The Pura Vida Experience

For our annual trip, my sister, Renata, and I usually look for the best vacation deals. However, when McMaster University had a volunteer alumni trip to Costa Rica, we had to check it out. We previously volunteered in Tanzania and had an incredible experience. Volunteering is a great way to meet the local people and experience their culture. In Tanzania, we volunteered on a Medical Mission. In Costa Rica, we volunteered for a week in environmental conservation at the Santa Elena Reserve in Monteverde. In addition, Renata and I spent a couple of days in Tortuguero, La Fortuna, and Manuel Antonio. The total length of our trip is 3 weeks. Here is our story….

---

Trip Length: 3 weeks
Blog Entries: 22
Photos: 217
Words: 6111

---

Blog Entries

Date	Blog Title	Location
March 21st 2017	Day 1: Toronto to San Jose – the Pura Vida Experience Begins!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José
March 22nd 2017	Day 2: San Jose to Tortuguero - the land of turtles	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Limón » Tortuguero
March 23rd 2017	Day 3: Tortuguero – Experiencing the true rainforest on our canoe tour and day hike	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Limón » Tortuguero National Park
March 24th 2017	Day 4: Tortuguero to San Jose – Taxi Rip-off and Hotel Reservation misunderstanding	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José
March 25th 2017	Day 5: San Jose to Monteverde – From city to clouds	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 26th 2017	Day 6: Monteverde – a day in the clouds!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 27th 2017	Day 7: Monteverde – Hauling Rocks and the Bug Shed!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 28th 2017	Day 8: Monteverde – Zipping away and Setting a trap!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 29th 2017	Day 9: Monteverde – Paint Day and Night Time Critters!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 30th 2017	Day 10: Monteverde – Coffee Culture and Canopy Tour	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Monteverde
March 31st 2017	Day 11: Monteverde to San Jose – A day at the beach!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José
April 1st 2017	Day 12: San Jose – Irazu Volcano and Cartago City Tour	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Cartago » Volcan Irazu
April 2nd 2017	Day 13: San Jose to La Fortuna – Goodbye Mac-Serve; Hello La Fortuna!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna
April 3rd 2017	Day 14: La Fortuna – The magical blue waterfall	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna
April 4th 2017	Day 15: La Fortuna – Rappelling and swimming in waterfalls!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna
April 5th 2017	Day 16: La Fortuna - Caving, Hiking and Hot Springs	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna
April 6th 2017	Day 17: Arenal to Manuel Antonio – Rafting and Crocodiles!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » La Fortuna
April 7th 2017	Day 18: Manuel Antonio – A day at the park!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Manuel Antonio » Costa Rica
April 8th 2017	Day 19: Manuel Antonio – Kayaking through mangroves	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Manuel Antonio » Costa Rica
April 9th 2017	Day 20: Manuel Antonio – Surf’s Up!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Manuel Antonio » Costa Rica
April 10th 2017	Day 21: Manuel Antonio to Alajuela – The journey to Alajuela	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » Alajuela
April 11th 2017	Day 22: Alajuela to Toronto - The send-off Parade!	Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Alajuela » Alajuela