In Central America there’s a well established ‘Gringo’ trail for good reason. The Maya ruins, colonial cities and tropical coastline that make up the isthmus draw backpackers, holiday makers and expats from around the world. For the most part, I’m an advocate of staying on or around the beaten path. Not just because there’s usually…
“Maybe we should go to Salama?”. I put the question to my travel buddy despite knowing it was a big ask. Salama was a two day trip off our planned route but that’s how extreme my quetzal obsession had become. Quite the reputation In the UK I spend my work life juggling multiple priorities and…
Nowhere is it more obvious that water gives life than in Monteverde Cloud Forest. The way in which this threatened environment captures, uses and recycles water is evident in the petals that drip with tiny globules of liquid; the slippery mud underfoot and the clouds that get sucked up the mountainside in sudden, misty waves.…
From colourful flashes within the canopies to melodic morning songs, birds will be a lasting memory of my time in Central America. As a child I sat silently in hides for what seemed like months with my dad, just to get a glimpse of relatively common migratory seabirds. As the years went on I carried…
Is there any creature on earth that constantly grows and adapts to fit their environment more so than the spider? There had been heavy rain the night before I hiked to Red Cliff and snapped this shot. Yet this spider’s web wasn’t even slightly damaged. Instead, the midday sunlight penetrating the canopy only served to…
Puerto Viejo is a surfer’s party town. By day everyone hits the beaches, by night the reggae bars are the place to be. Why go? This ocean side town is only five hours and $8 from Costa Rica’s capital. Its multiple beaches, Caribbean cuisine and laidback attitude make it the ideal place to spend a…
What does the simple life mean to you? Visions of sustainable living, immersing yourself in nature or merely living outside of deadlines and commitments? As with many Spanish phrases, Costa Rica’s ‘La Pura Vida’ can’t be taken literally. Directly translated, it means ‘the pure life’, however the sentiment for native Costa Ricans (or Ticos) is…
