Visiting a rainforest is a unique nature experience. During the day, these unique biomes burst with a busy buzz and bright flashes of colour, while at night, the air comes alive with the shrieks and calls of the forest’s many nocturnal creatures. Amidst all this natural beauty, it’s important to tread lightly. Rainforests are home to an estimated 40 to 75 percent of all the world’s plants and animals, including many still just being discovered.

Fellow travellers, I have a weakness: I like to shop. Worse, when I travel, my addiction takes over. My Achilles heel is for local souvenirs, the more creative and original, the better. Among my finer purchases is a gorgeous green silk scarf bought in Vietnam, an unusual hand-carved mask from Belize that now hangs on my wall and a pair of small but colourful paintings I picked up in Peru.

A dazzling combination of unspoiled national parks, verdant and mountainous cloud forests and famously active volcanoes – not to mention pounding surf and gorgeous beaches – has made Costa Rica one of the world’s top destinations for ecotourism. Of course, attaining world recognition as a ‘green destination’ would not have been possible without the important efforts of local tourism professionals like Il Viaggio Travel, which has been at the forefront of ‘green’ initiatives in Costa Rica by providing reliable, comfortable and environmentally friendly transfer services.