Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Rich in natural wonders and biodiversity, a mostly rural Costa Rica offers amazing beaches that stretch for miles, jungles, cloud forests, and rainforests that will give you the opportunities to see the wildlife.

In the last post of my blog there is some information I would like to share with you, which I think could be helpful if you are planning a trip to this beautiful, adventures destination.

To the most unforgettable Costa Rica’s experiences you may include:

Zipplining – the tours are offered all over the country, where you will strap on a harness and zip from treetop to treetop while dangling from a cable.

White water rafting – the best places Pacuare, Reventazon, Corobici, Sarapiqui, Naranjo and Savegre rivers.

Hiking – you will find amazing trails all over the country. Hanging bridges hike is beautiful in the Arenal area.

Surfing – Costa Rica offers world class surf spots.

Taking a tour in a tropical forests – to experience unique greenery and wildlife. The best places to go are Manuel Antonio and Monteverde.

Soaking in a Volcanic hot springs – mineral-rich, naturally heated waters to relax and soothe what ails you.

Meeting the wildlife – National Parks and forests in Costa Rica are filled with species to include monkeys, snakes, birds, spiders or lizards.

Costa Ricans are friendly, outgoing and helpful. They are formally called Ticos. Also, for Ticos time has relative meaning, so don’t expect punctuality. (At the car rental we waited over an hour for the vehicle to be ready, although we were told that it would take 5 minutes).

Be careful while driving in Costa Rica. Many roads lack road signs that makes it very hard to navigate. It kind of looks like an organized chaos there. The road traffic is the combination of cars, bikes, Ticos and walking dogs.  

Prices in Costa Rica are frequently listed in US dollars, especially at restaurants, where you will be able to pay international prices. Most types of tours are charged in US dollars. If you pay in US dollars you will receive the change in colones. If you will use credit or debit card 3% of international fees will be charge to each transaction you make.

In fact, US dollars are widely accepted, but the standard unit of currency is still the colón.

There is a 13% sales tax added to everything you purchase. In the restaurants you will have additional 10% service charge. So, unless your service is extraordinary you don’t have to really worry about tipping in the dinning places. It’s included in your bill anyway.

Your cell phone in Costa Rica will not work, unless you will bring an unlocked cell phone, and buy a SIM prepaid card at the ICE (the national telecommunications company). The unlocked cell phone must be a quad-band GSM or 3G handset or at least have an 850 or 1800 mHz band.

Translations of the greetings used in my blog:

Pura Vida! – Pure Life! – Costa Rica’s unofficial national slogan, where in many ways it defines the country. It can be used as a cheer or as a response when someone ask you “how are you?”.

Tuanis! – similar in usage and meaning to pura vida.

Zarpe! – last drink of the night, or “one more for the road”. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Thank you for all your comments and friendly responses. My intention was to provide as much information as possible about Costa Rica, while making it fun and entertaining for you. 

Pura Vida! 

San Jose

San Jose

While crossing through mountainous land we drove to our last destination, Costa Rica’s capital city San Jose.

There are a few routes to take while driving from Arenal Volcano area to San Jose. We decided to take so called route three that takes about 90 miles, mostly driving up and down the hills on the zigzag roads, passing through small towns and villages. The mountain we crossed was about 4000 feet high with absolutely wonderful views. 

"Things to mention: According to our tour guide, the mountain we were crossing is about 4000 feet high, the GPS actually indicated that we were 5545 feet high while driving on the very top. Also, the estimated given time to drive to San Jose on route three is about 3 hours, it took us 5. While driving in afternoon, be prepared for an extraordinary road traffic! "

While at the top of it we were able to stop and shop at the small street stores, where I bought delicious local goods.

After a bit longer drive than we expected we finally arrived to San Jose in the late evening. The city was crowded with walking Ticos and huge traffic on almost each of the streets that made driving conditions quite difficult.

Because of our late arrival we were not able to see much of the city. We went for an evening walk, which I would not recommend to anyone. The city can be pretty dangerous. Next day in the morning before leaving to the airport we walked through Plaza de la Cultura, Public Square that is the cultural and social center of the city. In downtown of San Jose there are a lot of museums to go to, small urban parks, opened air plazas and city’s main cathedral.

San Jose offers a few attractions that are worth to check:

Metropolitan Cathedral that was built in 1871 features stained glass works and assorted sculptures.   

National Center of Art and Culture – the art museum.

National Museum housed in a former army barracks that was a scene of fighting during the civil war of 1948. There are still visible bullet holes around them.

Gold Museum located by Plaza de la Cultura.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country, which everyone should go and visit at least once. I spent there 12 days, visiting national parks, exploring beaches and cute little towns that I would like to come back to in the future. The nature, greenery and wildlife are astonishing there. After driving through the country for several days I must admit that Costa Rica has a lot to offer. I have beautiful memories and unforgettable experience of the live that Ticos lead.

Arenal

Arenal

Lake Arenal with its surrounding is one of those places in Costa Rica where I would come back to in the heartbeat. Its greenery and flourishes land creates this calm and relaxed environment that charm with its exoticness. Arenal is nothing like the other parts of the country. Away from the Ocean, this beautiful lake is encompassed by hills that are either pastured or forested where Arenal Volcano dominates in the horizon. 

A bit of the history.

