Costa Rica invented the phrase pura vida, and then built an entire country around it. Five million people, no army, and a national policy of protecting more than a quarter of the land as wilderness. Between the Caribbean and Pacific coasts sit six active volcanoes, cloud forests older than any human civilisation, and a jungle so dense that 5% of the planet's biodiversity lives inside its borders. This is the world capital of eco-luxury: canopy villas that float in the trees, Nayara-style volcano resorts with private hot springs, farm-to-table dining lit by candlelight and fireflies. It is also the adrenaline capital of Central America, kilometre-long superman ziplines through Monteverde, Grade IV whitewater on the Pacuare, sunrise surf on empty Pacific beaches, and ATV convoys on lava trails around Arenal. Wild by day. Barefoot luxury by night.