In Costa Rica, The Search For National Geographic’s Soul

As summer holidays come to an end, 50 Best has compiled its list of the World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2023.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Martha Pierce , a 34-year-old former marketing agency owner, who started her own business coaching practice this year and left Denver, Colorado for Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is best known for its volcanoes, greenery and famous wildlife — but the beaches are also worth daydreaming about. Because of its rich biodiversity, there’s a little something for the surfer to the yogi or the casual sunbather. 

Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests, to still-smoking volcanoes and sublime beaches strung along Pacific and Caribbean coastlines.

It's no secret that the Caribbean is one of the world's premier regions for breathtaking nature.

Ever wonder what it is like to be a National Geographic photographer or filmmaker, traveling the world, experiencing exceptional adventures and witnessing spectacular, even rare, sights? I interviewed the intrepid Bertie Gregory, whose new show, Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory, premieres September 13th on Disney+. This six-episode series — which swoops and soars in Antarctica, Botswana, Central African Republic, the Galápagos, Indonesia and Patagonia — weaves stunning footage and compelling narratives about elusive pumas, imaginative B1 killer whales, distinctive forest elephants, endangered wild dogs, intriguing seals and sea lions, Godzilla-like marine iguanas, iconic gorillas, awesome devil rays, fierce guanacos and handfuls of other creatures that are often not entirely what you might expect them to be. For insightful specifics about each episode, read Forbes’ Love To Travel? Wild About Nature? ‘Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory’ Will Astonish You. Gregory and I continue our conversation, below, about the power of passion to fuel your dreams.

Courtney Danser and her friends were traveling back to New York from Croatia with Aer Lingus when they hit a major snag.

It’s easy to experience sticker shock when checking into eco-lodges and renting vehicles and booking tours in Costa Rica. Indeed, it is the most expensive country in Central America, thanks to a booming economy and well-developed tourist sector. 

Costa Rica packs a world of adventure into a relatively small area. Limited infrastructure means that getting around can be a challenge, but it’s also one reason that Costa Rica is the wild and wonderful place that it is. 

The passenger who this week went overboard from the largest cruise ship in the world — Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas — is a 19-year-old college student who was vacationing with his friends, his sister told Insider. 

On a recent trip to Costa Rica, on a hike in the remote forests of Volcán Tenorio National Park, the sky unexpectedly opened up, dumping buckets of rain on my 12-year-old twins and me. We were completely soaked, despite our rain gear. 

From inspiring future generations to offering once-in-a-lifetime adventures, there’s no limit to what visitors to national parks can gain from their experiences. And California, with nine national parks, boasts a remarkable range of natural wonders in its parks. That includes the hottest place in the United States, the biggest tree in the world by volume, and a national park accessible only by ferry.