Tilly's Costa Rica Quest

07/08/2026

Day Five - Thursday

Today they stopped being mere tourists and became volunteers! 🌳🌴🌱🪚🪓🌿🪏🧹

Their day began with an introduction to the Cloud Forest and a guided walk to experience the trail. After lunch they began their volunteering, raking leaves away from the trail to make it clear where the path goes.

I asked Tilly to make memories about the biodiversity she experiences to tell me all the details. No doubt she will have lots more to tell us all.

She says that it felt good to be doing something and was looking forward to getting back to it today!

She was also excited to tell me about the biosecurity steps taken to protect the cloud forest and the facilities to wash boots! (If you know - you know... It relates to my job!).

She sent the picture below - "spot the stick insect!!!"

06/08/2026

Day Four - Wednesday
This was a transit day for Team Costa Rica. The day started early due to jetlag again, they had breakfast and boarded their pink bus ready to head to Monteverde.

They arrived at their hotel in the town of Santa Elena in the early afternoon. Tilly is sharing a twin room with a friend. They had the afternoon to relax, Tilly had some laundry to do but at 80% humidity I'm not sure it will dry!!!

I asked her the question are you feeling Pura Vida yet? She replied "Yes I am!!!!"

Thursday is their first day volunteering, I wonder if she'll sleep better after that!

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

Update to Day Three - Tilly has shared a video with me.

As girls move through the different stages of Guiding they make their "promise". Tilly made her Guide promise at Blists Hill Museum, Ironbridge which seemed pretty cool... The opportunity to do her Rangers promise hadn't popped up, until yesterday, on a volcano in Costa Rica!
What an amazing experience.

05/08/2026

Day Two and Day Three
The last update included the first half of day 2, during the afternoon they did more activities on site before heading off to a Walmart to pick up snacks. The Walmart was huge, she bought apples and biscuits!! They finished that day with a campfire and s'mores.

Day 3 began after a better night's sleep! In the morning they headed to visit Irazu volcano where they went on a bit of a hike to view the volcano crater. They then went to the city of Cartago for lunch and to visit the Basilica de Los Angeles cathedral.

They spotted fireflies as they were heading to dinner in the evening!

Last night they packed up ready to move to their next location, the cloud forest at Monteverde when they wake up today. Their first volunteering tasks will be there!

No photos today - Tilly has a digital camera with her but won't be able to download those images until she gets home. If you are on Instagram check out ggmidlands_costarica2026 for the "official" pictures!

03/08/2026

Day One into Day Two!!
The time difference means I wrote the post yesterday when they were only part way through the day in Costa Rica ( the time difference is 7 hours behind us here in the UK).

I'm still referring to yesterday as Day One despite it lasting way over 24 hours because she didn't sleep until last night!

Yesterday afternoon they enjoyed a tour of the site they are on and then headed off for dinner - managing to beat their tiredness!

Tilly woke this morning at about 4.30am local time, her tummy was telling her it was lunchtime! Which it nearly was here! Her and a few of the others sat on their balcony eating biscuits and listening to the birds. Tilly realised that the Merlin app worked there too (see the screen grab in the images).

They had breakfast and then have spent the day so far on site having some briefings about life in Costa Rica and what they will be doing.

Hopefully a day of Costa Rican routine followed by a good sleep will get her body clock on track!

03/08/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbj__7AjZ77/?igsh=MWM2eDRiZzYwamlldQ==

02/08/2026

Day One - San José accommodation video ↘️⬇️↙️

02/08/2026

Day One - It's a long day!

Team Costa Rica checked in at Heathrow just before 1900 (BST), they had food and headed to their gate ready for their 2200 flight which was running early!
Tilly had a window seat but as they were travelling with the dark I don't know whether she saw anything.

She had very little sleep on the plane and was very unimpressed with the food!

They landed at El Dorado International Airport, Bogota, Colombia at 0830BST / 0236 local time. At 0730 local time they took off from Bogota to go to Costa Rica, Tilly again had a window seat and this time it was much more scenic. Arriving in Costa Rica at 08.47 local time (they went back one time zone on that flight too!).

They are currently at their accommodation, taking some time to relax but still not sleep! They had fish and rice for lunch. Tilly has done some laundry too. Later they're having a tour of the site they are at and then dinner in San José this evening.

I have also been told they have a pink bus! I have asked about wildlife - there are some colourful butterflies but no photo of them on her phone yet!!

She's basically been awake since 6am yesterday, it could be another 7 or 8 hours before they go to bed - she should sleep well!!!

They are at this location for 3 nights and then head into the cloud forest.

Video of the accommodation to follow in next post!!!

02/08/2026

An important update from Tilly (who must have picked up some WiFi!)