Spend time at the Las Vueltas Lodge. Unplug from technology and plug into culture. This lodge is on a farm high up in the mountains. Experience and indulge in the seclusion; it may greatly impact your emotional wellbeing. It is great for your mental health to recharge away from social media. Tour the farm and learn about their self-sustainability. Let your mind ask questions to really learn about their projects. This will grow your intellectual wellbeing and also have an impact on your environmental wellness. It certainly brings more awareness toward the quality of our environment. Get to know the amazing family and learn about their inspiring life story. Here, you have the opportunity to grow your social wellbeing by connecting with this wholesome family through shared experiences. They are very warm and welcoming. I genuinely value the interactions I had with the children there. Spend the night stargazing to really connect with the environment around you. It’s quite peaceful and may provide a meaningful connection to others around you.

Goats on the Las Vueltas Lodge farm

Castle tree on Las Vueltas Lodge property

Views from the Las Vueltas Lodge

Watercolor image of sunset view at Las Vueltas Lodge

Visit the Boruca people. Learn and appreciate the different styles of living and craft within their community. Opening up your mind to new ways of life and experiences will promote intellectual wellness. Recognize the creativity happening around you. Watch them create something so beautiful out of a chunk of wood. Discover the talents around you. Opening up to new cultures is such a beautiful way to feed your own knowledge and growth. Connecting with the people in this community will positively impact social wellbeing.

The popular and intricate Borucan masks

Group that creates traditional Borucan masks

Totem pole made by the Boruca people

Visit one of the very amazing Boruca people, Lydia. Lydia lives with so little and is so happy. She lives in a home that is exposed to the elements, and prefers to live this way. She chose to live in a home that her and her husband built and she couldn’t visibly be happier. Watching Lydia be so happy with what she has made me appreciate what I have. I learned that you don’t need material things to be happy. Happiness comes from within. This experience impacted my social wellbeing by making me aware of my own presence in society. Exposing yourself to this alternative lifestyle may help to learn more about yourself and the world around you. This is making steps toward intellectual wellness.

Lydia’s home

Lydia weaving

Travel to San Vito and visit the Wilson Botanical Garden. Take a deep breath of fresh air and walk along the beautiful trails. There are so many plants and trees to admire. Use the time to really connect with yourself and nature. Let the beauty influence your drive to make a positive impact on the world around you. Costa Rica is an amazing place to kick-start your environmental wellness. I felt as though my detrimental environmental habits were more pronounced in this country that does so much to protect the earth. This encouraged me to have more awareness of my contributions to the environment. Also, what better way to get your heart rate up than looking at the beautiful nature? Hiking around these trails will positively impact your physical wellness.

View from lookout at Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden

Take a walk or run on the beach to promote your physical wellness. I recommend doing this before 10am, as it will get very hot after that time. The sun is a lot less dangerous in the morning as well. However, it is still crucial to put on sunscreen to take care of your skin. The views of mountains and beach alone will lift even the darkest of spirits. With physical activity added in, you are sure to be extremely euphoric. For me, this greatly impacted my emotional wellbeing. I felt extremely happy and grateful for life. This is a great time to self-reflect and be fully present in the moment to experience spiritual wellness.

Go zip lining! The fresh air you’ll breathe while gliding through the forest will touch your soul. Spending time in the forest among the nature further connects you to the environment. You may experience some feelings like fear, happiness, worry, peace, etc. Simply recognizing those feelings and accepting them promotes emotional wellbeing. Facing your fears while zip lining may even help you to raise some self-esteem. You can also create stronger bonds with your travel partners by facing the fear in a shared experience, encouraging your social wellbeing.

“Tarzan Swing” for a zio lining canopy tour

Watercolor image of “Tarzan Swing”

Meet the locals in Uvita! This beach town provides an opportunity to meet the locals that live in the area. Don’t be afraid to stop and say hello to the people you see on the street, they might provide a very meaningful experience. When I had the opportunity, I was very touched by connecting with children that had an adorable dog. We may not speak the same language, but we were still able to have a connection. Connecting with the community around you promotes social wellness. The happiness they brought me had a significant impact on my emotional health.

Go snorkeling and dolphin watching at the Marino Ballena National Park. The views will take your breath away! Exploring the aquatic flora and fauna off the coast of Uvita will bring pure happiness. Since snorkeling is a form of exercise, you can release both stress and endorphins! This is quite a fantastic way to stimulate physical and emotional wellness. At times I even found myself focusing on my breathing, just like during meditation. This led to ultimate relaxation. Don’t forget to protect yourself from the sun by continuously applying sunscreen and wearing a long sleeved shirt!

Visit a soda for lunch! These family owned restaurants represent the genuine Costa Rican cuisine. This is a great way to connect to the culture. Comparing this to the fast-food culture in the United States, the Costa Rican cuisine is much more healthy. With rice, beans, fresh meats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and salads, Sodas can provide you with the opportunity to eat healthy and fuel your body. This will positively impact your physical wellness. I personally felt that sodas even impacted my environmental wellness. I felt as though they produced less garbage than traditional United States fast food, making me more conscious of my environmental footprint.

Spend a relaxing afternoon at the beach! Relaxing at the beach is great for your wellbeing. It reduces stress, improves sleep, provides vitamin D, and clears your skin. You also have the opportunity to get your heart rate up and the blood flowing with physical activity like swimming, running, walking, and even tossing a ball. Don’t forget to reapply sunscreen because sun cancer is not good for you! Bring lots of water so you stay hydrated as well.

