In October I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity along with 5 other travel agents to be taken to the stunning country of Costa Rica, and what a place it is! As I had such an amazing time, I thought I’d share a few words and photographs with you about the experiences that I had whilst I was there, just to give you a feel for kind of things you can see and do whilst there.
For anyone that hasn’t heard of Costa Rica before, it’s a small country located in Central America and shares borders with Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south. It has a population of just under 5 million, with 2.5 million of them living or working in the capital San Jose. This is where British Airways fly to twice weekly, on a Tuesday and Saturday direct from Gatwick.
If wild life is your thing then you should take a trip to Sierpe which is located in the South Pacific area and is one of the most important wetlands in Central America, if not the world. Seirpe is home to thousands of species of wildlife, and in the 3 hours that I spent in the wetlands, I saw the largest number of animals whilst I was in Costa Rica, including macaw parrots!
Our first night after we arrived was spent in the capital San Jose and we got to experience a beer and food tour, which we did on foot. Costa Rica is very big on the craft beer scene, something which I wouldn’t have imagined, with dozens of different pubs and bars offering their home brewed beverages. There is also an area called the Gastronomy Quarter, which features some fantastic bars and restaurants all located on the same street, so you can have your own pub and food crawl!
I appreciate not everyone wants to do adventure sports, but there are things for everyone. So, if you wanted to do something that was slower paced, you could experience such excursions as jungle walks, bird watching, city tours and whale watching boat trips, so no matter what it is you are in to you’ll be able to find something suitable.
When it comes to beaches, there are many stunning options. If you wanted to go to a resort that features big all-inclusive hotels, then you need to look at the North Pacific areas. If you wanted something less touristy and more authentic then you may be better off looking at Tortugero on the Caribbean side or Domincal/Uvite (where I stayed) in the Southern Pacific.

As mentioned the areas in Costa Rica are very spread out and our trip was over 7 nights so with there being so many areas to visit we could only fit in a small section of the country, so our trip was mainly concentrated to a couple of different areas. In the central Caribbean region and the southern pacific region. There’s no right or wrong areas to go to in Costa Rica, it’s just a matter of taste.
I hope this brief Blog gives you a little insight into the trip and you liked my photographs too, Costa Rica is now up there with the best places that I have visited, which is down to the wildlife and nature on offer, but also due to the warm and friendly people that make up the wonderful country.
With that in mind, before I sign off I just wanted to say a massive thank you to our Guide Edward who made the trip so memorable and incredible, and also Freddy from the Costa Rica Tourist board for putting together such a diverse and interesting itinerary together.
So, as they say in Costa Rica… muchas gracias amigo’s, Pura Vida!