My name is Sarah, and my life changed for the better on Jan. 16 when I landed in Liberia, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has my heart.

I got to explore and experience things that I never thought I would, so I wanted to take the time to share my adventure with the world in hopes I get to inspire you to travel whenever that time maybe.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and if you have any questions, leave a comment!

DAY 1
The trip of a lifetime began at the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport when we boarded our American Airlines flight, and off we were to Liberia, Costa Rica!! #PuraVida

As we flew into Costa Rica, we flew over this active volcano, incredible to see from the air!

The good news is that the flight takes about four to five hours, so I was in paradise by 1 p.m.
Once we landed, we deplaned and walked inside the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport. We were guided to customs, which did not take long. We then found our luggage and met our car rental shuttle.

We rented with Sixt, and it was a great experience. We learned from the shuttle driver that it’s more expensive to book a rental at the airport, so renting a car beforehand was the smart choice.

Once we received our rental car, we were off to our Airbnb in Nuevo Arenal, located off Lake Arenal, which is about an hour and a half east of the airport.

I love long car rides, and the views in Costa Rica did not disappoint (as you can see in the pictures below).

Driving to Nuevo Arenal was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life – the country is so lush and beautiful.
Pulling into Nuevo, we were created by a rainbow on Lake Arenal, so I took this to sign that this trip would be the most fantastic vacation ever.

At first, my Airbnb was kind of difficult to find, but that’s what I get for glancing at an email my hosts sent me instead of reading it thoroughly.

After taking the time to read their lovely note, we found our oasis!
Once we drove down from the main road and parked the car in the driveway, I knew we were in heaven.

We decided to stay in the forest away from tourists, and I am so happy I did. We were secluded, and the view was unbelievable.

DAY 2
Howling monkeys were our alarm clocks the entire trip, and I did not mind it one bit.

At first, you’re like, “what in the world..?” but once you realize what it is, you realize how unique nature is and admire it.

I woke up and had the most fantastic coffee ever, and took in my view from the balcony of our two-story Airbnb.

I was in paradise.

Once I got showered and dressed, we were out the door to explore.
The first place we stopped at was the Selva Paraíso Souvenir and Coffee Shop.

I’ve only been drinking coffee for the past four years, and I heard Costa Rica has the best coffee in the world.

Boy, did Selva Paraiso not disappoint. They have the cutest souvenirs, which local artists make. They also have good food, great coffee, and the view is out of this world.

Also, there is zero need to pay to see birds. All you need is a good cup of coffee and sit out back of the cute coffee shop, and the birds – hummingbirds, toucans, etc. – will come to you.

After hopping back into the car, we decided to drive to Volcan Arenal. We were in the mood for hiking, and this was the closest volcano we found after speaking to the lovely couple that owns Selva.

The park cost $36 for two people to walk on a nature trail that brings you somewhat close to the volcano.

After walking for about an hour or so, we grew hungry and decided to hunt for food.

We took a left out of the park, took some backroads, and found this unbelievably yummy treat.

I ordered a vegan sandwich for lunch, which came with freshly grilled squash, onions, avocados, eggplant, and tomato. Man, was it divine!!

I had the mango smoothie while my travel companion had a banana smoothie – both were delicious!

Then we headed out in search of some more fun, and that’s when we came across La Fortuna. We stopped off at a fruit stand, and where we met the most lovely family. The daughter helped us find the best fruits – which were delicious!

We then made our way back to our Airbnb, cooked up a delicious meal, played Cribbage, and then fell asleep.

DAY 3
We got up and around and decided to try out some beaches. We (I mean me) decided to Google “Best beaches in Costa Rica” and found some pictures of a beach right on the Gulf of Nicoya.

We hopped into the rental car and headed south for a 2-hour trip.
We ran into many construction and two-lane highways, so the trip seemed to drag on, but we did not stay long once we got to our destination.

The beach we came around was deserted, and the town did not look safe; also, there was an oil barge sitting in the cove, so we Googled more beaches and settled on Tamarindo. We got back in the car and headed northeast.

Google Maps helped us avoid the construction by leading us down some dirt roads, which seemed sketch, but we never doubted Google for a second, and we were able to avoid the heavy traffic and met some lovely people along the way.

Three hours later, we were in Tamarindo. It was crowded, but the water, sand, and views were beautiful.

