Fresh from Mexico, Suzi then headed to Costa Rica to see our volunteers enjoying the good life!

Costa Rica’s national slogan – Pura Vida, literally ‘pure life’ seems to perfectly embody the country’s incredible natural diversity and the simple friendly welcome you receive from the Ticos, as Costa Ricans are known.

I had visited Costa Rica’s capital city, San Jose, five years ago, so had some idea of what to expect from Costa Rica. Liberia, the town where we are based, is a much smaller town, so those wanting a wild nightlife may be better off in Mexico, but I liked the laid back atmosphere. The town is easy to get to know, centred around the shady central plaza overlooked by the distinctive white church, where volunteers meet before a night out. There are a couple of good bars, serving good cocktails and cold beer, with views over the nearby streets. Volunteers can also take part in free weekly salsa lessons that we arrange.

At the weekends, there’s a massive choice of things to do close to Liberia, from sunbathing on nearby beaches, climbing a volcano, swimming in waterfalls or having a volcanic mud bath. During my visit, on the Sunday, Luis – the Costa Rica director, myself and three volunteers visited a volcano crater with bubbling mud fumaroles and two very tame toucans happy to pose for photos (see pic!). Next came the canopy tour zip line, now one of Costa Rica’s top activities. Whizzing through the jungle canopy sat in a harness attached to a thin wire, is quite a way to see the jungle. Especially if like one of the volunteers, you’re a bit nervous and choose to go tandem, attached to one of the very nice guides!

When not zipping through jungles it was great to visit some of the schools, universities and a care centre where we work and get to know the host families, who are undoubtedly some of the most welcoming I have ever met. I also spent some time at the Conservation Project, on the Pacific coast and was incredibly lucky to see some baby leatherback turtles!

As always, the time went far too fast, though lots of work was accomplished with both Luis, our Costa Rica Director and Marianela, the Assistant Manager. Keep up the good work guys and hope to see you again soon! Suzi