Pura Vida! Costa Rica is a Must-See

Accruing miles pays off.  Using frequent flyer miles, I booked my flight and hotel accommodations for an unforgettable experience to Costa Rica's Pacific Coast.  Now that I'm back from my much-needed vacation and have adjusted to being back in the real world, I had to share.

First and foremost, Costa Rica is an absolutely beautiful place with a little something for everyone.  Whether you're the type to lounge at the beach; into surfing; a culture enthusiast; a nature lover; an adventure junkie or appreciate all the above (like yours truly), Costa Rica should be on your short list of vacation spots.  I know I plan to go back one day!

Desafio Adventure Company
Sky Trek/Sky Tram

I'm an adrenaline junkie. So, for my fellow thrill seekers, you absolutely cannot visit Costa Rica without doing a canopy tour where you zip line through the treetops.  I highly recommend doing a tour with the Desafio Adventure Company.  They offer a full range of adventure excursions and tours as well as transportation from your hotel to their location in La Fortuna.  Desafio, which means "challenge" in Spanish, gives you an opportunity to do just that -- challenge yourself to tackle a world of fun and adventure without compromising safety. 

Arenal Volcano

View from the Observation Deck
@ the Arenal Reserve

Desafio has a high standard for safety and excellence.  I was lucky to have great tour guides for my Sky Trek/Sky Tram experience with Desafio Adventure Company. Ricardo and Andres were absolutely fantastic!  They pointed out interesting facts about the rainforest,  the volcano, and the lake as we rode the Sky Tram to the observation deck at the top of the Arenal Reserve.  It was there that we got all the safety tips to make sure we knew how to safely complete all the zip lines without sacrificing fun.

Panoramic View of Lake Arenal

There were 8 adrenaline pumping zip lines.  You almost get the sensation as if you're flying.  If you've never done zip lining -- doing the Desafio canopy tour is the way to go.  My favorite zip line, the Big Daddy, was the longest and gave AMAZING views of both the Arenal Volcano and Costa Rica's largest landlocked body of water, Lake Arenal. 

La Fortuna Waterfall

As part of our tour, we had the opportunity to visit the La Fortuna Waterfall.  It was 460 steps down to the emerald pool below -- but man, was it worth the trek!  Too bad, I didn't have my swimsuit for a quick swim, but just seeing its beauty up close was breathtaking!


Because of all the beauty, adventure, good food (I'm hooked on tres leches cake), and friendliness, Costa Rica is now one of my favorite vacation spots! And I've been quite a few places... I definitely have to go back!  So you know that means... back to stacking up my miles.  Pura Vida!