Part 2 of our Costa Rica Travel Series. 

Today we decided to spend the entire day soaking up what the immediate area surrounding our rainforest resort had to offer, and save our driving adventures for the following day.

Itinerary for Day 2

• Wake up around six and admire the bright, tropical skies.
• Order a traditional Costa Rican breakfast consisting of Gallo Pinto (rice mixed with black beans), natilla (sour cream), eggs, fried plantain, tortilla and Mantequilla cheese (we saw this cheese paired with a lot of dishes and it’s pretty amazing).
• Do a rainforest waterfall hike.
• Dodge a mid-afternoon storm by grabbing some lunch we had a slighlty fancier than usual version of casados – a traditional Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, often a protein as well (in our case, beef).  It was very good, but we still had a visit to a local soda (small, family owned restaurants serving traditional dishes for super reasonable prices) where we could get the authentic experience of a Costa Rican meal with the locals.
• Make friends with some monkeys, hummingbirds, butterflies, and cattle.
• Get an amazing massage at our hotel.
• Do a nighttime visit with some Costa Rican frogs and toads, including some poisonous frogs. Do a nighttime visit with some Costa Rican frogs and toads, including some poisonous frogs.  Frogs shown: Tiger Frog, Red Eyed Tree Frog, Green and Black Poison Dart Frog, Poisonous Blue Jeans Frog.

Where we stayed: Peace Lodge and La Paz Waterfall Gardens

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Top Rated Waterproof Travel Map of Costa Rica

Stay tuned for Part 3 where we drive across the country towards the Pacific coast, exploring some towns and mountains along the way.