Pura Vida Costa Rica

Day 10 – We discover that the national park is closed on Mondays so my husband and I decide to hike the private reserve located immediately north of our hotel, paying the $2.00 entrance fee to the desk clerk. The 45 minute climb through the rainforest rewards us with a view overlooking Manuel Antonio Park and the beaches below. At 9:00 am, …

Day 11 – The $10.00 entrance fee paid, we enter Manuel Antonio Park when it opens at 7:30 am, selecting a trail that leads toward the ocean, winding through dense jungle where we admire white face and squirrel monkeys, lizards, a coati (a raccoon-like mammal), a mother and baby sloth. Tour groups with their guides gather at Playa Manuel …

Day 12 – Though only 90 miles from San Jose, the van ride back takes 4 hours, once again on winding, steep, narrow highways. We check back into Hotel Le Bergerac for a final evening in San Jose, for tomorrow we all have early flights home. Our hotel boasts some of the finest French cuisine in town so we enjoy the quiet ambience of their …