The first part of the tour started at a restored part of Costa Rica. 815 acres that used to be cattle grazing land as the government tried to figure out how to feed it's population. Eventually they realized that what they had was beyond important and let the jungle start to come back to life. (Turns out cows don't do so great in the jungle anyway) There was hiking and breathtaking views and critters everywhere. Most of the time you're not fast enough to capture photos of the animals but we got a few. There was a night spent sleeping in the jungle and I woke up to something sniffing my head. And bats. SO MANY HUGE BATS. The name of the reserve I stayed at is Hacienda Baru and the people that worked there were very passionate about the land. They took great care leading us through the jungle and were so knowledgeable about the area. I was blown away by the love put into the land. The first pictures are of a few stops on the way out to Hacienda Baru.

A note about the tour I took: We used Wilderness Inquiry. A not-for-profit organization that leads eco-tours. I will go into this more in later posts but they are absolutely worth looking up. They have big, medium and little adventures and provide accessibility for everyone. Amazing.

Our guide, Matt was great: organized, knowledgeable and well-prepared with skills necessary for first aid emergencies(there were a few in the group) (not me, thankfully). He also is possessed of a few rare leadership skills in keeping people calm and giving information in a timely, matter-of-fact manner. I really adored him. I would tell anyone to go on a trip with him.

See you soon!