I spent 12 days seeking Costa Rica's highlights, from the Cloud Forest to the Nicoya Peninsula. I'd revisit 3 places in a heartbeat but one tourist trap I'll never fall into again.

10.06.2024 - 00:53 / insider.com

My partner and I decided to splurge on a vacation to Costa Rica for a milestone birthday celebration this year. We spent 12 nights traveling across the western side of the country, trying to soak up as many of the Central American country's highlights as possible.

Costa Rica boasts 5% of the world's biodiversity, with white sand beaches and lush jungles to explore — a huge draw for us as animal lovers. It's also home to a small Blue Zone on the Nicoya Peninsula, where the region's residents are said to live longer, healthier lives than average.

Ultimately, we spent time in Costa Rica's capital city of San Jose, the volcanic hot springs of La Fortuna in Arenal, the cloud forest of Monteverde in Santa Elena, and the beaches of Paquera and Montezuma in the Nicoya region for a taste of the coastal life. While there were moments when we felt our experience was a bit too polished and gimmicky, the trip as a whole was full of incredible wildlife encounters and stunning views I haven't seen anywhere else in the world.

I'd hop on a plane tomorrow to go back if I could, but there are some things I'd skip on a return trip.

Our first main stop was La Fortuna, in the shadow of Volcano Arenal — one of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. While this area has plenty of hanging bridge tours and night walks to spot wildlife like sloths and glass frogs, rafting down the Rio Celesteallowed us to see the jungle from a different perspective.

We traveled at the end of May, the start of Costa Rica's wet season, so we encountered fewer tourists than were usually present during our trip. This paid off especially well for our rafting excursion, where we were the only two people on the tour besides our guide.

For about two hours and $75 each, we navigated class II and III rapids — intermediate difficulty, with white caps up to three feet and some obstacles in the way — on the Rio Celeste, taking brief breaks to swim in the beautiful, clear water. We also took drone footage of curious howler monkeys who watched us from the shore.

Our guide pointed out local birds and fish, helping us stop our raft when there were sights we wanted to linger on. Once we were done on the water, we enjoyed fresh fruits and a hot lunch of empanadas, which was included in the tour's cost.

Hiking in the cloud forest of Monteverde quickly topped our list of things to do while we researched our trip. If I could have extended our stay longer, this is the one thing I'd want to do more of, mostly to see more of the incredible wildlife in the Puntarenas province.

High in the mountains, about 30 minutes from the artsy township of Santa Elena, we went on a self-guided hike to see the El Tigre Waterfalls. The 8-kilometer hike takes you through a humid jungle over