Most of our activities in Costa Rica were outdoors and less "traditionally cultural" — but you can learn a lot about another culture by spending time with the locals. I love museums and think they offer so much, but you don't get the full picture unless you've spoken with locals and seen more of country outside the bounds of museum walls.
At the Springs Resort, we traveled down to the lower area of the property for a tour of their animal sanctuary.
From sloths, to toucans, to macaws, to spider monkeys, to pumas — we saw an amazing number of animals. Our guide explained that many of these animals have been rescued and have been kept here for their own protection since they likely wouldn't survive if put back into their natural habitat.
I spent most of my time on the tour with this beautiful feline, who — and I kid you not! — continued to walk back and forth by this window, butting its head against the glass each time. I didn't need another sign that I love cats, but you can bet I was wishing it was plausible to take this kitty home with me 😉
My research before the trip told me that Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries, and this small sanctuary was more like a zoo for the number of different animals they house.
The resort's horses for riding
It was a good picture early on in our trip to see just a small slice of the number of different animals we were sharing the region with.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I assume many of the citizens speak English? This is definitely on Robert’s bucket list. Maybe we will get there some day
Yes, most of the people we came across knew some English — but a basic knowledge of Spanish was definitely helpful (reading menus, ordering, etc.)!