Costa Rica

Costa Rica is wild and raw, it was the perfect stop over before moving into Panama.

What we learnt in Costa Rica:

• Sometimes it’s OK to chill and have no plans!

Puerto Viejo

As soon as we landed in San Jose, we headed straight to Puerto Viejo on a very hot and sticky five hour bus journey. Puerto Viejo is a Caribbean beach town near the border of Panama, home to national parks and beautiful beaches, where surfers and wildlife enthusiasts come to play.

We found a house in the jungle which became our laid back retreat for the week. It was located on a cacao farm up in the hills, with sweeping views overlooking the ocean and dense jungle. 

Our house had a tinned roof making it impossible to hear each other as the tropical rainstorms hammered above us. We were kept on our toes by the occasional BANG of fruit falling out of the trees, however, nothing surprised us more than the chaotic howler monkeys that visited us in the night! If you’re curious how they sound, then just imagine a pack of velociraptors, as we’ve now learnt their aggressive roars were sampled by Hollywood for the Jurassic Park movies.

One morning, Harvey eagerly ventured out towards the beach, expecting to intercept returning fishermen and barter for freshly caught red snapper. With no fisherman in sight, he returned disappointed but not empty handed, having negotiated fresh Mahi Mahi and shrimp from a chef out the back of a local restaurant. 

We spent most our mornings chilling on the terrace, often greeted by Speedy the sloth, toucans and perroquets. The Airbnb was located at the top of a hill that demanded an incredibly steep and sweaty hike. Decisions to pop out were often debated by weighing up the pros and cons, however, we did manage to journey out towards the beach during some afternoons. We rewarded our mild exercise with chocolate brownies and iced mochas from the cacao farm next door.

Playa Chiquita and Playa Punta Uva

We rented bikes and travelled down the coast in search of the stunning beaches everyone kept talking about. Concealed dirt roads and fire ants made it difficult to find your way, however, we finally stumbled across swaying palm trees, black & gold sand and a shack selling fresh coconuts and cold beer.

Cahuita

We headed into Cahuita National Park to hike the Sendero trail. It’s 8.4km long and weaves in and out of the jungle, peaking into beaches, stretching across rivers and finishing inside dense forest. The park is packed with wildlife, including racoons roaming for food, howler monkeys screaming for a mate, Hermit crabs scuttling for a new shell and sloths just chilling the f**k out.

Next stop: Panama!