Our Latin America specialist James is on a recce around the rainforested haven of Costa Rica. Find out more about our tailor-made holidays to Costa Rica, from honeymoons to family adventures, here.
Just 15 minutes out of San Jose you are immersed in the verdant cloudforest that characterises Costa Rica. My first destination was Pacuare Lodge - an award winning eco-retreat reached by some exhilarating white water rafting. This is a fantastic activity base with its own canopy walkways to discover the animals hiding in the treetops. After a hike to swim in a waterfall, getting caught in a heavy afternoon downpour and a soaking raft ride out, it was time to head for drier climes.
Or so I thought - as the most tremendous thunderstorm awaited me on the Caribbean Coast at Puerto Viejo. The skies cleared the following day for a morning walk along the surf beach of Playa Cocles before heading to the beautiful and lesser visited Cahuita National Park. It is worth getting a guide here to help spot the sloths lurking in the dense jungle.
Then an early transfer past banana plantations and a short boat ride took me to Tortuguero, which is known for sea turtles laying their eggs on its beaches at this time of year. You need to take a night walk to be in with a chance of a sea turtle sighting and be somewhat fortunate, as the chance of seeing one this early in the season is 50/50. However, Tortuguero is a top wildlife destination so you will see several species of monkey, iguanas, frogs and caiman, as well as a variety of birdlife including toucans.
Overall a great introduction to the nature that Costa Rica has to offer and intrigued to discover more as I head inland and over to the Pacific Coast...
