Costa Rican Mountains

The Costa Rica landscape is comparable to no other. Years ago earthquakes, flooding and volcanoes shaped the land to what you will see today when visiting.

Fast flowing rivers, beautiful waterfalls, active volcanoes, massive craters are all over the 19,730 square mile country that is filled with a relatively small population of about 4.8 million residents.

Some of the beaches have white sand while others are black mixed with speckles of white. Monkeys swing from tree to tree while iguana’s lounge around waiting for an unsuspecting bug to cross their path.

"All trails seem to lead to waterfalls, misty crater lakes or jungle-fringed, deserted beaches. Explored by horseback, foot or kayak, Costa Rica is a tropical choose-your-own-adventure land." -Lonely Planet

Living in the woods of Costa Rica

Born and raised in Costa Rica she doesn't have much, but she was all smiles. In the background is the place that she and her family call home.

The makeshift house is built of tarps, old fabric and metal roofing material. The home sits in the woods and is within a short walk to Pacific Ocean. There are over 800 miles of coastline in Costa Rica, much of which are made up of bluffs and steep rocks.

It is often necessary for the woman of the residence to stay home with young children as the average wage is about $10 per day, the highest in Central America. However, that is not enough to afford childcare.

Because her home is in the woods, she see's Iguana's and monkeys on a daily basis. While most Costa Ricans don't eat monkey and iguana meat, they do in neighboring Nicaragua. In fact, the government of Nicaragua encourages residents to eat iguana as opposed to chicken because iguanas are cheaper to raise when income is scarce. Plus, iguanas offer more protein than chickens. Iguanas have 24% protein compared with 18% in chicken.