Costa Rica had been on the agenda for a long time so it was very exciting to finally be going in April. My first ever trip to Central America. I hadn't been on that side of the world since my trip to New York.
We had 2 1/2 weeks with 3 nights at each destination. There's a lot to cover, and we couldn't do it all so we picked 4 areas to explore, and tried to balance seeing as much as possible without spending too much time moving between places. That turned out to be a good thing because getting from A to B was quite slow with mostly unpaved roads. I say 'unpaved', but we're talking boulders, rocks, massive pot holes - 4x4 only territory. There are only paved roads on the one or two major highways, and in the centre of a village if it's lucky.
NB. This is a long, diary style post. Feel free to scroll down for pics!
Monday 4 April
We arrived late in Alajuela, the airport town, collected our 4x4 hire care and checked into our AirBnb (after getting lost on the way - not the best start!).
Tuesday 5 April
We hit the road pretty early to get to La Fortuna. Driving through Alajuela was a bit of a nightmare but once we were headed in the right direction, it was a nice country drive. The backdrop to this town is the very impressive Volcan Arenal, an active volcano (no eruptions since the 90s) that you can see from pretty much anywhere.
We grabbed lunch and that afternoon went to the Arenal Hanging Bridges just out of town. It's a series of suspended bridges and trails through the forest. Pretty. At dusk we had a walk through town and dinner at Soda Viquez*.
*What is a soda? It's the name of a local restaurant that serves a simple plate of food, most often 'casado' that has meat, salad, and rice and beans.
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| Lovely day for a drive |
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| One of the hanging bridges |
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| View from Arenal Hanging Bridges |
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| More bridge action |
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| Views over the forest |
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| The bird watching begins |
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| The lively main square in La Fortuna at dusk |
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| Watermelon anyone? |
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| Casado at Soda Viquez |
Wednesday 6 April
This is a day I am not ever likely to forget! We started early with breakfast of fruit and scrambled eggs and good coffee (lots of good coffee in Costa Rica). Then we went on a hike up Cerro Chatto, a volcano with a lake in the crater at the top. The hike started out okay, but quickly became extremely difficult. It was through rainforest, muddy in parts, very steep - pulling myself up holding on to tree branches and sometimes with ropes that had been tied to the trees or Ollie giving me a boost. After 3 hours we reached the top, but only stayed up there for a short rest. On the way down, the day was much hotter and it was harder on the knees. It took us 6 hours to get up and down, and was very strenuous. We hadn't realised beforehand but it is apparently one of the toughest hikes in Costa Rica and for experienced hikers! We hadn't taken enough water or food with us, so it might have been a little easier if we had. We felt a sense of accomplishment I guess, but I was sore for days afterwards!
Once back down the mountain we were in desperate need of some relaxation so we went to the hot springs. There are a lot of luxurious places around the town to experience them, but we went to the slightly hidden spot where all the locals go for free. It wasn't the most salubrious of places, but it was just what we needed, and the idea of a bit of wild swimming was fun.
Dinner was at a local mixed grill place which was good but really we both just wanted to get into bed exhausted from the day.
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| Breakfast at My Coffee |
Thursday 7 April
Back to our new favourite spot for breakfast of fruit, eggs and coffee this morning. If it ain't broke...
Despite being so sore, and still somewhat shell-shocked from yesterday's hike, we decided to stick with the original plan of going for a walk to see the Rio Celeste river. We set off apprehensively and drove an hour or two to get there. I'm pleased to say it was worth it, and a very easy walk compared to the day before! The waterfall with the pool of bright turquoise water at its foot was a beautiful sight to see. The river then continues on turquoise until the end of the walk where you see the point the river changes and the clear water converges with the turquoise water. It was all very pretty and only a couple of hours.
We took a round-about drive back to La Fortuna via Nuevo Arenal thinking it would be a great spot for the sunset but we missed it and ended up having a quick beer in town before heading back. It wasn't a bad thing though, as the 19km gravel road drive was one of the prettiest drives of the whole trip. It was like driving through the Sunshine Coast hinterland; the trees were huge, everything was verdant, bright green, with views over Lake Arenal and of the Volcan Tenorio national park (another range of volcanos).
