Costa Rica Vida

The chapter on Monteverde’s cloud forest painted such a vivid picture I could practically feel the mist. It made me appreciate the biodiversity before I even set foot in the country.

I read this before my trip and it genuinely changed how I moved through the country. The writing goes beneath the jungle canopy in a way that made me notice things I'd have walked right past, and the biodiversity sections are vivid without feeling like a textbook.

The biodiversity chapter alone was worth it, it goes way past the usual beach-and-zipline stuff and actually explains what's living under the canopy. I keep flipping back to the sections on frogs and birds before my trip.