Isla Tortuga

I'm back! I explored a few different places in CR over the past nine days. I did and saw so many amazing things; it would be impossible to fit my entire vacation into one post so I have decided to break up the various places and activities in separate posts. 

My first destination was Isla Tortuga. Grupo de Kansas (the study abroad group) had arranged a trip for  everyone in the group to visit Isla Tortuga. It was an all-inclusive trip organized by a company. To start the day we took a bus to Paquera and enjoyed a traditional breakfast provided by the company and afterward we go on board a yacht and set sail for Isla Tortuga. It took about an hour and a half to get to the island but the scenery and atmosphere made the ride enjoyable and fun. 

Isla Tortuga is beautiful. With it's white sand and tall palm trees the island proves that the pictures on postcards actually exist. Shortly after arriving we got ready to go snorkeling. A small boat took us to a near by rock. We plopped into the water and the snorkeling began. The water was a little murky (not unusual for the rainy season), but I still saw some pretty cool fish. 

After returning from snorkeling we ate a lunch that was prepared by the crew. Fue muy rico (it was delicious). We threw a frisbee on the beach and played some intense sand volleyball until it was time to get back on the boat. 

On the way back we ran into a storm. Watching the rain fall into the ocean while seeing lightning and hearing loud thunder was quite the experience. Ultimately we made it back to shore safely. Jess, Tor, Frank, and I headed to our next destination... Monteverde.

A view of Isla Tortuga from the boat

On the boat

The beach front