A tour of Costa Rica
Endless beaches, misty rain forests, and people with a no-stress mentality. You’re going to love Costa Rica, of course. We made an inspiring video clip for iFly KLM Magazine about the land of Pura Vida.
As we only had four days to make the video, we had to limit ourselves to a small area of Costa Rica. Diversity was paramount and so we decided to tour Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Dominical: mountains, jungle, beach, and surfing – all in one trip.
Monteverde’s Cloud Forest
Monteverde is about a three and-a-half hour drive from San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. The nature reserve is known for its broad biodiversity and is brimming with rare birds and plant species. Its altitude makes it a lot cooler than in the rest of the country. The name Cloud Forest is not without reason: the treetops often hang literally in the clouds. For the video we went zip-lining here, a popular activity in Monteverde. Not only did it produce spectacular images, it was also an unforgettable experience.
Surfing in Monteverde’s Cloud Forest
Dominical exudes the essence of Costa Rica. This is Pura Vida in its most basic form. The waves determine the rhythm of the day here and tell you when it’s time to grab your surfboard. Dominical is only a few streets wide, so its a great place to stay – you can do everything on foot. The sandy path along the beach is a long succession of multi-coloured sarongs and other souvenirs. The black volcanic sand is characteristic of the coastline here. It makes a nice contrast with the green jungle which grows right up to the beach.
Chilling out at Uvita Falls
Half an hour’s drive from Dominical, there is another surf paradise: Uvita. But if you’ve had enough beach for the time being, then you’ve got another option: the Uvita waterfalls. It is located fifteen minutes outside the centre – a lovely green oasis where you can spend a day relaxing and cooling off under the cascading water.
Sloths in Manuel Antonio
Without doubt one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful spots is Manuel Antonio National Park. The gleaming white sand beaches and waving palms are right at home on a picture postcard. Monkeys literally swing by through the trees and there is even the chance that you’ll come across a rare sloth. Mostly, they hang high in the trees so they mostly look up. For views of the impressive coastline, Cathedral Point is the place to go.
Curious about the video?
You can watch it in the brand-new May edition of iFly KLM Magazine:
Photography: Iris van den Broek
About iFly KLM Magazine
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