Two of our favorite activities at Pura Vida House!

Two of our favorite activities at Pura Vida House in Costa Rica, as well as our guests’ favorite activities, are hand pottery lessons at Rosa’s and taking excursions to nature preserves nearby and walking through the rainforest canopy on hanging bridges.

Hand pottery lessons at Rosa’s house are great because it lets our guests experience a local activity that is very typical of Guanacaste. Rosa has been making hand pottery with clay from the river that runs behind her house for over 60 years, and she is very happy to teach this skill to our guests, and host them at her house to make pottery, have some laughs and a good time. Rosa goes very early in the morning (before 6am!) and picks the right clay from the river to make her pottery. In the past she has sold this pottery in different areas of Guanacaste to make ends meet, but now she only does this for pottery that she needs in her house and also for our guests. We pay Rosa for every lesson that she teaches our guests, so this is a good example of sustainable tourism with the local community members earning income that is generated through tourism. Not only that, but she learns many things about our guests, how they live, where they live, their customs, diet, etc., and they in turn learn a lot about her way of life, about her family, about Paso Hondo, and all the activities she likes to do around her town. This creates a very special connection! Here’s a photo of one of our pottery lessons in action!

Another activity we can take you to see while on your Costa Rica vacation that is a favorite for most of our guests is visiting nearby national parks to see volcanoes and biodiversity, and walking on the hanging bridges! As long as you are not afraid of heights, this is an incredibly fun activity. You get to go on hikes and cross rivers on the bridges, you also get to see volcanoes and lots of birds and other wildlife. Bridges also lead to bubbling holes that originate from the nearby volcanoes, very cool experience! If someone is looking for a workout and to experience the natural beauty that Costa Rica has to offer, this is one of the activities that we recommend when staying at our Pura Vida House. Here’s a photo of the hanging bridges, enjoy!