Have you ever had moments or experiences where you kept pinching yourself to make sure it really happened? Well, my first pinch me moment was when I got hired on as a Travel Advisor for Mystical Dream Travel. Among the many great opportunities that arose over the last four years was the latest, the honor of representing the agency on an Adventures By Disney Costa Rica trip!
The guided group trip started in San Jose, the Capital of Costa Rica, where I met our amazing Adventure Guides, Fico and Colin. Fico, from Costa Rica, was the translator (if we needed one), historian, naturalist, local expert, best animal tracker, and so much more! Colin, from the United States, was our tour guide, trip director, gameshow host, photographer, motivator, and entertainer
We stayed at the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen for one night. At dinner, I got to meet my fellow travelers. We went around the room, did an introduction, and had to give a fun fact about ourselves. The next morning, we were on our way on our bus to La Fortuna. We made a stop at Aventuras del Sarapiqui for a whitewater rafting trip on the Sarapiqui River. We used their changing rooms to put on our water clothes, snacked on delicious fresh fruits, and spent a few minutes watching a sloth up in a tree (yes, i pinched myself when i saw it because I never thought I’d see one in the wild!) The group boarded the bus to the drop-off location, got rafting instructions, and photos taken by a professional photographer. The photographer even followed us from the shore to get action shots as we went over the Class I, II, and III rapids. At the end of our rafting, the guides and staff served us an amazing Costa Rican lunch. Then it was off to La Fortuna.
For the next three nights, we stayed at the Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa which is situated near the base of the Arenal Volcano. The view from our rooms was beautiful with different types of plants and the Arenal Volcano as a backdrop and our room had a hot tub inside it. We explored the grounds of the hotel and stuck our feet in the hot springs located on the property. The springs are heated by the volcano! During our different meals at the hotel, we had a Guaro Sour making class, fruit tasting session, ceviche making and tasting, and musical and dancing entertainment during one dinner with dance lessons afterwards!
I was pinching myself when we did a boat trip down the Rio Frio River through the Cano Negro Wildlife Preserve. We saw Capuchin, Howler and Spider Monkeys, Spectacled Caimon, Basilisk Lizards, Green Iguanas, bats and more! One of my favorites was the Spider Monkey Mom with her baby on her back. OK, maybe it was the Basilisk Lizard running across the water (which none of us caught on camera because we were so in awe seeing it). Wait, it was the Capuchin Monkey getting a drink of water headfirst from the river. It was just amazing in general!
On the next day, we had an included ziplining experience over the rainforest with views of the Arenal Volcano. I am still pinching myself that I did it! On one of the lines, a bird was soaring next to me as I glided over the treetops! If you didn’t want to zipline, an alternative walking excursion was available. After ziplining, we had a couple of hours to spend in La Fortuna to eat lunch or shop. We even peeked inside a beautiful old church. That evening we went to Ecotermales Fortuna hot springs. It was so relaxing to spend time in the water and then go to a delicious dinner on property. In celebration of Mother’s Day in Costa Rica, the staff came out with a beautiful pink cake decorated with flowers and butterflies! At this dinner, we also celebrated anyone that had a birthday while on our adventure.
The next morning, we said goodbye to La Fortuna and boarded the bus for Guanacaste! Our first stop on the way was a chocolate rainforest tour led by the entertaining, charming, and hilarious El Chapo Guapo. We were shown trees with Cacao in various growth stages, how the seeds were processed and ended with a delicious chocolate sampling! I admit, I went through the sample line more than once and even tried one with cayenne pepper and another with marshmallows that was even set on fire! Fico was kind enough to point out two sloths, a poison dart frog, and an agouti.
When we begrudgingly left the chocolate rainforest, we headed over some winding roads towards the Pacific Ocean, stopped for smoothies at a small local shop, drove a little further and had lunch at Rincon Coribici restaurant with a beautiful view of the river. Then we headed to our last hotel, El Mangroove, located on the coast. We had time to explore the resort, have another delicious dinner, and rest up for the last full day of Adventure.
The last full day, we had a breakfast buffet, and then met everyone at the beach to get in tender boats that took us out to a catamaran for a day of snorkeling, swimming, and beach time. During snorkeling, I saw a ton of fish, an eel, a purple sea star, and (pinch me, again!) a spotted eagle ray! I got passed by a green sea turtle but was looking the other way and missed it! After we were done in the water, the boat crew prepared a light lunch for us and delicious drinks. On the way back, a pod of dolphins decided to swim along with the catamaran.
Back at the hotel, we had time to relax at the pool and get ready for the farewell dinner. Before we ate, we were surprised with a Costa Rican dance troup, with their own musicians, that traveled an hour and a half to perform for us. After another delicious Costa Rican dinner, we were taken to a conference room for a final group farewell and a slideshow of pictures of all of us throughout the week put together by our guides as a final wrap up.
The next morning, we had a buffet breakfast, got to say goodbye to Fico, Colin, and new friends, and then driven to the airport at Liberia for our flights home.
Did I mention that all meals except one lunch were included? Did I tell you that all the excursions that I wrote about were included as well? Did I mention the hotel room with a hot tub inside of it in La Fortuna? Did I tell you that it was a great way to experience Costa Rica’s food, wildlife, culture, and activities? Now you know why I am still pinching myself!
I hope you get to experience a trip or even multiple trips that make you want to pinch yourself.
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