More mixed grill for dinner, and another early night.
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| Walking to Rio Celeste, more gentle than yesterday |
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| Waterfall this way <- td=""> |
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| Stairs down to the waterfall |
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| At the stunning waterfall |
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| Look how blue that is! |
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| The bright blue Rio Celeste |
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| The water converges and markedly changes from clear to turquoise |
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| Typical, tasty lunch of chicken, rice, beans and salad |
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| The view on the drive to Nuevo Arenal |
Friday 8 April
Jet lag is still helping us get up early. Just as well because we need to get on the road early for today's drive to Monteverde.
But first, a stop at La Fortuna waterfall. We were very pleased that we squeezed this in. My legs didn't thank me for the hundreds of stairs down and back up, but at the bottom of the stairs was the very pretty waterfall that we could swim in! It was an amazing experience to be swimming at the foot of the waterfall, you could feel the power of it. I felt elated afterwards.
Then it was on the road to Monteverde. We stopped for lunch at great place called Cafe Y Macadamia which had a good view and good food. It was a long drive around Lake Arenal again and then through rural countryside. Lots of cows and Brahmans (the country's biggest export is beef, and they keep chopping down the rainforest for grazing land).
We arrived in Monteverde late afternoon and booked ourselves straight into the Curi Canchi night walk through the rainforest which had been recommended to us. We saw lots of insects, scorpions, a tarantula and a few birds. The highlight for me was seeing the millions and millions of stars.
We had a very average dinner and yet another early night.
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| La Fortuna waterfall |
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| It's bigger and more powerful than it looks. |
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| Swimming at the foot of the waterfall (Yes, I look very tired) |
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| Views from the drive |
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| Lake Arenal from Cafe Y Macadamia |
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| Delicious smoothies |
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| Volcan Arenal, NB on the right is Cerro Chatto - the volcano we hiked up!! |
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| A closer view of the two |
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| As high up as the wind farms |
Saturday 9 April
The birds and animals are up early so we were too. We set out for an early walk around the Ecological Sanctuary but our untrained eyes and ears meant we spotted very little in the bush-like surrounds despite covering every path over 3 hours (and being told it later there is lots to see here). There were a few of the spectacular Blue Morpho butterflies which we saw nearly every day of our trip.
Chia seed pancakes and a good coffee for breakfast at Orchid Cafe made up for our disappointing morning.
Costa Rica is the home of zip lining and Monteverde is the place to do it. We went to Selvatura Park for 2.5 hours of zip lining high above the trees of the Cloud Forest across 18 platforms. I hadn't done anything like it since the flying fox on Grade 10 Outward Bound camp and I was nervous at the beginning but then really enjoyed myself. It was a lot of fun and a different perspective of the forest.
Dinner was at a traditional restaurant called Sabor Tico which was ok, not the best.
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| View over the ranges from the Ecological Sanctuary |
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| Fig tree |
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| Banana plants inside the Ecological Sanctuary |
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| Pancakes |
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| All geared up and ready to go (not very flattering) |
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| Zip Lining!! |
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| Ollie going backwards for some reason |
Sunday 10 April
Los Pinos, one of our favourite places to stay of the trip, had a hydroponic garden with fresh herbs and tomatoes which guests were free to pick. We had the brilliant idea of using them in an omelette so we picked up eggs from the supermarket and made our breakfast before heading out. This turned out to have been a very bad idea because Ollie and I were then very ill with upset stomachs for days afterwards.
We had a guided walk through Monteverde Cloud Forest this morning. It was the most beautiful of all the forests we'd seen so far, it's 1500m above sea level and is the perfect environment for the types of plants that grow on trees. Going with a guide meant we saw a lot more wildlife this time - Bell Birds, Sloth, a young Quetzal (Quetzals are at the top of the list for bird watchers in C.R.), and a Coati. Plus lots of Hummingbirds in the garden especially set up for them.