Marino Ballena National Park

Marino Ballena National Park

Visit the Chorotega community and participate in pottery lessons to fully appreciate the work that they do. It is so good for your mind and soul to open up to a new culture. Forming a genuine interest here will grow your intellectual wellness. Engage in personal reflection to promote growth within your mind. For me, creating pottery was fairly difficult and I very quickly learned to appreciate their intricate work. One of the Chorotega men helped guide me through this learning experience. Here I experienced a lot of social growth; yet again communicating with someone who did not speak the same language as me.

My pot created with the help of several Chorotega people

A Chorotega man making traditional Chorotega pottery

Stop by Rincon de la Vieja National Park and take a hike. Try to be mindful of everything around you while you walk. Pay special attention to all of your senses. Note how the weather feels, what you hear, what you smell and how it all makes you feel. Practicing this mindfulness will promote life satisfaction. This will aid the development of spiritual wellness. I personally felt so much more content and peaceful when I approached nature this way. Hiking will also promote physical wellness; getting your joints and muscles in action.

The sun through the trees at Rincon de la Vieja National Park

A boiling mud pot in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park

In addition to hiking, you can practice being mindful everywhere you go. One way to do this is by using a mantra. A mantra is a word or phrase to repeat that will help you focus on meditation. I personally enjoy the mantra, “In this moment, nothing is lacking.” It is important to remember that as long as you have essential things like food, love, shelter, warmth, and water, you are living a very full life. Coming to this realization helps me to understand that I am lucky for what I have and makes me very grateful. This is ultimately a moment of pure happiness and bliss. These feelings and experiences contribute to spiritual wellbeing.

While you are here, make sure to try casado. This traditional Costa Rican dish generally offers rice, beans, meat, salad, and some types of fruits and vegetables. These foods are generally very fresh and nutrient-rich. Take a break from fast and unhealthy foods and let your body indulge in casado to improve your physical wellness.

Visit the Arenal Volcano and hike the trails of the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Use it as a social activity! Open up to others and get things off your chest while getting active and breathing in fresh air. If you use the time to connect with yourself, others, and nature, you may feel more grounded and blissful. Then you can see improvement in social, emotional, physical, and environmental wellness! You can also have lunch with a beautiful view of the volcano at the lodge. It is the perfect time to reflect on spiritual wellness and how grateful you are to be experiencing such a meaningful and amazing thing. 

Arenal Volcano

Arenal Observatory Lodge Waterfall Trail

Go on a chocolate or coffee tour. Here, you can understand and appreciate the process and creation of the products you consume. This experience can be deep and meaningful if you allow it to be; stimulating intellectual growth. Don’t forget to continuously enjoy the coffee and chocolate on your stay here.

Mi Cafecito Coffee Tour

Rainforest Chocolate Tour chocolate

Spend an evening at the hot springs. This is a whole new level of relaxation. Not only does it do wonders for your skin, but also improves blood circulation, improves sleep, and relieves pain. Put your anxiety and worries to rest while soaking up the mineral water. In addition to positively impacting my emotional wellbeing, spending time at the hot springs gave me time to connect with my peers, impacting my social wellbeing.

Hiking through the Tirimbina Forest is a great way to get in touch with nature while reaping many health benefits. Getting your muscles and joints moving is a great way to increase blood flow and reduce stress. In addition to physical wellness, this activity may positively impact your emotional wellbeing. Being surrounded by all the green colors and animals I had never seen before pushed me to a new level of happiness.

Suspension bridge in the Tirimbina Forest

Tirimbina Forest

Next, you can go white water rafting on the Sarapiqui river. Acting as another stress reducer, white water rafting positively impacted my emotional wellbeing. I was literally having the time of my life. It is also a great cardio workout that strengthens muscles. This, in addition to the healthy pineapple they served, created a positive impact on my physical wellness. The teamwork experience created a strong bond along with many shared laughs, contributing to social wellbeing.

White water rafting on the Sarapiqui River

Watercolor and pen image of white water rafting

Enjoy a night at the La Quinta hotel to continue your connection with nature. Here, you can disconnect from the internet and explore the outdoors. With a butterfly garden, a pond with caiman, bird watching, many trails, two pools, and a river, there are countless ways to keep busy in the most relaxing way. This scenery is sure to lift your spirits; but only if you are truly mindful of the beauty around you. If you’re lucky you can get a room where you fall asleep listening to the sound of the river flowing. Engaging in all these experiences created a positive impact on my environmental, spiritual, and emotional wellness.

River alongside the La Quinta hotel

La Quinta pool overlooking the forest

Anywhere you go in Costa Rica, make sure you take advantage of the fresh fruits. From pineapple to watermelon this country offers the most flavorful and healthy snacks. Routinely eating healthy foods boosts physical wellbeing, These nutrients do a lot of good for our bodies.

This may be the last revelation I share with you, however, for me it is the most important. I highly recommended that you travel with people you may not know too well. I experienced more social growth than I could have ever asked for by traveling with people I didn’t know. I let myself be vulnerable, creating bonds with new people. As a quiet person struggling with social anxiety, this was very hard for me. This brought me overwhelming feelings of happiness and proudness, promoting my emotional wellbeing. I’m extremely thankful for the friendships and experiences this country brought me.