After visiting Doka, the strawberry farm, and La Paz Waterfall Gardens, I definitely felt like there was a strong sustainable relationship between the people, land, and commerce. What stood out to me most was that none of the places felt overly commercialized or focused only on making money. At the strawberry farm, it was really interesting learning about how much care goes into growing and protecting the strawberries. I thought it was really interesting how they avoid pesticides and use more natural methods to protect the strawberries instead. It made the farm feel a lot more sustainable because they were focused on maintaining the land long-term instead of just producing as much as possible as quickly as possible.

I felt the same way at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Even though a lot of tourists visit there, it still felt very respectful toward nature and the animals. Learning that many of the animals were rescues made a big difference in how I viewed the sanctuary because it felt more focused on conservation and education rather than just entertainment. The trails and waterfalls also felt very natural and not overly commercialized, which made the experience even better. Overall, today made Costa Rica’s focus on sustainability feel a lot more real to me because it showed how tourism, agriculture, and conservation can all work together instead of against each other.