Day 2: Biking Through the Rainforest

We woke up the next morning and had breakfast at our hostel. This is a typical Costa Rican breakfast that features eggs, bacon, rice and beans, a tortilla, and a plantain to finish it off. It was a little weird eating rice and beans for breakfast!

Our first planned adventure in Costa Rica was mountain biking! We rode throughout the surrounding La Fortuna area, and it was pretty difficult. Luckily the temperatures weren’t too bad this morning. It was a pretty difficult and very neat experience.

Along our ride, our guide would stop and point out various wildlife and plant life found in this part of Costa Rica. One of the plants he showed us curls up when touched by humans. It is still unknown why the plant does so. Costa Rica has some interesting specimens.

About 2.5 hours into the ride, our guides sliced up some fresh watermelon and pineapple for us to snack on. I have never tasted fruit so good and fresh! I really like how it was served on banana leaves! 

          After our bike ride, we walked a giant hill to a nearby resort for lunch. The view from the restaurant was absolutely beautiful. For lunch we had a traditional Costa Rican meal of meat, rice and beans, a tortilla, plantains, and fresh squeezed berry juice. 

      After lunch, we went to La Fortuna Waterfall. This waterfall was absolutely beautiful! It cost $10 per person to see, but totally worth it! Also, one neat thing about the waterfall is that 100 percent of the proceeds goes to conservation and preservation of land around La Fortuna.

       Half of your group at La Fortuna Waterfall with a Red Towel

       We spent nearly 2 hours at the waterfall. Most of the time, we just relaxed here, down river from the waterfall. It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I have ever been.

 Our final stop for the day was a hammock store right down the road from La Fortuna Waterfall. It was called “Neptune’s House of Hammocks.” Our professors, Ron and Luke, always bring their students here. It was a very unique store to say the least and many members of our group bought hammocks. We then headed back to the hostel and then walked back into town to grab some dinner. Day 2 was awesome!