Along the morning drive, we saw Lake Arenal, which is beautiful, along with being the largest lake in Costa Rica. I got another item off my bucket list when I visited Mistico Hanging Bridges Park near Lake Arenal. I have always wanted to walk across a scary, suspension bridge. The nice thing about the park is that you start with the highest bridge (350 ft.) first. The view was the best at that one…afterwards you are mainly looking at the rain forest. Can you see the rainbow? You can’t beat a view with a rainbow.
Only twelve people at a time are allowed on a bridge. You have to synchronize your walk and slowly at that, or the bridge starts swaying from side to side…which can be frightening or fun depending on the person. I enjoyed the adrenaline rush…
The park is a family owned business. It used to be a dairy farm that a family turned into a park since tourism is more profitable in Costa Rica. Also, this was my first time hiking in a rainforest, so I got to see more wildlife. I was excited to see bats again since I have a thing for them. The park is great to hike, since you can see different species of flora and a high biodiversity of fauna. After the hike, you can take some great pictures by the entrance since the views are amazing!
We had a great time hiking the trail, and all six bridges. It’s a beautiful park definitely worth visiting!
We headed to Guanacaste, and stopped at Playa Grande to watch the sun setting on the way to our hotel. My friends and I walked along the beach, and took some photographs. We arrived at the JW Marriott aftrwards, which is beautiful. I spent a little time exploring the grounds, and just taking it in. We made the mistake of going to dinner when it started, and had to wait forever since all the older people from the tour were there. After that, we always went half hour later to avoid the rush, and it was perfectly fine. I did enjoy the jacuzzi that evening, along with the pool when I got warm. I got to see more bats flying around too…
The nice thing about the next day was that it was a free day, so I spent it relaxing by the pool. I also went to the beach, but the waves were rough, as were the rocks.
I was perfectly content journaling, reading a book, and drinking margaritas, which was broken up by meals and swimming. At the resort, you can get a massage or any kind of spa treatments or services. Some people got manicures/pedicures or even booked a massage. My day was spent relaxing; doing the things I enjoy…
I was so sad to leave the next day since the resort was a welcome rest stop. We stopped at Monteverde, a collective that sells homemade cheese and ice cream. The lemon ice cream flavor was amazing! Parts of Jurassic Park were filmed in Costa Rica so there was a park there with models of dinosaurs. I got to take a pic with a T-rex. My sister climbed a sabretooth tiger, and a 90 year old man on our tour did the same, which was pretty hilarious. I have to give him points for being young at heart.
We did a cruise on the Tarcoles River and this time we got to see crocodiles galore! There was horses roaming on the shore…so beautiful! The big crocodile I took a pic with is named Osama. It was cloudy and started raining at the end so we hung out at the gift shop. My friends and I decided to buy flower barrettes and wear them the next day to Manuel Antonio Park for our beach photo shoot.
When we got to the San Bada Hotel, we had happy hour! I usually do not drink tropical types of libations, but when in Rome…The pina coladas were really good since they used real pineapples. We had a great view of Manuel Antonio Park and the beach from the top of the hotel. It was great to kick off our shoes and just enjoy the view, while sipping on our drinks.
Woke up early on my last day in Costa Rica to watch the sunrise at the top floor of the hotel. After breakfast, we then went for a hike at Manuel Antonio National Park. Costa Rica started setting aside land for the parks in the 1970s, and now about 30% of the land is protected by the government. Manuel Antonio is in a tropical humid rain forest so be prepared for the humidity. Thankfully, there are beaches at the park. We swam at the main one, called Manuel Antonio beach…easy enough to remember. The water felt so refreshing after the hike. My sister was so happy and wouldn’t leave the water. She was like a fish. The tide rose and at a point it soaked the towel of a friend that was sleeping, which was hilarious. I still laugh about that to this day. I was also pretty excited to see a sloth that was awake, rather than curled up in a ball sleeping. It was awake and moving around. This was one animal I really wanted to see up close, so it was great to see one on my last day there. We did not spend much time at the park. Another option a couple did on the tour, was that they stayed a couple extra days at Manuel Antonio instead of returning with us to San Jose.
We also had a going away party to celebrate the end of our journey. We had a nice dinner and wine, and were able to say our good byes to all the people we met. Even though we were the youngest people on the tour, we got along with everyone, and made some new buddies. My friends and I had a great time on the tour. Costa Rica is really beautiful, and green; conservation is very important there. I was able to see wildlife, exotic birds, and pretty flowers. The beaches were amazing, and the landscape serene. I’m also glad I picked a time of year that was not crowded or touristy so I was able to have a relaxing time even though it was filled with allot of activities. I am a “go, go” type of person so that’s the kind of vacation I enjoy. I was fine with the amount of time we spent in Costa Rica, and the vacation was not over since I went to Mexico next! Stay tuned for the next adventure!
