Meet one of Costa Rica’s leading guides, Glenda Araya

What made you want to become a tour guide in Costa Rica?
I’d been surrounded by nature ever since I was a little kid. I think that’s probably why I became a guide. When I was 19 years old, I enrolled in the University of Costa Rica to study tourism, but I found it very broad as a subject, so I decided to specialise in what I knew: nature. I became a naturalist tour guide, focusing on areas such as geography, conservation, wildlife, and even adventure tours like zip-lining and whitewater rafting.

Was it hard to break into guiding?
Yes. We live in a macho culture, and there are still comparatively few female tour guides working here. You also need very broad knowledge as a guide in Costa Rica, because it has such huge biodiversity. For example, I’ve come across around 400 bird species (out of more than 900), and I could recognise them all.

Tell us some wild facts you’ve discovered about Costa Rica’s nature that visitors don’t know. 
This country has the highest density of orchids per square kilometre in the world. It also generates 99% of its electricity from renewables.

In the 1990s, Costa Rica set about reversing the impact of rampant deforestation, and it succeeded where few others have. Where should visitors go to see the good that has been done here?
It’s hard to pick one place, because most national parks and reserves were affected at some point by deforestation; however, I would like to mention Tortuguero National Park, which is just full of beauty and wildlife.

If you had to pick a ‘Big 5’ of Costa Rica’s must-see wildlife, what would you choose?
I’d pick two-toed sloths in Cahuita National Park; squirrel monkeys in Corcovado National Park; magenta-throated woodstar hummingbirds in Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve; green sea turtles in Tortuguero National Park; and red-eyed tree frogs in Tirimbina Biological Reserve.

As a guide, you often visit the same areas repeatedly. Which do you still look forward to seeing?
There are a couple of places in particular. One is San Gerardo de Dota, due to its amazing landscapes and birdlife; the other is Drake Bay, a remote piece of coastline on the Osa Peninsula that is great for spotting marine life.

What do most visitors here miss out on seeing?
Montezuma, in the southern part of the Nicoya Peninsula, is often skipped over. It has waterfalls, the biggest strangler figs you’ll ever see, the Cabo Blanco Absolute Reserve, a white-sand beach and an incredible mix of ecosystems!

What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked by a client?
I typically get: “How big is this island?” (Costa Rica is located on mainland Central America), or “How big is Puerto Rico?” (people often confuse Costa Rica with Puerto Rico).

Glenda Araya is a tour guide for Exodus Adventure Travels (exodustravels.com)