My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Costa Rica 22 years ago. It was our first international trip together, and while the stunning beaches, sloth sightings, and lava flowing down the side of a volcano left us awe-struck, we also appreciated seeing each other experience these new things together.
As the years passed, we had two kids. We’ve loved traveling with them and experiencing their wonder at new places, though we’ve mostly stayed within the US.
Now, with one daughter in high school and the other in middle school, we wanted to take them somewhere more different from our Midwest home, and we settled on Costa Rica. We wanted to show them everything we loved about the country, but in this later stage of our lives, when we can see it through a new lens and with them at our side.
It was delightful in myriad ways, both expected and unexpected.
Our kids got to experience wonder like never before
The four of us had been horseback riding only once, and I found it a little scary, but my daughters were unafraid, and they love horses. So when we found out that our resort in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui offered horseback riding through the rainforest and a vast ranch, we signed up.
On horseback, we forded a stream and rode through a stretch of rainforest that looked almost too beautiful to be real, the stream’s banks blanketed in lush plants, and bright red bromeliads growing in tree branches overhead. My nervousness dissipated.
We rode through free-range horse and cattle fields and saw just-born calves, who turned to look at us curiously. One young horse trotted up alongside my daughter, and we learned that her horse was likely his mom. As expected, my daughters loved it.
They also loved swimming in the bright turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean at Manuel Antonio. At our hotel, they enjoyed sitting on our balcony and watching the birds — a bit of a surprise, since I’m the bird nerd in the family. We watched toucans throw their heads back while they called to each other. Once, a toucan flew to a tree right next to our balcony and sat there eating berries.
Seeing our daughters experience this magical place, which is so unlike our usual day-to-day, made my husband and me wonder where else we might be able to take them — and where they might go on their own in the future.
We left our mark — as a family
My husband and I picked sustainability-focused accommodations, in part because we knew we could learn about their practices. The hotel we booked in La Fortuna, Lomas del Volcán, has a reforestation program that guests can participate in. Because I’m interested in sustainable travel, I was thrilled about this, and I knew my daughters would be willing to help plant some trees.
More on sustainable travel
Our guide led us on a short hike to a clearing that’s part of Arenal Volcano National Park. She had dozens of native saplings, showed us what to do, and explained how the area had been deforested and how the hotel was working to return it to its natural state.
She said we could plant as many trees as we wanted. The volcano was shrouded in fog, but it was still beautiful. It was satisfying to plant saplings that will later help improve the ecosystem, and my girls were having fun getting their hands dirty.
Then it started pouring. Maybe we’d each plant another tree or two and then head back to the hotel, I thought. But my husband and I looked to our daughters. “We don’t mind. We want to plant more,” they said, smiling. So we kept going until we’d planted 36 trees. Our guide gave us the GPS coordinates so we can check satellite images of our trees in future years.
We walked back to the hotel, sopping wet and covered in dirt, but happy.
We made new memories
Our honeymoon in Costa Rica marked one stage of my husband’s and my lives together, and returning with our daughters marked another.
This time, we got to see our daughters’ excitement at trying new things like ziplining through the treetops, eating new foods, and trying to speak Spanish. The trip sparked their interest in international travel and reminded my husband and me of our early days together.
This time around, we also saw each other respond to new challenges, as a family of four instead of two. I think all four of us appreciate each other a little more, or in a slightly different way, than we did before. Costa Rica gave us that opportunity 22 years ago, and again now.
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