Try Costa Rica’s pura vida
Live life to the full in one of the world’s happiest lands
GREEN and serene, deliciously warm and teeming with wonders, Costa Rica is many people’s top choice for a first foray into Central America.
This safe, welcoming and relatively small country packs in a lot of experiences. Walkways and ziplines open up its jungles, providing visitors with a window on the incredible wildlife that inhabits the canopy.
And what marvels there are to see. Costa Rica has more than half a million species, more butterflies than Europe, 28 national parks and reserves and five per cent of the planet’s biodiversity.
But that’s nothing compared to the wonder visitors feel on seeing a sloth — Costa Rica’s poster boy — or the magnificently colourful and once-sacred quetzal, one of 900 species of birds.
At Tortuguero National Park, on the Caribbean coast, there’s some of the best turtle-watching sites found anywhere in the world, while colourful tropical fish, sharks, rays, dolphins and whales thrive off the Pacific coast.
What’s more, in Costa Rica you can soak in thermal pools warmed by other-worldly volcanoes, venture into cloud forests, go river rafting, kayaking or surfing — and relax in luxurious surroundings beside stunningly beautiful Pacific or Caribbean beaches.
Everywhere you go, you’ll hear the locals saying ‘ pura vida!’, meaning pure life or full of life. People use the phrase when saying hello, goodbye, everything’s cool, same to you.
But it’s more than a saying. It’s a mentality and a way of life for the Costa Ricans, otherwise known as Ticos. It’s a
mindset that reflects energy, positivity, and an appreciation of nature and our role in it, leading to choices that are good for the earth and good for the soul.
The Nicoya peninsula, for example, is one of the world’s five Blue Zones, meaning locals here live longer-thanaverage lives. Ticos say this is because of the pura vida ethos.
Only after a rejuvenating week in this natural wonderland, will you truly know what pura vida feels like. It’s happiness and a way of life that can be truly experienced only in beautiful Costa Rica.