Pura Vida

/in /by

“We need the tonic of wildness.”

Henry David Thoreau

I had the privilege of spending the last two weeks of January in Costa Rica and Miami on a work trip. Before heading across to Miami, I had three days to explore and I chose to maximise every spare moment. I crossed five of the seven provinces, moving from one coast of the country to the other in 3 days. 

Before this work opportunity presented itself, Costa Rica was not on my radar. I have always felt drawn to South America, so much so that I was gifted a return flight ticket for my 40th birthday. For perspective, I am now almost 43. The ticket remains unredeemed, largely due to my perfectionist, idealist plan to only go if I can disappear for a full six months. Perhaps this unexpected Costa Rica adventure was simply life’s way of suggesting I get out of my own way and actually go.

From Coast to Coast

Over those days, I travelled from the hot springs of La Fortuna, at the base of Arenal Volcano, across to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific Ocean, and then by boat into Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean side, what they call the Amazon of Central America. There are no roads into Tortuguero. You enter by water, meandering through canals and wetlands, with the jungle rising up on either side.

When I asked my guide the difference between a forest and a jungle, he replied: “A jungle is a dense, tangled type of tropical forest with an exceptionally high concentration and diversity of plant and animal species growing thickly together.”

Costa Rica holds 5 – 6% of all life on Earth and has one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity per square kilometre than anywhere in the world. More species than the United States and Canada combined, packed into this magical tropical landscape.

Two seasons, an estimated fourteen microclimates, and six active volcanoes means that life is concentrated, layered, and unapologetically abundant.

Slowed Down by Wonder

Walking through Tortuguero, I felt awe infuse every cell of my body as the humidity settled on my skin and the call of a toucan punctured the canopy. Light filtered through intricate leaves and roots laced themselves along the jungle floor as if holding the earth together.

I felt lassoed by it all, drawn in by the intertwining roots, the skittish animal life, the fullness of space, the thousand shades of green. There is no casual frivolous  walking here, it slowed me down, I think my mouth hung open with each step, as each sound and movement demanded my attention.

When Inventure Becomes Embodied

Inventure has always spoken about creating space, about slowing down, about savouring beauty, returning to simplicity, and ultimately joy. In Costa Rica, specifically Tortuguero, I felt these words in my body. 

The jungle creates space not by emptiness but by fullness and complete immersion. I felt enveloped by everything that there was no room for distraction. It was impossible to be anywhere else but there. My mind became quiet because it had something far more compelling to attend to.

I found myself slowing down because the density of life insisted upon it. There was too much detail to rush, too much wonder to skim over, and too much beauty to absorb. 

There is nothing simple about a jungle. It is an intricate and layered interconnected web of life. And yet, within all that richness, there is simplicity of attention. A simplicity that doesn’t need to be understood or called out, rather observed and witnessed, just as it is. 

The Quiet Question of Pura Vida

Joy arrived unannounced, in the delight of spotting a sloth curled into itself, in the sway of a boat (knowing that I had taken my motion sickness meds), in the feeling of being small inside something vast and alive, in getting lost in my own imagination. 

Ronnie, the guide I spent my days with, said, “Anyone who loves nature must have Tortuguero on their bucket list. It is not a forest, it is a jungle – full of extraordinary life density.”

On the drive back to the hotel that Sunday evening, I wondered: what spaces do I want to inhabit more… the ones that ask for my full attention, draw me into depth, restore and nourish me?

On the map you can see the Pacific Ocean side of Quepos and Manuel Antonio and the Caribbean Sea side of Tortuguero. Two coastlines with two distinct rhythms. One small country holding immense diversity.

To create space where intensity has become overwhelming.

To slow down enough to be captivated again.

To allow beauty to interrupt us.

To return to Pura Vida meaning pure life or simple life.

To rediscover joy in the ordinary textures of our days.

And perhaps, this is our reminder to embrace the cultural attitude of the Costa Rican people.

Pura Vida

  • Appreciate the present. 
  • Live simply. 
  • Find joy in what is. 
  • Meet life with ease.