It’s been a busy few days, and we’re just settling in for the evening after a busy and extremely varied couple of days. Our accommodations here have been basic, and there have been times I’ve spent pining for the creature comforts (like locks on the doors) but, on the whole it’s been a very positive experience and we’ve met some interesting people over the communal dinner table…

We’ve been staying at La Carolina, an eco-lodge off the beaten path near the town of Canas and about 100km from Santa Elena and Monteverde (avoiding rough roads). Accommodations here are very rustic, so despite staying in what’s described as the “Honeymoon Suite”, we’ve been sharing our room for two with the local insect population. None of the staff here speak a lick of English, so we’ve been availing ourselves of other guest’s bilingual skills.

There’s definitely a communal air about this place - everybody eats at the same long dinner table, which neither of us particularly liked at first. It’s surprising how quickly the art of conversation comes back to you however, and we managed to meet some very interesting people over rice & beans and homemade lemonade; even shared a few cold ones near a (surely purely ornamental?) open hearth fire this evening, chewing the fat over a wide range of subjects.

The main draw for the lodge is the nearby forest walk at Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio. About 7.5km in total, it’s a pretty nice amble through some easy going trails with plenty of bug and bird life to keep you interested on your way around. It’s the series of water features on the Rio Celeste that is the main attraction however - you would believe that the silica-induced blueness of The Laguna o Poza Azul (Blue Lagoon) was Photoshop-ped if it wasn’t there to see clear as day, and the hot springs are awesome if you’ve never seen them before*.

We visited the Las Pumas rescue centre on our second day, set up by a Swiss conservationist in the 1960’s. More than the name suggests, the centre doesn’t just cater to big cats - birds, monkeys and other mammals are represented here, rescued from various unfortunate circumstances and brought in for rehabilitation.

The highlight of our stay in the area has to be the “floating tour” we took down the Tenorio river. Run by Safaris Corobici (a Swiss family business), this was a inflatable boat journey down river, exposing wildlife that wouldn’t normally be seen on a jungle walk. Crocodiles, herons and kingfishers where all present and correct, including a “Jesus Christ” lizard (so called due to it’s apparent ability to walk on water) and iguanas up to two feet long. Drinks and snacks were included in the tour, including the sweetest pineapple I had ever tasted.

* There’s plenty of places you can take a dip in the volcano-heated water, but beware of steam vapour - some places are hot enough to make tea (as I found out by foolishly dipping my finger in to test it - idiot).