Green World Adventures turned Costa Rica’s wildlife into an army for peace

Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948, but a new tourism campaign imagines what its army might look like if it had one.

Green World Adventures filled the fictional force with deer, turtles, sloths, crocodiles, volcanoes, whales and scarlet macaws.

Created by Federer, “Make Pura Vida. Not War” transforms the language of conflict into an invitation to experience Costa Rica’s wildlife and natural landscapes.

Military headlines introduced peaceful wildlife

Each print advertisement pairs a serious military phrase with an image that changes its meaning.

A group of deer appears beneath the headline “Our Special Forces in Position.” Sea turtles become troops ready to march, while a sloth resting among branches is presented as a stealth unit.

A crocodile represents heavy artillery. Volcanoes become tanks, a whale takes the role of a submarine and scarlet macaws form Costa Rica’s air force.

The language suggests danger and conflict, but every image shows something peaceful, natural and inviting.

That contrast allows the campaign’s message to be understood quickly. Costa Rica has no conventional army, but it has an extraordinary collection of wildlife and landscapes.

Seven advertisements formed an imaginary force

The campaign uses a consistent visual system across all seven executions.

Every advertisement presents destination photography, a military-style headline, Green World Adventures branding and the recurring line “Make Pura Vida. Not War.”

Once viewers understand the first visual joke, the remaining advertisements become a guessing game. Each animal or landscape is given a new position inside Costa Rica’s imaginary military.

The repetition strengthens the campaign without making every execution feel identical. Deer, turtles, sloths and crocodiles introduce terrestrial experiences, while whales and macaws extend the idea into the sea and sky.

Volcanoes bring Costa Rica’s landscape into the same system, showing that the country’s natural attractions extend beyond its wildlife.

Costa Rica answered conflict with “pura vida”

The campaign was developed while conflict in the Middle East was affecting international travel decisions.

Green World Adventures responded by presenting Costa Rica as an alternative destination associated with peace, nature and adventure.

The phrase “pura vida” is closely connected with Costa Rican culture. Literally translated as “pure life,” it is commonly used to express happiness, gratitude, optimism and a relaxed approach to living.

Replacing “make love, not war” with “Make Pura Vida. Not War” gives the familiar anti-war expression a distinctly Costa Rican identity.

The line also connects the country’s absence of a standing army with the experience it offers travellers. Instead of soldiers and weapons, visitors encounter forests, oceans, animals and volcanoes.

The campaign targeted travellers in the UK

The print series was aimed at UK travellers reconsidering where to take their holidays.

Rather than promoting accommodation prices or listing a travel itinerary, the campaign gave audiences a broader reason to consider Costa Rica. It positioned the destination as a peaceful contrast to the uncertainty affecting other parts of the world.

For Green World Adventures, the work also supported an effort to generate demand directly from travellers instead of depending entirely on traditional travel intermediaries.

The advertisements therefore had two roles. They promoted Costa Rica as a destination while introducing Green World Adventures as a company capable of helping visitors experience it.

Wildlife remained the reason to visit

The military wordplay attracts attention, but the animals and landscapes remain central to every execution.

A sloth is not simply being used for a joke about stealth. It represents the wildlife visitors may encounter. The whale promotes marine experiences, while the macaws, crocodiles and turtles present different parts of Costa Rica’s biodiversity.

This gives the campaign substance beyond its headlines. The imaginary army is built from the same natural attractions Green World Adventures wants travellers to discover.

The photography remains calm and spacious, allowing the contradiction between the images and military language to carry the idea.

Print gave the contrast room to work

The campaign does not require animation, interaction or a detailed explanation.

Each advertisement can communicate independently through one photograph and one headline. The viewer first notices the animal or landscape, reads the military phrase and then understands the reinterpretation.

The seven-piece format also allows the central idea to expand without becoming complicated.

By turning the vocabulary of war into a celebration of wildlife, Green World Adventures offered a different image of national strength. Costa Rica’s forces do not carry weapons. They swim, fly, climb, rest and erupt.

Credits

Make Pura Vida. Not War, 2026. Client GWA • Green World Adventures. Advertising agency Federer, Guatemala City, Guatemala. Chief Creative Officer Paul Rodríguez. Creative Director Natalia Mora. Art Directors Hansel Céspedes and Katherine Tánchez. Content Lead and Copywriter Leo Echeverría. Stock photography and footage from Shutterstock, with additional production assets, photography and footage from Green World Adventures and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, Costa Rica.