Leaving behind the arid, beachy vibe of Coco we took a shuttle into the hills to La Fortuna, a small mountain resort like town overlooking the Arenal volcano, about 3 hours from the coast. Along the way we passed lush landscapes of forests and wind farms.

We arrived at the Xiopalo Hotel, in the center of town just a few blocks away from the main road. The modest hotel had a small pool, hammock area, and a restaurant on the second floor open to the outdoors with a view of the volcano and sounds of the jungle all around.

While our room was basic, the experiences at the hotel were anything but. The real highlights were breakfast on the balcony and the sloth tour booked with Armando. While the frequent clouds in the rainforest covered most of the volcano view during our 2 night stay, the balcony was alive with many colorful bird species each morning eating fresh bananas hung up in the trees. It was incredible to see Toucans, hummingbirds, and about 10 other species enjoying breakfast right in front of us. 

Our first stop during our two day stay was the Arenal Observatory Lodge. We took an Uber to/from our hotel to the lodge for about $20 each way and paid the day use fee of $10 to enter the vast property.

Turns out, rain in a rainforest deters people from exploring and we got to have the property to ourselves most of the time because of of the drizzle that day.

Walking around the grounds felt like we stepped into a nature documentary. We stood below towering trees like the amazing rainbow eucalyptus, smelled the most vibrant flowers, and walked across two suspension bridges that provided panoramic views of the surrounding forest. 

Between all the nature-filled escapades, we made sure to sample the local culinary delights. First up was La Street, where the tacos for two were pretty good. The fresh ingredients and flavors of the chicken, el pastor, and skirt steak were just what we wanted.

For dinner, we headed to Italianissimo, a cozy Italian restaurant that served up some of the best pasta and pizza we’ve had outside of Italy. Who knew La Fortuna was such a foodie haven?

The bucket list highlight of our La Fortuna trip was the sloth tour led by the ever-charismatic Armando from Xilopalo Hotel. Armed with a spotting scope and a deep love for his country’s wildlife, he guided us around La Fortuna’s quieter corners in search of the elusive creatures. We saw not one, not two, but eleven sloths, including several adorable babies clinging to their mothers, within a 2 hour tour.

Watching these gentle creatures move (albeit very slowly) through the trees was mesmerizing. Armando’s enthusiasm and knack for spotting wildlife turned this tour into an unforgettable experience. With the help of his spotting scope, we were able to use Candace’s phone to take close up photos and videos while Caylin used his large camera lens. If you’re going to La Fortuna, do yourself a favor and book a tour with Armando. When we called to reserve, I asked where he takes you and was told “Armando doesn’t do parks,” meaning he will take you to real locations where they happily live in their natural habitat and arent being forced to live in a “sloth park.” If you visit a sloth park, please know that those locations bring sloths into the park that someone built solely for tourism and the sloths are not living their best life. Many of them try to crawl back home and unfortunately die from exhaustion and stress.

After sunset, we joined Armando once more for a night tour around the hotel. Armed with flashlights, we walked around the hotel to locate some nocturnal wonderst. Among the highlights were tiny red-eyed tree frogs, camouflaged basilisks (aka “Jesus lizards” for their ability to run on water), and a variety of sleeping birds perched quietly on branches. The rainforest at night has a magical quality—alive with the symphony of insects, amphibians, and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures.

In less than 48 hours we experienced hanging bridges, rainbow eucalyptus trees, a powerful waterfall, cute coatis, beautiful birds, lounging lizards, eleven sloths in their natural habitat, and all the interesting sounds of the jungle. We got lucky and were treated to a gorgeous view of Arenal volcano from our hotel balcony the morning we left town. So beautiful!

Our time in La Fortuna may have ended too quickly, but the adventure wasn’t over. We headed south to Panama to get to our next destination, Bocas del Toro. The promise of new adventures ahead softened the goodbye to Costa Rica, a country that provided many fun adventures. 

To get to there, we booked a shuttle ride with Caribe Shuttle, a Costa Rican company that takes you to/from Panama and many locations throughout Costa, Rica. When I booked the shuttle, I knew it would be a long travel day at 11 hours from La Fortuna to Bocas Town, but we didn’t know that we’d walk across the bridge (the official border) of the Sixaola River, that divided the two countries.

The shuttle ride was smooth and efficient with a couple stops along the way, including a nice lunch in Puerto Viejo at Hotel Banana Azul. Located right on the beach, we had a gorgeous view of the waves and a sloth in a nearby tree as we ate our delicious wraps.

Caribe Shuttle took great care of us the entire journey, from switching shuttles (and a boat), to helping us fill out the exit documentation and pay the $8 exit fee to Costa Rica, to navigating the border offices for our exit/entrance stamps/fees, to walking across the border with us.

On our way to Puerto Viejo, we had to wait about an hour for an accident to clear and the shuttle STILL got us to the transfer location on time. While stopped on the highway, we witnessed all the locals getting out of the cars to chat, share their food and drinks, and stretch their legs. They care for each other and create community anywhere, even the middle of the highway. It was a beautiful scene to witness.

We stood in line for our first passport stamp under the HOT sun for about 30 minutes to get into Panama. There is no shade so be prepared and don’t wear black! I made that mistake and was melting.

After getting our exit/entrance stamps, the tour company guided us to another location nearby to show our Costa Rica exit fee receipt, and then finally to a 3rd location to pay the $8 Panama entrance fee. Without their guidance, we would have been lost navigating the border offices.

If you travel from Costa Rica to Panama (or vise versa) to visit the islands of Bocas Del Toro or Northern Panama, we highly recommend Caribe Shuttle.

Stay tuned for our next chapter in Bocas del Toro and Panama City!