We had just under 4 weeks to explore Costa Rica, somewhere we had heard so many positive things about from fellow travellers and friends.

Even with nearly a whole month we knew we would still have to miss out on some locations and experiences but happily we managed to pack a lot in and we had a fabulous time.

Working South to North through Central America we crossed the land border from Panama and our first stop was Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast.

Our next stop was the capital city San Jose, a city that many bypass upon arrival at the main international airport given the many competing locations to be seen elsewhere.

We spent a couple of days looking through some museums before picking up a hire car and heading off to further explore the country.

Our first drive was around 4 hours or so long to Uvita, a small beach town on the south western Pacific coast. With a beach on a National Park and the wonderful Corcovado National Park not too far further south, it proved a memorable few days.

From Uvita we drove the short distance to Manuel Antonio, stopping en route in Dominical.

From Manuel Antonio we drove for around 5 hours to reach La Fortuna, positioned at the base of the Arenal volcano.

We left La Fortuna to head to Santa Teresa beach on the Nicoya Peninsula to spend our last week or so there and in Tamarindo.

Costa Rica has been a fabulous trip, its national parks and our general exposure to the wildlife here has made for an exceptional experience.

Beautiful weather, fantastic beaches, great restaurants and so many great people that we have met here on our trip have all made it very special.

Now we head to Nicaragua to continue our journey north across Central America.