The study abroad trip that I had the amazing opportunity to participate in this summer was the Choco-Rica program which focuses on the study of chocolate/cacao in Costa Rica. There were many opportunities for excursions on this short study abroad trip, including sight-seeing, hiking, exploring the city, and zip lining which was super fun! However, my favorite excursion was a hike to see the Rio Celeste waterfall. I really enjoy hiking as an activity, and I have even hiked for weeks at a time on the Appalachian trail, but this hike has got to be one of my favorites. The hike itself was not too long but there were a lot of stairs involved so it will definitely have you sweating, but the view here was definitely worth the hike! There are great viewpoints of the waterfall and the river, as well as a lookout over the mountains. This was not just an ordinary river and waterfall though, the Rio Celeste river and waterfall has a beautiful and unique light blue color due to a chemical reaction that takes place within the rocks of the river – causing the river to appear super blue! This is why it is named Rio Celeste which translates to “celestial river.” There’s actually a viewpoint of the river in which you can see the water change color from clear to a cloudy light blue because of the reaction with the rocks. During the hike we also had the chance to see some different types of monkeys, as well as some sloths if you kept an eye out. I am someone who really enjoys time spent in nature, so not only was Costa Rica a great place to study abroad, it also had many opportunities to immerse yourself in nature and truly enjoy Earth’s beauty.