Victoria's Voyage

What a jam packed event our first day as a group was!

Setting off for La Fortuna, I couldn’t have quite known what marvels would be in store. First, we stopped off by the roadside at a pretty waterfall, and I also managed to slip in my first part of souvenir shopping at one of the little pop up stalls that had set up shop there, and snap a quick shot of a wild coti.

Another drive later, the majority of my group headed off to do some white water rafting – which didn’t appeal to me at all! Instead, the handful of us that remained took a walk into the jungle, spying our first main collection of Costa Rican wildlife.

Trekking through this humid patch of forest, we saw various lizards and butterflies, and hundreds of large ants, all scurrying around carrying fallen leaves towards their anthill. I just hope, for their sake, the grasshoppers aren’t demanding even more this year! Another lucky spot was a strawberry poison dart frog, hiding in a little hollow below a couple of leaves, its distinctive red back its only giveaway.

We wandered aimlessly, taking everything in, so much so that we hit a few dead ends and got a little lost for a while. We crossed over a very precarious hanging bridge sitting ovwr the rushing river below, but the path beyond there was also closed off. Eventually, we trekked our way back to freedom, meeting up with our trip manager and guide, Yader, who managed to spot a twosome of toucans sitting in one of the trees along the path back towards the river. And they were beautiful!

Our final stop was La Fortuna, as we drove through the town to our next accommodation, a row of stunning little wooden cabins leading to the most spectacular view of the famed Arenal Volcano. What a way to wrap up the day!

But, the fun still wasn’t over. Introducing a night at the home of a local Costa Rican woman called Ellie, wonderful and hospitable – if not a little wild! Greeted with a wave as the coach approached, followed by her stepping onboard with her dog and a tray of shots of the local liquor, it was clearly going to be a night to remember!

We began making our own tortilla wraps, which would later form part of a buffet dinner of traditional Costa Rican food. Pair that with entertainment, dancing and drinks aplenty, and you have something really quite special.