Costa Rica - February 2025
Posted March 22, 2025 - 65 Photos. We met nephew Jason in Costa Rica for our second annual joint winter vacation. Last year, we visited Belize, and this year we spent more time in the sweltering Central American heat and humidity. Rick fared better in Belize than he did in Costa Rica. He had troubles in Costa Rica with heat exhaustion, dehydration, a leg injury, and a high heart rate (likely a side-effect of the anti-malarial medication). So there are times where you won’t see Rick on some of the adventures pictured below. Despite those issues., it was still a good trip.
01 - We had a direct 5-hour flight to San Juan, Costa Rica, where we met Jason for our week together.
02 - While our flight seemed pretty quick, Costa Rican Immigration was a mass of people, taking what seemed like forever to move forward.
03 - Rick waits for Jason to finish his slog through Immigration.
04 - Jason, manning the cart at the local grocery store. The price signs give insight into the Costa Rican monetary system, based on colones. Five colones is worth one US cent!
05 - After grocery shopping, we hit the road for La Fortuna, which is about 70 miles northwest of the San Juan airport. It was a long, slow 70-mile journey that took about 2.5 hours to complete on very curvy mountain roads. It was a welcome sight to final reach our Airbnb, a few miles outside of town.
06 - Arenal Volcano looms large over the La Fortuna area. The volcano erupted unexpectedly in 1968, destroying the small town of Tabacón. The 1968 eruption lasted until 2010! Arenal has been dormant since then.
07 - Julie and Jason at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.
08 - Julie on one of the six impressive hanging bridges, amidst the thick, ever-growing rainforest.
09 - Jason clowning around on a suspension bridge.
10 - Julie and Jason, with Arenal in the background.
11 - Returning to the Airbnb after lunch, we discovered that strong winds had blocked our route. We were able to move the tree ourselves, but it was quite heavy and entangled in a mass of vines.
12 - Julie and Jason spent the afternoon relaxing at the Ecotermales Hot Springs and Wellness Temple. Rick decided to pass since online rumors suggested that the water was full of brain-eating bacteria.
13 - Rick and Jason on the Bogarin Trail guided tour, searching for sloths.
14 - Amazing sloth shot that lets you see just how homely those lazy guys are.
15 - Bored with sloths, Rick decided to embarrass himself by falling in a 4-foot deep ditch containing stagnant jungle water and mud. He left the guided tour to take his second shower of the day at the Airbnb.
16 - An even more spectacular sloth photo - it's generally not so easy to see these guys!
17 - This gal came down from the tree to poop - not a very common sight since they only do it once a week!
18 - Jason and Julie can't believe they saw a sloth relieve herself.
19 - Next stop - La Fortuna Waterfall. As this photo shows, the 250-foot waterfall is basically in a big hole in the ground!
20 - A little fun time before we climb down the hole.
21 - It's 530 steps down to the base of the waterfall - walking down was easy. Going up, not so much...
22 - Julie and Jason, somewhere lower than Rick was at time.
23 - Jason at the base, along with some swimmers. The force of the falling water is so great that swimmers can't even get close to it.
24 - A cool waterfall selfie, made even cooler by the fact that you can see Julie's hands in our sunglass reflections.
25 - A parting shot of the falls, from around step no. 263 or so.
26 - Some white-nosed coati that Jason and Julie saw on the way to zip-lining. These little buggers actually are known pollinators of balsa trees. Unlike their raccoon relatives, the coati forage during the day.
27 - A view of Arenal Volcano from Sky Adventures Zip-Lining. Rick had to bail on this activity because his resting heartbeat all afternoon was at 90-100 BPM. Julie was none-too-thrilled about taking his place.
28 - Julie looks pretty relaxed for someone who is dreading the experience.
29 - Posing in a giant hand, reminding them to hold-on tight!
30 - Julie, zipping along on her first line. This line crossed a valley over 600-feet below! Julie said her eyes were closed most of the time.
31 - Jason, on another line. The longest line at the park is about a half-mile, and zipping speeds can reach up to 40 mph.
32 - Racing on parallel lines, Jason appears to have reached 40 mph, while Julie is inches behind at 39 mph.
33 - Jason's satisfied look confirms that it was money well-spent.
34 - Next day, on the warm bus-ride to our 6-mile rafting adventure on the Balsa River.
35 - We're on the river! With 20-25 sets of rapids ahead of us, this is just the calm before the storm.
36 - These rapids allowed Rick and Julie to have a clear view ahead.
37 - We have so many cool pix from this adventure that it was difficult to select just a couple. Here's one where you have to wonder how everyone stayed on-board - particularly Jason in the front.
38 - Jason takes the brunt of another impact head-on. And, no, he did not fall out.
39 - Congratulatory paddle-whack for a job well-done.
40 - Beautiful view of the volcano on our last night in La Fortuna.
41 - We drove south the next day to Quepos. It was only 125 miles, but it took a long time on mountain roads.
42 - Julie behind the wheel of our SUV, as she negotiates one of the very steep inclines.
43 - This sign is a little different from a typical US wildlife warning sign!
44 - Fortunately, it was sunny for the drive and the views were amazing.
45 - We even stopped on a bridge to see...
46 - A crocodile! This is the view from a safe vantage point on the bridge. There were about a dozen crocs there, just waiting for a plump, juicy little kid to fall down.
47 - Our second Airbnb, about 15 minutes outside of Quepos.
48 - Relaxing on the patio after a long day of driving.
49 - Beautiful views from the patio.
50 - Visiting Manuel Antonio National Park, and getting oriented by our tour guide.
51 - We saw a wide variety of creepy and cute creatures in the Park. This crab is definitely in the creepy category.
52 - This cute little guy is some kind of agouti. Agoutis are one of the few species on the planet that can open a Brazil Nut without a tool!
53 - Back to creepy. This is a golden silk orb-weaver spider. Their legs can grow to 4 inches, and the baby spiders sometimes get carried away by strong winds as far as New Zealand.
54 - A grey-headed tanager, which likes tropical climates and doesn't live any farther north than southern Mexico.
55 - Uh-oh, not another sloth! They sure have greasy-looking fur. Not sure if they belong in the creepy or cute category.
56 - This an orange-bellied skimmer, which is an insect in the dragonfly family. These bugs live as far north as Arizona and Texas.
57 - Saved the cutest for last. This is a baby white-faced capuchin monkey. They are considered one of the most intelligent monkeys, known for tool-use and problem-solving abilities.
58 - The Pacific Ocean meets Costa Rica.
59 - Our Manuel Antonio tour group. The couple on the left are from Great Britain and the couple on the right are newlyweds from Canada.
60 - Rick having fun, playing butterfly. We sure don't see many Monarchs in the US these days...
61 - Julie bedazzles as a blue morpho butterfly, typically only found in tropical forests.
62 - Enjoying a relaxing lunch after our time at Manuel Antonio.
63 - Our last full day in Costa Rica, we splurged at a swanky place for lunch.
64 - Rick believes the shrimp he ate there was the best he ever had in his life.
65 - And another vacation comes to an end, as we fly back home.