Back to Orchid Cafe for breakfast and then a tour at Monteverde Coffee Company. We brought some coffee back to London with us. We had sunset drinks at a nearby hotel bar and a lovely dinner at El Jardin. The highlight was a very unusual starter of sweet corn and ginger cakes with green beans and almonds that was surprisingly tasty.
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| Los Pinos cabin |
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| The regrettable veggie picking |
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| It's hard to capture how pretty it is in the cloud forest |
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| See how tall this tree is! It's hollow inside. |
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| A young Quetzal, taken using the telescope |
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| Bell Bird, with a moustache |
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| Hummingbird |
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| It's hard to get a shot of the Hummingbirds zipping around |
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| Waterfall in the Cloud Forest |
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| Sunset in Monteverde |
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| That's me |
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| Tastes a lot better than it looks! The starter at El Jardin. |
Monday 11 April
After another plate of pancakes and fruit we set off for a long drive west to the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula and Playa Samara, for some well-deserved beach time. It was the longest drive of the holiday and even required a river crossing in our 4x4 (well manoeuvred by Ollie). We arrived mid-afternoon, checked into our rustic little apartment just a short walk from the beachfront, and had time for quick dip before a glorious sunset with a beer in hand. Dinner was at a yummy vegetarian italian restaurant.
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| Lots of fresh fruit in Costa Rica |
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| Pit stop for a photo and drink along the way |
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| The best sunset of the holiday on Playa Samara |
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| Beach time! |
Tues 12 April
We barely moved from the sun loungers at Gusto Beach Club on Samara beach from breakfast to lunch and through to dusk. After a lot of activity in the first week, it was so relaxing to be lying in the sun under the beach umbrella all day with just the waves and a book as distraction. We had a pre-dinner G&T at a cute little bar and then an alfresco taco dinner at a table on the sand.
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Walking down to the beach from our apartment
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| Sun, sand, sea |
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| Ollie becomes addicted to reading for the first time ever! |
Wed 13 April
This was one of my favourite days of our holiday. We dropped off our huge pile of dirty clothes at a local laundry and had breakfast at Luv Burger, a great vegan cafe run by the person who owned our accommodation. We tried the mysterious 'kombucha' (fermented green tea with tumeric, ginger and pepper) in an attempt to settle our tummies. A short drive away is Playa Carillo where we spent several hours camped out on the sand under the palm trees with the lovely beach all to ourselves. Then it was off to Playa Barrigona via Luv Burger for a late lunch of vege burger and yucca fries and to collect the laundry. This was a lovely beach to watch the sunset from, quite a different feel to the other two beaches. The water was beautiful but rough and high swell so we could only go in waist deep.
For our last meal at the beach we wanted to listen to the crashing waves so we dined at Gusto Beach Club again.
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| Breakfast at Luv Burger |
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| Playa Carillo |
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| Playa Carillo |
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| Reading time |
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| Fresh coconuts |
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| Playa Barrigona |
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| Playa Barrigona |
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Pebbles washed up on the shore
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| Sunset |
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| Our 4x4 rental |
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| Dinner at Gusto Beach Club |
Thurs 14th
It was up at 5am for our 3.5 hour drive to San Jose airport to return the car and take our flight south to the Osa Peninsula. Lots of the driving was quite hard work between the roads and following Google maps but lovely scenery and through villages to see the local life. We made good time.
We took a 35 min flight to Puerto Jimenez in a twin engine plane with Nature Air. The flight was lots of fun albeit a little bumpy! A 4x4 taxi picked us up to drive us the two hours down to Luna Lodge, the most remote accommodation in all of Costa Rica. We saw three types of monkeys on the way down Gulfo Dulce thanks to our driver - Spider monkeys, Howler monkeys and White-Faced monkeys.
On arrival we were greeted with iced water (which set the tone for our stay) and introduced to the beautiful setting of Luna Lodge. We settled into our tent (with bed and bathroom) high up on the property with spectacular views over the rainforest and to the Pacific Ocean. Dinner was pork ribs and delicious tropical salads in the open air pavilion. We played UNO before going to bed.
