If you love wildlife, you have to visit Tortuguero. We cruised the canals of the national park to spot sloths, tapirs, monkeys, crocodiles, toucans, and over 300 different species of birds. I especially loved the Green Turtle Research Station, the largest rookery for green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles in the Western Hemisphere. We had the chance to watch sea turtles laying their eggs on the beach and it was a moment I'll treasure forever.

We hopped on board a local schooner and spent two hours sailing the famous Guanabara Bay of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil - and it was amazing!. We passed by dozens of islands and forts and had views of Sugarloaf Mountain soaring into the sky. It felt like we were in the middle of a picture-perfect postcard!