Lake Arenal is an artificial lake in Costa Rica, located in the northern highlands of the country. In 1979, Lake Arenal was enlarged to three times its original size with the construction of a hydroelectric dam. The towns of Arenal and Tondadora, which were originally sited on the spot where the lake now rests, were relocated to the northeastern side of the lake. (Lake Arenal, 2011)

Arenal Volcano is an unavoidable presence while traveling within this part of the country. Until 2010, it was Costa Rica’s most active volcano. Much to the enjoyment of its visitors, Arenal spewed enormous amounts of lava, gas and ash on a regular basis. That eruptive cycle – which began with the infamous eruption of 1968 – ended recently. In October 2010, Arenal entered into an indeterminate resting phase. For the time being, visitors will be unable to watch the much-loved explosions, although that could change within a matter of months or years. (Arenal Volcano, 2011).

We stayed at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, which I would definitely recommend; however don’t waist your money to get breakfast there, it is very expensive! The nice perk is that entrance to hot springs is included in the room price. Normally the cost of it itself is $60 per day. 

Tabacon hot springs are one of the kind. They are completely natural. They are  97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. Water is heated by magma found in the earth’s core where it flows by gravity and forms in-river pools, waterfalls and cascades. Those hot springs are absolutely amazing! I went to enjoy them twice in a day and I am so going back for more of that luxury, one of those days.

The other attraction worth to try is the Zip lining.  I went SkyTrek zip lining that offers 8 different lines. The length of the that adventure takes about 2 miles through the rain forest and gives a panoramic view of the volcano and lake from the completely different perspective.  The costs $60, whole tour takes about 4 hours. 

Another really amazing attraction in the Arenal Volcano National Park is the hanging bridges hike. We were able to experience the magnificent view and the peacefulness of the rainforest, see the wildlife up close and take great pictures of the Arenal Volcano. The hike takes about 2 miles, where we crossed 8 bridges. The cost of it is $25.

Last activity we planed to do was white water rafting, unfortunately we did not have enough time; although, it was highly recommended to us. Next time I will do that for sure!

For the nightlife and dinning experience I would recommend going to nearest  Nuevo Arenal that is the melting pot of local Ticos and foreign tourists. The town is surrounded by green mountains and cloud-covered cone Arenal Volcano.

Reference:

Arenal Volcano (2011). Arenal Volcano Costa Rica. Arenal.net Retrieved from http://www.arenal.net/

Lake Arenal (2011). Lake Arenal. Arenal.net Retreived from http://www.arenal.net/lake-arenal.html

Tamarindo

Tamarindo

Zarpe !

It’s time to have some fun, Tamarindo here I come! Next stop on the list was so called by some the “party place” that Costa Rica has to offer. It took us about 5 hours to drive from Manuel Antonio to Tamarindo. I noticed the changing landscape while getting closer to our new destination owing to the fact that it wasn’t as green as the south part of the country.

! Thing to mention: Just right before Tamarindo there was a huge construction work on the road. I assume it’s going to take a long time before it will be completed. Because of that, we literally drove on the bumpy and dusty dirt road. SUV would be a good choice to rent if you decide to commute by a car. !

Tamarindo is the biggest boomtown in Guanacaste. The active nightlife, abundant restaurants and very dependable surf, have established Tamarindo as one of the most popular beaches on this coast. The main city road is the jumble of strip malls and surf shops, as well as hotels, and restaurants. The beautiful beach here is a long, wide swatch of white sand that curves gently from one rocky headland to another. (Frommer’s. 2013).

We stayed in Capitan Suizo hotel right by Playa Langosta. That place was magnificent, beachfront, built around tall shade trees, and often visited by wildlife, especially monkeys.  In the front of the hotel there is a “monkey bridge” that apparently was re-built 4 times, since monkeys didn’t like the first three designs of it. The hotel has an open-air restaurant facing the Ocean, where during breakfast tropical birds will try to steal your food, not to mention walking Iguanas by the tables. 

Since Tamarindo is one of the most popular destinations for surfing, everyone should experience at least once this amazing sport. The gorges beach and warm water create an ideal environment for the beginner and advanced surfers. I took one class that lasted about 4 hours and I had an amazing time. Surfing classes are offered all over Tamarindo town. There is a surfing school, which is the most recommended place to go, as well as there are many local surfers offering their services on the beach. The cost of one class is about $40.

! Thing to mention: when you book your surfing class never pay upfront. Sometimes your instructor might simply not show up and you will loose your money. !

Tamaridno offers variety of restaurants and bars. Few of my favorites are:

El Coconut – serves excellent seafood, fantastic coconut drinks, very pleasant service, average in price.

Patagonia – Argentinian steak house, I highly recommend that place, amazing steaks and fantastic Sangrias!

Dragonfly Bar & Grill – I wasn’t too crazy about that place. However many people will recommend you to go there. It’s located in the hidden place on the back street. I ordered wood-fired fish of the day, it was average.

Wild Panda – fun place to go to enjoy good frozen margaritas (2 for 1), very small open-air bar/restaurant located in the food court. Live DJ on Tuesdays. Packed with young crowd. The owner is super nice, however the waitresses don’t speak any English (although understood my broken Spanish!).

Sharky’s – it is a very busy, popular, and fun bar with mixed crowd of international tourists and the locals.

! Thing to mention: Highly recommend to enjoy national beer - IMPERIAL - while vacationing in Costa Rica ! 

Around Tamarindo there are many remote beaches that are worth to explore. The one I visited was rich in its natural beauty Playa Flamingo. It offers stunning views, as well as white sand and less rocky beach where you can enjoy swimming in warm Ocean. Not too far from the beach there is the Marino Las Baulas National Park that is one of the most significant nesting sites for Leatherback Turtle. 

Reference:

Frommer’s (2013). Paya de Jaco. Costa Rica 2013. Published by: John Wilye & Sons, Inc.