A trip to Costa Rica's tropical rainforest

In September 2025, we took the trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica’s tropical rainforest and to surf one of the world’s best left-hand point breaks. We flew into San José, rented a car, and drove south 194 miles, which took eight hours over rough mountainous terrain. Pavones lies in the Puntarenas Province just north of Panama.

The wildlife was abundant and easy to see. Scarlet macaws flew overhead with their loud cries. A troop of squirrel monkeys came by our casita each day, hoping for handouts. A long trail of leafcutter ants six inches wide marched under our stairs. We witnessed giant brightly colored iguanas and an array of colorful songbirds.

Video: Leafcutter ants.

One morning we woke up to a toucan just feet from our window eating palm fruit. The toucan returned again and again, and we had an amazing view of this interesting creature. When toucans fly, their heads dip below their bodies with the weight of their beaks. Horses joined us on the point each day, coming to enjoy the beach. As I surfed the cobblestone reef, I spotted the large black dorsal fin of an orca (or killer whale) just outside the waves. That was exciting and a bit scary.

After surfing Pavones for a week, we drove around the Golfo Dulce to the Osa Peninsula in Corcovado National Park. This park is the largest remaining lowland tropical rainforest in Central America’s Pacific region. National Geographic named the park one of the most biologically intense places on Earth. The peninsula is separated from the mainland by the Golfo Dulce. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west, and the Golfo Dulce lies to the east. Amazingly, the peninsula is home to half of all species living in Costa Rica and is known as the most remote and wild region in the country. Unfortunately, the remoteness hides activities like illegal mining operations, poaching, logging and drug trafficking.

The peninsula has its own great surf breaks: Pan Dulce (sweet bread), Backwash Bay and Matapalo. “Matapalo” is the name they give the strangling fig plant and translates to “kill stick.” The strangling fig is a hemiepiphyte, spending part of its life cycle as an epiphyte. Birds carry its seeds, which sprout in the canopy of a host tree. As it grows, it slowly engulfs and strangles the host. Eventually the fig’s roots reach the ground and it becomes a tree itself.

On the Osa Peninsula, we stayed at the very end of the road in a treehouse with no walls. Our host explained to us that we needed to lock up all our food using the locks on the cabinets and the refrigerator. If we failed to secure our food, we would surely be raided. Not thinking, I cut up fruit and placed it in the freezer for afternoon smoothies, not realizing it was unlocked. That was a mistake. When we returned from surfing that day, we had a mess to clean up, as the monkeys had a party in the treehouse. Our host also let us know that the resident jaguar may walk past the treehouse at night, so we should be careful.

Costa Rica has four species of monkeys, which include the mantled howler monkey, the Panamanian white-faced capuchin, the Central American squirrel monkey and Geoffroy’s spider monkey. We could hear and see the howler monkeys in distant trees. This impressive monkey has a loud, frightening call. We also observed other animals like the Golfo Dulce poison dart frog, the white-faced coati, the tayra, the collared peccary and the Central American agouti. I did not get to see a sloth or a jaguar. The last night, it rained, and a large number of frogs congregated in the small wading pool in our treehouse, croaking and mating all night.

Video: White-faced coati.

One of my favorite encounters in Costa Rica was watching the giant blue butterfly, the blue morpho, as it flew lazily along the footpaths. 

Costa Rica protects its natural resources with progressive environmental policies. The National System of Conservation Areas manages nearly 30 national parks, along with dozens of wildlife refuges and forestry reserves, covering roughly 25% of the country's terrestrial territory. There is a nationwide strict ban on open-pit metal mining, commercial trawl fishing and recreational sport and trophy hunting. The country has a national decarbonization plan that targets net-zero emissions through clean energy.

In 2018, Costa Rica developed the first shark sanctuary in the world located in the northeast corner of the Golfo Dulce, where endangered juvenile scalloped hammerheads are protected along with great hammerheads, whale sharks and sea turtles. This sanctuary is run by the nonprofit Misión Tiburón.

Amelia Island, like Costa Rica, depends on ecotourism to boost the local economy. It is wise to protect our natural resources for ourselves and the visitors seeking the beautiful natural experiences our island offers. Just like Costa Rica, we live in a very special place.