Alissa and I just got back from Costa Rica.  What a wonderful country.  We were able to do lots of nature hikes.  It is a pretty diverse place; we were in rain forest, cloud forest, and beach side forest.  All of the places were very exciting and interesting, although it is getting quite touristy.  I would highly recommend it for the adventurous couples and families.  Kids really like seeing all of the animals, especially the monkeys in Manuel Antonio. 

We first went to Arenal, were we stayed right at the base of the Arenal Volcano, at the Arenal observatory lodge.  We were treated to nature hikes to the old lava flow at night and to a waterfall.  We also watched several orchestrated feedings of the local birds. Besides nature, we indulged in a luxurious hot springs trip at the Baldi Hot Springs. We also spotted several groups of Howler monkeys.  One was quite large with at least 9 in the group.

We then took a boat / jeep ride to Monteverde, up in the cloud forest.  I think this was one of my favorite parts.  The forest is very strange.  Its always in the clouds, so trees don’t grow rings in the bark.  The bark never hardens from the moisture.  Also plants hardly grow on the ground; they grow in the tree tops.  They call this an epiphite.  We saw lots of birds here, and Alissa spotted the resplendent quetzal, a highly prized sighting.

We then drove down to Manuel Antonio, for some relaxing beach time.  We chilled at the beach, learned to surf, and I got to practice my scuba diving skills.  We also enjoyed lots of monkey sightings, both squirrel and capuchin Monkeys.

A wonderful trip.  We will write a more detailed journal soon. Here is our Costa Rica itinerary, and also our photos.

Geoff