Costa Rica
Laguna de Hule
Three volcanic crater lakes, each a different colour, hidden inside old rainforest.
The trail drops through rainforest so tall the canopy disappears, then the trees open onto water the colour of jade, perfectly still inside the bowl of an old volcano. Laguna de Hule is the crater lake most visitors to Costa Rica rarely hear about.
Hule fills a volcanic crater on the Northern Plains' forested rim, part of the Bosque Alegre refuge where two more crater lakes lie within a few kilometres — each born of a separate eruption, each wearing its own shade of green. The access trail runs beneath towering old canopy, and the path is shared less with tour groups than with farmers from the valley who have used it for generations. Infrastructure is nearly nil: no visitor centre, no kiosk, just water, forest and birdsong. Come self-contained, and leave it as found.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Powered by Geoapify
Solo
A trail through old forest to a volcanic lake, no guide required — solo wandering in its purest form.
Couple
Three crater lakes in three colours, hidden in forest — a secret the map keeps mostly to itself.
- The lake fills an old volcanic crater, with two more crater lakes lying within a few kilometres.
- Each lake was born of a separate eruption and wears its own shade of green.
- The trail crosses towering old canopy on the plains' forested rim.
- There is almost no infrastructure — visitors share the path with valley farmers, and self-sufficiency is the etiquette.
A casado and homemade natilla in an Aguas Zarcas soda on the way in.
Sugar-cane juice pressed at the roadside, with a bag of peeled oranges for the trail.
Abaiang
Kiribati
At high tide the sea surrounds Tebunginako's church; the village choir times services around it.
Abbotsbury
England
A swannery where six hundred mute swans nest in reed beds behind the Chesil Bank.
Abel Tasman National Park
New Zealand
Golden bays between forested headlands, reached only on foot, by kayak or water taxi.
Aberdaron
Wales
A church on the sand where pilgrims ate their last meal before the island crossing.
Arenal & La Fortuna
Costa Rica
Hot springs steaming through jungle beneath a volcano's perfect cone at dusk.
Barbilla National Park
Costa Rica
No trails exist — Cabécar guides navigate by river and memory through virgin rainforest.
Barra del Colorado
Costa Rica
A roadless river delta where tarpon explode from chocolate-brown water and jaguars patrol the banks.
Barra Honda National Park
Costa Rica
Descend by ladder and harness beneath a hill of ancient coral to stalactites gleaming by headlamp.