We’d spent a week in Costa Rica exploring the Pacific coast. Now was the time to head up country to La Fortuna and onto Monteverde, firmly on the gringo tourist trail.

Confidence was high and we were winging it on our local bus journey to La Fortuna. After a convoluted 6 hour journey over the mountains (despite what the guidebooks say booking ahead apparently helps!) we did finally arrive in La Fortuna, the town at the foot of Volcan Arenal. When I visited 10 years ago the volcano was still spitting out lava but thankfully (as Lucy still hasn’t got over our Nicaraguan live volcano climb 6 years ago) it’s calmed down and is now classified as being in a ‘resting phase’ i.e. isn’t doing much now but could kick off at any point. Whilst there are no longer any fireworks displays it still cuts an intimidating figure looming at the end of the high street.

Despite our best efforts, so far there were still no sloth sightings. Then on checking-in to our hotel there they were. Two in the tree right outside the hotel entrance. No kudos for spotting them though as it seems they just hang out in the same tree pretty much all the time. In all honesty, despite the anticipation it was a bit of an anticlimax seeing two grey-brown lumps doing literally nothing. James’s attention was held for about 2 seconds and he returned to trying to kick gravel off the path which is clearly more exciting.

As you do when staying in the shadow of a brooding giant volcano, we decided to head to its hotspot. Baldi hot springs is basically a series of 25 pools filled with hot water which seeps up from the depths of the volcano. James met a couple of play mates from Vancouver Island, Tucker and Mason and there was no looking back. We thought that 3 hours there would be enough…7 hours later we found ourselves trying to coax him into leaving.

The next day we opted for a guided walk through the lush rain-forested slopes of the volcano to do some wildlife spotting. Whilst the trek was a bit tame by our usual standards we did get to see coatis, leaf cutter ants, toucans, white faced monkeys, agoutis and hummingbirds aplenty.

The stars of the show though were the red eyed tree frogs which emerged at dusk. Far more interesting than sloths as they actually move. In fact Lucy may have accidentally squashed one trying to brush it off James when it jumped onto him, although the details are unclear since it was so dark 😳

The rest of our time in La Fortuna was spent enjoying some of the local cafes, restaurants and bars before heading to our next destination, Monteverde.

The journey to Monteverde has to be one of our easiest yet. To go by bus takes 9 hours to cover the 110km which gives you an idea of the terrain. Thankfully there’s a more tourist friendly way of getting there. A seamless 3.5 hour bus-boat-bus service which air conditioned busses you to the shores of lake Arenal, takes a shortcut by ferrying you across the lake, then another bus picks you up on the other side and safely deposits you right outside your hotel. Being in gringo premier tourist attraction land has its benefits.

Santa Elena is nestled just below the cloud forest of Monteverde so makes a good base for exploring the area. It also means that you frequently get a drenching when the clouds from further up the mountain get blown by. Monteverde is not only home to one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, it also has some of the best zip-lines in the world. We mentioned the idea of zip-lining to James and he was well up for it so we booked ourselves in for the biggest and the best the next day.

Selvatura Adventure Park has 13 zip-lines through the forest canopy, one of which is a whopping 1km long! Thankfully for us they are happy to take toddlers, so James was paired up with his guide Kevin and off we went.

The horizontal rain and 40 kph winds didn’t deter jungle Jim who absolutely loved it. He was even allowed to do the 45m Tarzan swing which some of the adults in our group wimped out of (good parenting?). The first thing he said when unhooked from the rope was ‘Can I do it again’. Legend!

Back at the hostel James met a couple of new playmates, Simon and Desmond from northern Canada. We all (parents and kids) spent a wonderful couple of days together romping around local playgrounds, eating ice cream, hanging out in a nearby village square, exploring forest reserves and enjoying the sunset views over the Golfo de Nicoya.

A funny story that must be told (sorry Simon) – Simon sadly got sick with a bad ear infection and had to visit a doctor. In a stupid attempt to lighten the mood Lucy retold a story of her childhood when in Spain she got sick and the doctor tried to stick a tablet us her bum. Unfortunately Simon lost this in translation as apparently his ‘tablet’ is iPad size and shaped 😱. Even more surprising… upon his visit to the doctors he did indeed get the very same treatment. Happily Simon got well quickly and quickly got back to wrestling his brother and James. Thank you Mary Jane, Shane, Simon and Desmond we had a fab time.

It was then back to San Jose for a couple of nights in a posh (relatively) hotel to scrub off the dirt from the forests and get some laundry done before flying to our next destination. We are excited to be changing countries and particular to visit one which we know so little about – see you in El Salvador.