I know it’s a bit of a travel cliché, but Costa Rica really does have something for everyone. You can be as active as you like – with trekking, horse riding, ziplining and rafting – or take it easy soaking in thermal pools or on the beach, with plenty of them to choose from having both Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Costa Rica is full of National Parks highlighting its amazing range of habitats, plants and wildlife. Our tour took in some of the most spectacular for a taste of this fantastic country.
Tortuguero – turtles and toucans
After a couple of nights getting over the jetlag in the capital city San Jose, we headed off on an epic journey to Tortuguero National Park – a remote place only accessible by plane or boat. Sandwiched by rivers on one side and the Caribbean on the other, Tortuguero has no shortage of water. Even more so as it’d been raining constantly for two weeks before we got there, but the weather was on our side as the sun re-emerged as we arrived. Our river lodge was surrounded by tropical flowers which bloomed in a riot of colour after the downpour. Totally peaceful, with the cicadas and the sea being the only thing you could here, it was a great place to unwind (especially over an Imperial – Costa Rica’s very tasty local beer).
Tortuguero is famous as a nesting spot for endangered sea turtles – in fact they gave it it’s name, which translates as ‘land of turtles’. Unfortunately we weren’t there in the right season to see them, but a boat ride through the river channels revealed plenty of other wildlife, from monkeys to river otters and caiman. The trees were full of brightly coloured birds too, with kingfishers, parrots and – my favourite – toucans among those spotted.
Cahuita – chilling out on the Caribbean coast
Heading back on the boat to the mainland and further down the Caribbean coast was our next National Park stop – Cahuita. The beaches here are picture-postcard beautiful, with palm forests fringing the white sand beach and turquoise sea. The park has a coral reef just off the coast with over 120 species of fish, but unfortunately some rough currents made it too dangerous to go out while we were there. On land though there’s plenty of wildlife to see. We spotted a sloth (actually moving not sleeping too) as well as plenty more monkeys – that and a lot of mosquitos! (I’d recommend anyone visiting brings industrial strength mosquito repellent as I left it a bit too late to put mine on and ended up getting bitten on the eye and forehead!).
Away from the wildlife, Cahuita’s town has a strong Afro-Caribbean influence, with some great rum cocktails, and its local food specialities are banana and chocolate pancakes (unexpected I know but very good, and a nice change from the usual rice and beans based Costa Rican diet!).
La Fortuna – in the shadow of the volcano
Our next stop was back inland at the town of La Fortuna, near one of Costa Rica’s most active volcano (though just far enough away!). Only 10km away from the town, Volcan Arenal has been spewing out smoke and ash for years. Our hotel just outside town had a great view of the volcano... or at least most of it, the clouds around it means you can quite easily go weeks without seeing the top. The town is quite a tourist hub and there’s plenty of adventurous activities on offer – from caving to white-water rafting. We went for the slightly less adventurous option of a horse ride, which led through the countryside to a towering waterfall where you could cool off with a swim in the pools.
The area’s volcanic nature also has another bonus – hot pools. There are several of them around the town, but we visited the Baldi Hot Springs. With pools at different temperatures from cool to so hot you can’t put your hand in, you can soak away with views of the volcano and a tropical fruit juice from the swim up hot pool bar!
Monteverde – flying through the cloud forests
Not far away from La Fortuna was our next stop, Monteverde. One of the famous cloud forests, it lived up to its name with cloudy weather and a 10 degree drop in temperature! There are suspension bridges running through the forest so you can get a closer look at the trees and wildlife up high. The area is home to the famous, and elusive, brightly coloured bird the quetzal. Although we didn’t manage to see one, we did get to warm up with a local coffee in the cafe surrounded by jewel coloured hummingbirds and dragonflies eating from sugar feeders.
Or for a more high adrenalin-fuelled (if not quite so eco friendly...) perspective on the forest, you can try zip lining through it. I have to admit to being slightly apprehensive about being attached to a pulley and whizzing along a wire 500 metres in the air, but it was great fun. Although you’re moving fast, the views are amazing as you fly through the clouds and seem to just miss the trees (see the YouTube video below I found to give you an idea of what it's like!)
Manual Antonio – cheeky monkeys on the beach
Our final stop was another coastal park, this time Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific ocean. With more white sand beaches and palm trees it was a great place to spend a day on the beach before heading back to the English winter.
There are miles of walking trails through the forest and beaches, though watch where you’re treading as I almost stepped on a giant lizard! Although this is Costa Rica’s smallest National Park, it has the biggest variety of wildlife and birds. Some, like the sloths and raccoon-like coatis, are shy and hard to spot, and others less so – keep an eye on your belongings on the beach as the monkeys here are so unafraid of people that they will come down and search through your bags for any food! You can also spot dolphins and whales here and hire a kayak to get a closer look – unfortunately I didn’t get time but just means I’ll have to go back again!
Practical information
Costa Rica is a fairly easy and safe place to travel around as an independent traveller, though it’s helpful to know at least some basic Spanish to help you get by. There is a good bus system to take you around the country (find out more and get timetables at www.visitcostarica.com).
Or if you’re short on time and bad at Spanish (like me!), then there are several companies which do tours around the country – we went with Imaginative Traveller, but the Adventure Company and Intrepid do similar trips. These are good if you’re a solo traveller – we had quite a few women travelling alone on our trip who were able to buddy up and share rooms to avoid paying single supplements.