines wind their way round the trees, and purple tongued orchids [...]

Hammocks and hummingbirds – San Gerardo de Rivas

If you do get stuck waiting to go up Chirripo, or even if you’re not an altitude hunter and never wanted to go up that far anyway, San Gerardo de Rivas is a thoroughly beautiful place to hang out. The village is strung along the road that leads from San Isidro del General and ends [...]

Wildlife-spotting in San José – no, really!

I went to Corcovado. Oh yes. I spent those three days traipsing through the jungle, carrying everything I needed to live, unable to tell the difference between sweat, humidity and rain, and desperately keeping my eyes peeled for tapirs, sloths, even those little squirrel monkeys would have done. I got bitten to shit by the [...]

Hiking into the secluded peninsula – Corcovado national park

Check out maps and reservation details at the bottom of the post

It has long been said that you have to suffer for beauty. While counting mosquito bites and pulling ticks out of their toes, hikers who have just walked 50 kilometers (31 miles) in tropical heat through the Osa Peninsula might be inclined to agree.
From [...]