La Fortuna, Costa Rica – Monkey Park is a misnomer. This is not a park at all, but rather a family-owned forest preserve that occupies a corner of a flourishing farm. A 2.5-kilometer trail winds through the luscious primary forest.…
Río Fortuna Waterfall
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – There are a lot of cataratas in Costa Rica but the Río Fortuna waterfall is doozy! It’s 70 meters high. For those of us who are not proficient in the metric system, that’s 500 steps.…
Arenal Volcano
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – It was pouring rain when I drove into La Fortuna last night. This is the weather that I feared when I planned a trip to the rainforest during the rainiest month of the rainy season.…
Welcome to My Treehouse
Boca Tapada, Costa Rica – I’ve been coming to Costa Rica for years, visiting and reviewing hotels that offer treehouse lodging, but this is the first time I had the opportunity to actually sleep in a tree. I don’t know…
Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat
Chilamate, Costa Rica – I am moving quickly on this trip! I spent a few days at one of my favorite places – the Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat. In the past, we have stayed here en famille (although it’s been…
Riddle
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica – Spending the day looking for birds at the world-famous rainforest preserve, La Selva Biological Station, I made up a riddle. How do you find a keel-billed toucan in the rainforest? Answer: Follow your…
La Vida Rural
San Miguel de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica – What a thrill to be back in Costa Rica for a Lonely Planet guidebook update! This whole thing came about rather unexpectedly, so I am traveling solo (for now), during the rainy season,…
Lonely Planet’s Best of Costa Rica
Somerville, Mass – A funny thing happened. This book, which I researched and wrote a year and a half ago, was finally published. Lonely Planet’s Best of Costa Rica is a scaled back version of the bigger country guide, covering…
Snorkeling, Ziplining and More
Bahía Drake, Costa Rica – Our final days in Costa Rica were packed with snorkeling, ziplining, and more. And now, we are ready to go home. Isla del Caño After days of downpour, the weather finally cleared enough for us…
Swinging New Year
Los Planes, Costa Rica – Have a swinging New Year, friends. See you in 2020!