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Joe’s Field Notes from Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, Joe embraced the beauty of unpredictability

Sometimes life is unpredictable. There’s no denying that.

But, setting off on a Black Tomato research trip to Costa Rica, there were some things I could predict. I knew I would be resting up at some of the best luxury hotels in Costa Rica and I knew I would be testing out some of our favourite luxury travel experiences. But as for the rest? That was in my own hands – and those of our expert local guide, Paolo.

This is the story of how I learnt to embrace the art of unpredictability – and to find beauty in the unknown. Let’s dive in.

To the floor

My adventure through Costa Rica began, quite fittingly, in an adventurer’s paradise: Arenal. With deep forests and the looming dormant volcano from which the area takes its name, this region had long been on my to-visit list. Fortunately, this research trip allowed me to do just that.

The sign of unpredictability began slowly and quietly – in a local’s garden in Arenal. After a tour of their beautiful gardens, we were guided to a floor dining table for a surprise “tico” (meaning a native of Costa Rica) picnic, surrounded by trees bearing every kind of fruit you could imagine. Well, almost. As we sat crossed-legged on the ground (reminiscent of traditional Japanese-style dining), we dined on homegrown cacao which had been turned into the most delicious dark chocolate and the freshest pineapple I’d ever tasted. Avocados, ice-cream beans, plantains, bananas. The list went on – and on.

Later, we would dine in some of the best five-star hotel restaurants in Costa Rica, but I never forgot this moment – or this food. Each dish was made with soul (and ingredients freshly picked from the garden). There was no menu, no set order. And yet, that was part of the fun. Picadillo (mince blended with chopped vegetables) with corn tortilla was unveiled as our next dish before a bowl piled high with guacamole was placed to my left and another filled with ceviche (white fish marinated in lime, red pepper, and onion) was laid out to my right. Each one was a surprise – and each one was delicious.

To the forests

We first saw them on the boat as we cruised along. These were the mangrove forests. They were sparse, dotted along the shoreline. But we took a right turn where the river curved, and they grew. Bigger, deeper, towering over our boat. The shoreline was filled with exotic birds and the trees were covered in mangrove tree crabs scurrying away from us. I’d never seen a forest like this before; one that grew in and above the surface of blue-grey swells.

We stopped where the river narrowed. A small opening to our right-hand side was just about visible, a fallen mangrove tree blocking half of the entrance. But it was just wide enough to paddle through. Climbing into our kayaks, we headed into the darkness. The deeper we went, the quieter it got. All you could hear were bird calls and the water dripping off the paddle into the water after every stroke. It was beautiful, peaceful. But not for long.

Lightning struck (quite literally). A storm was heading our way, and we needed to cut our kayaking trip short. We turned around and paddled back the way we had come. Emerging out of the darkness, we were greeted by a dramatic skyscape filled with deep hues of black, grey, and blue – a beautiful warning of the incoming storm.

I learnt one thing that day: a lot can change in ten minutes. The first five minutes in a rainforest start with a beating sun and fluffy white clouds on a blue sky, all masked with a deep-punching humidity. But the next five? A chill rolls in, almost instantaneously. Clouds shift from white to shades of dark greys and blacks. And then the thunderous chime from above begins.

At ten minutes, the rain falls. Mother Nature is at her most aggressive – it’s time to get inside. After my first experience of this “ten minutes”, I stood with our guide, Paolo, seeking shelter and swapping stories. I learnt that he had Italian roots (his grandparents had moved to Panama and then Costa Rica) and that he genuinely knew Costa Rica like the back of his hand. What’s that plant? He knew. That bird? Bingo. Where is the best spot for white water rafting? Voila. As we stood together listening to the pounding of the rain, he looked out at the rainforest beyond. “It’s a part of the rainforest,” he said, gesturing to the storm as he took a sip of freshly brewed coffee. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”

He was right. We would experience this ever-changing ten-minute pattern a lot throughout our trip. You can’t predict the rainforest, much like you can’t predict life. But there is beauty in that; this unpredictability is what keeps life interesting. It’s what keeps us growing. It wasn’t something I’d ever stopped to think about before until that moment. Now, I can’t say the striking comparison of life’s fragility and the Costa Rican rainforest was immediately in my thoughts whilst stood under a ferocious thunderstorm. That would be a lie. But, when I think back to that moment, life’s daily bumps and bigger storms feel a little calmer. And I can handle them. After all, “they’re all part of the rainforest”. Thanks, Paulo, for that one.

To the fireflies

It was dusk when we arrived in Rio Celeste, preparing to venture into the darkness to seek out the local tapirs that call this region home. Head torches strapped on and kitted out with borrowed white boots; we headed off. Within five minutes, we saw the “Fer-de-Lance” viper. Terrifyingly unfazed, it refused to budge. One bite from this viper could kill you. And it was just to the side of our footpath. “They’re kind of common here but they can be hard to spot in the grass,” Paolo told us. Somehow, I failed to find that thought particularly reassuring. Continuing into the night, we were excited (and a little apprehensive) as to what we would see next. Paolo chose this moment to share the story about the time he was bitten by a bullet ant, informing us that it was the singular most painful experience of his life – even more painful than the sting of a scorpion. I eyed the darkness warily. Note to self, don’t get bitten by a bullet ant.

Halfway in, we stopped at an unassuming swamp. In this swamp – no bigger than two soccer pitches – lived a new species of frog, one that was endemic not only to Costa Rica, but also to this very swamp itself: the Tapir Valley frog (Tlalocohyla celeste). Pretty cool, I thought. Onwards we went. We walked to the natural soundtrack of crickets and fireflies flashed in the air around us. Reaching the end of our nighttime hike, we had failed to find any tapirs, despite the many signs of recent activity. But that didn’t dampen the sense of adventure, the thrill of unpredictability, that I was slowly learning to love.

Beside the volcano

During my luxury trip to Costa Rica, I was fortunate enough to stay at some of the best luxury hotels in the country. My favourite? Amor Arenal. The first place I realised I loved it was unexpected: in the shower. But here, your shower view is a floor-to-ceiling panorama of the entirety of Arenal Volcano. Thick clouds circle the crater and green sweeping rainforest drops down into the steep valley below. I had a quick ten-minute turnaround when we first arrived to go for food, but I spent about 15 minutes admiring the view. (I was late to dinner).

Showers aside, the hotel itself was like something out of a dream. Private cabins, heated spring water plunge pools, a wood-scented massage room, a charming on-site bakery and breathtaking panoramas that extended out over the jungle and beyond. It was beautiful. And I loved it.

Call of the wild

Mother Nature is king (and queen) in Costa Rica. The call of the wild is strong, the rolling rainforests, looming volcanoes, and mangrove swamps beg to be explored. The land itself is a naturalist’s dream and the people are full of positivity and passion for their home.

One day, I’ll be back. But in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a couple of my top tips for your own luxury trip to Costa Rica. Number one: have Paolo as your guide. Number two: embrace the art of unpredictability.

Costa Rica is also renowned for incredible conservation projects like family-run reforestation hubs and sustainable hotels like Nayara Tented Camp. If you’d like to centre your trip entirely around these efforts, just say the word and we’ll make it happen.

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