In January 2024, 9 incredible vegan ladies made history and joined me to hike ‘El Camino De Costa Rica.’
El Camino De Costa Rica is a little-known, extremely challenging 280 km coast-to-coast hike starting in the Caribbean and finishing in the Pacific and I’m very proud to say that we were the first all-female, vegan group to have hiked it, go team Trailblazers!
I hope you find some inspiration and motivation in this ‘How She Did It’ interview series, let’s get started with Deepthi living in the USA.
Q: What was your motivation behind wanting to do an epic 280km hike across a whole country?
A: Since the pandemic I have felt like my physical health has declined so I really needed a challenge to prove it to myself that I still had it in me!
Q: Before hiking El Camino De Costa Rica, what was your hiking and backpacking experience?
A: Lots of hikes in Utah – no backpacking experience
Q: What kind of pre-trip training did you do for El Camino De Costa Rica?
A: I did a few high-altitude hikes before I went. I was not very organized about it!
Q: What were you most excited about before the hike?
A: To hike in my most favourite country! To meet other like-minded strong vegan women
Q: What kind of fears or concerns did you have before the hike?
A: I didn’t know how I would adjust to the heat and of course how my body would take the everyday hikes of 15-20 miles.
Q: What was the overall highlight of the hike for you?
A: The beauty of Costa Rica and of course lots of conversations with other fellow hikers.
Q: Let’s talk about packing! Did you have a favourite item? Anything you wish you hadn’t taken? Any advice for others packing for the hike?
A: Pack light!! I didn’t 😀 My favourite item was the backpacking fan that I carried. It was a noise canceller and provided me some air when I got hot!
Q: How was the vegan food on El Camino De Costa Rica?
A: The food was really good! Some vendors really went above and beyond trying to think about how they could accommodate us
Q: What’s next for you when it comes to hiking and adventure travel?
A: I really want to do Mont Blanc in the summer so let’s see how that pans out.
Q: Any general advice or words of encouragement for others planning on doing El Camino De Costa Rica?
A: It’s a beautiful hike and you don’t have to worry about eating or sleeping arrangements as everything is taken care of!
Has the wanderlust kicked in yet? I hope so! If you’re ready to get your name on the waitlist for the next El Camino De Costa Rica Hike, click here!
XO
Emma – Vegan Adventure Holidays
