Outside the capital of San Jose is Sarchi where they have a colorful simbol of the country. The ox cart. 

We stayed in La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano. There are tons of hotsprings here to indulge in. We checked out The Springs Resort which had dozens of pools and waterfalls in a jungle setting. 

 

 

Then we went on a guided float trip on the Rio Blancas Penas. 

It was a pretty trip and we saw some good wildlife including monkeys, bats, snakes, and different birds. 

And a 10 foot croc that hissed as we drifted by. 

From Arenal we drove to Rio Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio National Park.  

It was about a mile hike to a great view of the falls. 

 

Then is was a few nights in Nosara which is a popular surfing location on the Pacific Ocean. 

We found it good for running too! 

Hiking on the trails around Nosara we saw some howler monkeys. 

After Nosara, we stopped by Carara NP On the drive south. 

There's a nice jungle hike here in an area with many scarlet macaws. We heard a bunch and saw one up in the trees.  

Uvita is home to Mareno Bellena NP and its unique Whale's Tail feature which forms when the tide goes out.  

We hiked out to the end of the tail. 

And enjoyed a little ocean time.  

 

We also did a boat tour on the ocean and saw quite a few dolphins. 

They took us to some pretty sea arches too. 

Here's a tasty Costa Rican "tipico" lunch.