It was too bad it was 3 p.m. by the time we got there, we didn’t spend too much time, but there were many shops and restaurants to look at and eat. It was a very touristy area, but it’s also a great surf spot.

We made our way back and decided to stop at this German restaurant next to our Airbnb, and it was scrumptious.

Dessert was our favorite part!

DAY 4
We woke up and decided to search for #waterfalls, so we headed to Catarata del Toro.

Our path took us through #LaFortuna, so we had to stop at the fruit stand again for some snacks to take with us.

Once we got back on the road, we headed south. Two and half hours later, we arrived. When we got there, it was about 5:30 p.m., and we were the last customers of the day.

Now, this place is AMAZINGGGG.

And it is a HIKE to get to the waterfalls, but it is so worth it. Some stairs lead you down, and it’s a HIKE.

Climbing back up was another story – we stopped about five times to catch our breath (and we are what you consider to be in good shape).

Thankfully, my travel partner brought poles to stabilize us because the closer you get to the water, it gets pretty slippery.

We got back up to the top and headed back to the house to cook and fall asleep.

My travel companion also knows how to grill!

DAY 5
Rise and shine – our week is almost over (sad face), so we got up to hike the beautiful countryside.

We made our way to our favorite coffee shop for birds, coffee, and food.

Just of note, yes, I am wearing socks with my sandals. My feet are sensitive, and I get blisters relatively easily. 😉

We then hopped back into the car and found some free hot springs, which was peaceful and warm.

We found some amazing pictures on Instagram about the Poás Volcano, so we decided to head out.

When we left the #coffeeshop, it was sunny and warm.

By the time we got to #PoasVolcano was a different story. It was cold, dreary, and wet.

And the cloud coverage was insane.

Once we got to the volcano, we found out that you have to have reservations to enter the park, so we spent the next 10 minutes on the park’s website to set up a time and pay.

Once you do that, you show your reservation to the park rangers and make your way to the parking lot.

This is a very active volcano – it erupted in April 2017. We donned hardhats, and the smell of sulfur was in the air, and off we went to see Poás!

The picture below is the reason we decided to trek our way through the countryside.

Expectation
(credit @leo.leonc)

Reality

We didn’t stay long, so I recommend checking the weather to make sure your day isn’t wasted.

As we came back through La Fortuna, I wanted to make a pit stop for some chocolate.

I ordered three pieces of cake and two brownies. Don’t worry – I let my travel companion get in a few bites!

The shop covered the brownies, but the cakes were not, so they were dry. The brownies, however, were so good!

DAY 6
Thursday marked our last full day in Costa Rica, so we wanted to take it easy.

We made our way to this German bakery we had our eyes on all week! We stopped in for breakfast, and it was scrumptious!

We drove around aimlessly and enjoyed the views as much as we could.

Our caretaker told us about three beaches we needed to see before we left, so we headed to Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama, and Playa Cocoa (since they are all close to each other).

All the beaches were pretty and weren’t overpopulated with tourists. It was nice to escape and enjoy several secluded beaches.

We enjoyed our last meal at Le Bistro, and the view was stunning!

DAY 7
We made our way to the airport early since we didn’t want to get stuck in traffic or an accident.

We got our car dropped off and made it to the airport, through customs, and got our luggage taken care of.

We got on the plane, and our adventure back to the states began.

We flew American, which was a great experience; I highly recommend using them.

Now, when we got back to Dallas/Ft. Worth Int’l Airport, I got stuck in the long line of customs – my travel companion is no stranger to flying international, so they whizzed through with their Global Entry (which I highly recommend getting.)

#GlobalEntry is a government program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival into the United States.

I filled out the form online while I stood in line at customs – it took about 20 to 30 minutes to fill out and only cost me $100.

Once the form is submitted, you’ll get an email a few days later to set up an interview at an international airport to speak to a #TSA agent about yourself.

After that, you’ll likely be approved for a 5-year membership, which will allow you to keep those long and pesky lines!

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, the trip was life-changing and the best experience and journey I’ve ever been on. I also got to develop a relationship that I’ll cherish forever.

I highly recommend Costa Rica to anyone looking for a vacation spot because it has it all – hiking, beaches, fantastic food, amazing people, and it’s a beautiful country.

I cannot wait to go back!

You can follow me on Instagram to see more of my adventures @TheTravelingSooner!