Natural Wonders

The family adventure on our last full day in Costa Rica was a 4km hike to the Nauyaca Waterfalls in Dominical. It was a challenging hike to a beautiful waterfall that most people do either on horseback or in the back of a pickup truck. It took just over an hour on foot but the effort was worth it. Not only was it a good challenge to end our five weeks of challenging hikes here, but it also meant that we were able to start as early as possible and get to the falls well before the groups that chose the organized horse or truck options.

On the way we saw more beautiful Costa Rican nature including a massive spider web hanging about 15 feet in the air.

The waterfall itself was spectacular. There is a large, deep pool at the base and we all went for a swim while we had it to ourselves. About 20 minutes after we arrived, the crowds caught up to us and it went from our own private slice of paradise to a tourist attraction. So we threw our hiking shoes back on and walked back down the mountain.

The second half of the day was the Whale Tail at Marino Ballena National Park in Uvita. This is a strip of sand in the perfect shape of a whale's tail that juts out into the water.

We arrived right at high tide so unfortunately the whale tail was under water. (To see what it looks like at low tide, here's an image.) It was pretty awesome to see waves breaking against each other as they converged from opposite directions against the submerged spit of sand that juts out 300-400 meters into the ocean.

After a couple of hours on the beach, we headed back out of the park which includes wading through a river and getting to see a couple more Scarlet Macaws.

The entire day was a fitting adventure to end our time in Costa Rica. We are all tired, content, happy to be moving on to our next thing but very sad to leave this great country behind. We will definitely be coming back!

Pura Vida!