Day 4 – Wednesday

We spent Tuesday night in Las Catalinas, and Wednesday morning, we drove to Tamarindo for our surfing lessons! I surfed much better this time than my first time in Porto, and the four of us had a blast! Because it was high tide, the hardest part of the lesson was waiting for just the right wave. 😊

At our Airbnb for the night, we finished the day with glasses of wine and an episode of Ted Lasso, our favorite show!

Day 5 – Thursday

Thursday was my favorite day of the trip! Our only mission for today was to end up closer to San Jose. The night before, we brainstormed last-minute activities and Lydia’s parents suggested we hike La Leona Waterfall with Daniel’s Tours. Daniel has been a tour guide for many years, and just began his own guided tour business for hiking, mountain biking, and white-water rafting. He charged a fair price because he is a one-man show and we learned so much from him!

The hike was a moderately difficult and only 1 ½ half miles to the waterfall. We walked alongside the creek until we reached the canyon entrance. To reach the waterfall, we had to swim against the current in the small canyon with a rope and Daniel helped us climb over a few slippery boulders. The water was clear and turquoise because of the natural minerals, and it was so refreshing to swim at the base. How cool!

After our hike, we had a quick lunch at the café where we parked our car. Daniel took our order before the hike, so lunch was ready right when we arrived! From lunch, we drove to Poás Volcano, which is just north of San Jose. We made a slight detour to see the crocodiles underneath Crocodile Bridge, but, unfortunately, all the crocs had already retreated from the bridge.

We spent the night at these cool, glamping domes near the Poás Volcano! We checked in and ordered dinner from the owner and his wife, who lived on the property. Lydia and I chatted with them from their dining room table as they prepared our meal. They were gracious hosts and happy to speak slowly so we could practice our Spanish. Their home-cooked dinner was simple and delicious, and the perfect way to close out the day!

Day 6 – Friday

My favorite time of day is the early morning, just after sunrise when most people are sleeping, and the only sound is of chirping birds. The weather was perfect to wake up early and journal outside of the camping dome. We ate breakfast in our dome, and then drove to the Poás Volcano National Park. When we arrived, we watched a safety video and were assigned red helmets. It was an easy walk to see the crater, and we were instructed to only look at the crater for 20 minutes because of the toxic gases. The last time this volcano erupted was in 2019; how wild is it to be so close to such a powerful force of nature?!

From the visitor center, we found another hike up to a dormant crater. It was a tough uphill climb, and the views at the top were incredible. There is a lake in this crater (Lago Botos), and the deep, blue water surrounded by the jungle reminded me of Jurassic Park!

In the afternoon, we toured a coffee farm in the outskirts of San Jose, called La Hacienda Chimba. This tour was not as informative or entertaining as the one I had in Peru, but it was still cool to walk through the large-scale coffee making process. After the tour, we hiked around the property and walked onto this cool hand structure! We each took home a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans.

We ended the day with a dinner made from the snacks we had accumulated throughout the week, including half a bottle of red wine, protein cereal, and semi-stale tortilla chips. Of course, we watched an episode of Ted Lasso and called it an early night.

Early Saturday morning, we flew back to the US. It didn’t take long for us to decide that the middle of June would be a great time for us to travel together again!