Costa Rica, More Than Pura Vida

Dear Advisor Partners,

Have you ever made an assumption about a country, only to be pleasantly surprised? It’s ok to be honest. You see, that’s what happened to me with Costa Rica. On my first visit when I was 14, Arenal volcano was still erupting and a piece of ash actually burned through the lens of my camera, destroying all evidence of my presence there, Mission Impossible style. I loved how natural Costa Rica was and on every subsequent visit I would fall equally in love with the nature all around me, yet always left wanting more. I love what the destination had to offer and our team has done a great job getting off the beaten track over the years, offering locations in remote Costa Rica before they were mainstream, where community-based tourism meets luxury travel.

Whenever I think of authenticity, at times it feels like perhaps my expectations are just too high. With Costa Rica being one of the pioneers of the term ecotourism and then seeing it become a destination treated like Cancun, enter the assumption and disappointment. Well, this program covering the lowlands and southern Caribbean of Costa Rica strongly connected with me, which tells me that my expectations are actually not high enough, and I was in fact, pleasantly surprised. Imagine being in a country and getting past the beach resorts, past the all-inclusive stays, and on to the Costa Rica I first fell in love with at 14. That is what our new Costa Rica program has done and it just stopped me in my tracks as it set a direction that resonates well with the Big Five team, with our travelers, and with me personally. Another one of the many highlights is seeing evidence of the pre-Colombian culture in the lowlands near Turrialba.

Now, speaking of volcanoes, those of you who follow my adventures know I have a thing for active volcanoes, ok… it’s an obsession. While we’re not quite cooking pizza over lava here, seeing a volcano like Turrialba which remains active, then seeing how it links to ancient empires is just as impressive.

This program is Costa Rica as it should be seen. Enjoy this week’s video.