Sunday, Emma, Lauren and I headed to Monteverde. In the morning, we had an orientation, briefly explaining what we would be doing, even though they didn’t explain it at all. Then, they took us to the bus stop and sent us to Monteverde. Of course, we were supposed to get here the next day, so we had no one waiting for us at the bus stop. After about an hour of trying to figure it out, Guillermo (one of the workers) came to pick us up.

On Saturday, we went on hike with Dr. G’s son’s company. He said it was going to be “easy”. It was not. First off, I was very surprised we made it up the mountain in a minivan (and Dr. G’s driving…). The hike was very tough, especially without the proper attire. Finally, we made it to the bottom, and it was all worth it. The waterfalls were gorgeous, and it made the whole hike worth it.

Early Friday morning, we went on a tour of the volcano Arenal. Also a great experience. The volcano was absolutely beautiful, and we got lucky with the weather and were able to see it clearly. Later that afternoon, we headed back to San Jose.

On Thursday, we visited a company called VISA. VISA is a company that produces and distributes pineapples. It was super interesting and the lady that gave us the tour was part owner of the company. I really enjoyed learning about their operations and the samples of fruit were delicious.

Wednesday at La Fortuna was alright. We did a hike through some sky bridges and honestly, not the best thing we could’ve done. There were maybe 5 sky bridges and honestly it wasn’t very cool. At the end of the day, we went to another hot spring, which was awesome! The place was huge, and the water slides were insane. This was definitely a great way to end the day

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Tuesday was a very fun day. We got to go ziplining and also horseback riding. The hiking up a million steps definitely wasn’t the best, but I thought it was worth it. Then, we relaxed at the hotel for a little. Later, we headed to town to do some laundry, finally, and then went to get some lunch. For the end of the day, we went to the hot springs and had an amazing dinner.

Monday, we woke up at 7 AM to go rafting. I had a great time, as we rafted through the forest. The nature around us was absolutely amazing. In our trip, we even got to see some toucans and a sloth. We ate lunch and then headed back to the hotel. After a long and eventful morning, we all took naps and relaxed. Later, we went to dinner and then hung out at the hotel the rest of the night.

Sunday, we had a very long drive from Tamarindo to La Fortuna. We spent the beginning of the day in Tamarindo and left for La Fortuna at around 2. The drive was long, but especially bumpy, as we drove up and down mountains for about 6 hours straight. I enjoyed stopping on the highway to take a beautiful video of the lake. Finally, we arrived at the hotel. The hotel is absolutely beautiful, and I love how well it is incorporated into the nature. We went to dinner shortly after arriving, and then everyone went to sleep super early.

Saturday, after a long night, we drove to Tamarindo. This trip to Tamarindo was not a part of the plan, but I am very happy that it happened. The place was absolutely beautiful and definitely somewhere I want to visit again in the future. The surfing was insane. Definitely the biggest waves I have ever ridden in my life. In our day in Tamarindo, we ate at some great restaurants and then once again, found ourselves having a late night in the town.

Friday was probably my favorite day of the trip so far. We went on a catamaran in Playa del Coco and had an amazing day. We were on the boat for a while and had a great time. The catamaran would let us jump off and get off at certain beaches and it was absolutely incredible. At one of them, we walked up a little trail and were able to see one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. After, we went back to the hotel to take naps, as we were all exhausted from the ride. Eventually, we made it out of bed and found our way back to Playa del Coco to party.