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| Off we go! |
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| Our twin engine plan in Puerto Jimenez |
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| Home sweet home! |
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| Dinner under the stars |
Sat 16th
We had come to Osa Peninsula to see the Corcovado National Park which National Geographic called 'the most biologically intense place on earth'; ideal for all wildlife watching. We arranged a guided hike through the park which started at 6am. We drove down to the local town and walked along the beachfront for an hour before reaching the ranger station to enter Corcovado. The path from here to Playa Madrigal was along the beachfront through tropical dry rainforest; quite a different feel from the other rainforests yet equally pretty. We spotted all sorts with our guide - Toucans, Scarlet Macaws, a family of Coatis, Howler monkeys, a range of birds, an Ant-eater, Poison Dart Frogs, bats, a snakes and the tracks of the elusive Tapir (a big land mammal a bit like a hippo). It was the most wildlife we'd seen in one place, and apparently this was a quiet day in the park. We had a packed lunch once we reached our destination and then turned back. By this time it was getting extremely hot (it's the most humid part of the whole country) and I ended up with a heat rash on my legs.
We cooled down back at the lodge, before the evening's entertainment: the owner's mother's 80th birthday and staff pool party which we were invited to. Ollie and I played scrabble, enjoyed the free drinks and a pork spit roast with dancing, musical chairs and a piñata. Lots of fun to watch from the sidelines.
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| Toucan |
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| Poison Dart Frog |
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| Bats sleeping |
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| Howler monkey |
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| Caoti |
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| A whole family, including this little baby, all digging for crabs |
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| Tapir tracks |
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| Lunch spot at Playa Madrigal |
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| Black-throated Trogon in his nest |
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| and then he popped out |
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| Banana paper |
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| That's an Ant-Eater on the left |
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| Just as we left, a tree full of beautiful Scarlet Macaws |
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| Close up |
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| Post-hike back at the ranger station |
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Rocking chair time
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Hammock time
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| What a view |
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| The dancing |
Sun 17th
Our last full day at Luna Lodge was very relaxing. We read and swam in the pool all day long. I had a hot stone massage in the open-air spa pavilion. We spotted more Toucans and monkeys just walking around the grounds of the Lodge. It was quiet at the Lodge and we had the entire place almost to ourselves so Lana, the owner, upgraded us to the honeymoon suite! It was a lovely large bungalow in another beautiful spot with an outdoor bathroom and shower. A fantastic treat. We had mojitos and enjoyed our last dinner. And did a bit of star spotting - we could see Orion large in the sky above and other constellations from the pavilion.
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| Pool time! |
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| The lush tropical gardens at the Lodge |
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| A Cherrie's Tanager |
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| Dessert at lunch time (pool hair) |
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| Mojito time |
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| More of this view |
Mon 18th
This morning we had breakfast and a couple of hours to read in the hammock before we were leaving and heading back to San Jose. Instead of the taxi, we booked our own private charter flight which took 8 minutes instead of 2 hours to get back to Puerto Jimenez. It was so much fun with just two pilots and the two of us in a tiny little plane bumping our way over the peninsula and national park with great views. We had another short flight then from P.J. to San Jose.
We took a taxi to our accommodation and arrived mid-afternoon. There's not a great deal to do in San Jose so we were glad we only had the afternoon there in the end. It was a culture shock being back in a bustling city after the peace and quiet of the rainforest. We walked through town to the Central Market and stopped for coffee and jelly & ice cream, posted our cards at the Post Office, walked through the Artisan market and stopped at a cafe for a lemonade.
Dinner was at a restaurant in a local 'foodie' neighbourhood - the street was lined with restaurants and bars - a short walk away.
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| Our private charter plane! |
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| Jelly & ice cream at Centro Market |
Tues 19th
After two and a half weeks our holiday came to an end. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, the lovely Costa Rican people and the breakfasts. We could have done without the upset tummies and San Jose but that couldn't be helped.
Tuesday was a travel day, straight to the airport after breakfast at the hotel. We were extremely lucky to make our connecting flight from Atlanta to London after a very long delay at US customs in Atlanta. Fortunately Ollie asked everyone if we could push in front of them and we ran from security to the gate as they were calling our names and closing the flight. We boarded in the nick of time.
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