Here we go, complete with butterflies in my tummy that are somewhere between excitement and nervousness. We have made it through the high demands of Christmas time and now the trip we have planned and anxiously anticipated is finally here!

There were several reasons my husband and I planned this trip. Besides loving the activities and new …

Six o'clock came early but somehow it was easy to get up. Our guide Luis met us right on time and off we went towards the Pacuare River. We soon left the city streets and were climbing the hills towards the volcanic ridges. We stopped for breakfast at a wonderful spot with gear on the lower floor and an open air dining area above. We enjoyed …

This morning we went for a bike ride through CATIE, the agricultural research center. Jose, our guide, got us situated and did a wonderful job tailoring the ride for the two 21 year olds who enjoyed a quick pace and their parents, who enjoyed a bit slower ride. We saw several colonies of leaf cutter ants and learned about their efficient …

As we woke this New Year's Eve we heard the rain falling. Ah well, rain is a necessary component for the rain forest. Undeterred, we put on our slickers and headed to Guayabo National Monument for a tour the archaeological site. After a short introduction by the guide, we were able to explore the area that was thought to be inhabited from 1000 …

We began our New Year by travelling up the road to see if we could find the Resplendent Quetzal. Our guide Melvin was an expert on all the birds in the area. Just driving up the road, he named anything and everything that flew by. It was a wonderland of diversity. We stopped where a pair of Quetzals had recently been seen. As we took in the …

As hard as it was to leave this beautiful mountain retreat, we were all excited to head to the coast. Before we arrived at the ocean, we stopped at Hacienda Baru for a visit to the Butterfly habitat and a slide on the zip line. Unlike other zip lines, we had a bit of a hike to get to the first platform. On our way, we were rewarded with several …

The free time before our ocean kayak expedition gave us the perfect opportunity to check out the ocean. We set off down the road, past all the surfing schools to find a spot to do a bit of body surfing. After finding a spot that fit the bill, off my guys went. Only one problem, it was a board surfing beach not a body surfing beach. Ah well, …

Bright and early, our guide Erick met us for our BIG snorkel day. As we headed south towards Sierpe, I was hoping our guide would know something about the stone spheres that were unique to the area. We hit the jackpot, as Erick was able to share a tremendous amount of information about the artifacts. Researchers are still not exactly sure how …

We have a busy day planned for our last full day in Costa Rica. This morning we are kayaking in the Hatillo Mangroves then we will be setting off for San Jose. When we met our guide we were thrilled to see Erick again. After a short bus ride to the point where the river joins the ocean, we were on our way. We navigated narrow water ways …