After devoting ourselves to our non-profit responsibilities; running the Jane Austen Society (JASNA) New York Metro region, and then chairing JASNA’s annual meeting in Brooklyn for 800 attendees, as well as being Treasurer of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, I felt that I needed a real break from volunteer work. Our solution: travel for five months in Central America in order to have a clean break. It was luxurious to experience slow, relaxed travel.
Part I will relate the seven weeks in:
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a perfect place for an eco-vacation. There are many national parks and private reserves that are havens for birds and animals. It is illegal to cut down primary forests or make pets of wild animals. English is widely spoken in tourist areas, tap water is safe to drink and the dollar is as acceptable to vendors as the Colons.
Costa Rica is not a large country, yet it has many microclimates and terrains. With a seven week trip, we had ample leisure to see the volcanoes, the cloud forests, the jungle as well as the Caribbean and Pacific beaches. Transportation by car in Costa Rica is difficult since most of the remote lodges required traveling on rocky, curvy, dirt roads at a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour or flying in small planes. Travel days being difficult, we were glad that we had a week at most locations.
Since we didn’t have a car at our disposal and most of our accommodations were in fairly remote locations, we ate the majority of our meals at our lodges. In Pacuare and Lapa Rios we were on a full meal plan. In others lodges; Villa Blanca, Tabacon, Monte Verde, Islita, Tango Mar and Finca Rosa, we could have taken a taxi to a restaurant in town, but it was usually more cost effective and convenient to eat at the hotel. At only two locations did we eat at local restaurants: while in Shawandha Lodge (Caribbean coast) and at Manuel Antonio. In both cases, there were restaurants within walking distance of the lodge.
The write up below will only cover the highlights. There was so much to experience. As always, if you want more information, just ask for the log.
Los Angeles Cloud Forest – Villa Blanca
On February 1, on a cold day at the Newark airport (NJ), we embarked on our adventure. We landed in San Jose, Costa Rica and were spirited away by our driver to Villa Blanca in the cloud forest for 4 nights. It was a perfect place to start. The lodge, only 1½-hour drive from San Jose, is at the top of a hill. It was clear when we arrived, and we could see the beautiful valley surrounding the resort. The main house has many charming sitting areas, both downstairs and upstairs, a theater for airing movies and an open-air dining room.
Our cabin, with a fireplace, two rocking chairs and a patio with table and chairs, was a delight.
By evening the mist rolled in, as it did each day for at least part of the day. But we had some sun for a few hours as well. According to the hotel staff, mist is more likely than sun. It was chilly – about 60 degrees when misty and a bit warmer when sunny.
We spent most of our four days on the grounds of the resort; walking the trails and watching the hummingbirds at the feeders.
I took a stab at milking the cow. I was not very successful. Farmer Jerry did much better.
We also visited the darling little Carazo chapel. This church, built by former president Rodrigo Carazo, for his wife, has 840 painted ceramic tiles.
We did take one tour offered by the resort; a day trip to Sarchi, a town that specialized in painted ox wagons. The factory is still operating, but the painting skill, still being taught, is now used to make souvenirs such as tables and trays. It was fun to take a tour of the factory.
Pacuare River Lodge
Getting to our next lodge, Pacuare Lodge, was half the fun.
It required white-water rafting (level 1-3) for 2 hours. We were each limited to a small bag, which came on the raft with us. We left the rest of our luggage at a locked warehouse.
To the left, is the crew getting the boats ready.
Pacuare lodge is the epitome of an eco-lodge. There was no electricity, and no phone service.
The cabins in the jungle had lots of privacy and comfortable patios. They have screens instead of walls, an outdoor as well as an indoor shower and no locks on the doors.
While at Pacuare Lodge, we woke up each morning, at 5am, by the unearthly howls of the Howler monkeys (which I first heard in Madagascar) and the songs of the birds.
There were a number of activities offered, such a guided hike to a waterfall and early morning bird watching. We also hiked our own and relaxed on the veranda overlooking the Pacuare river.
Each night we walked to the main house for dinner and relaxation. It was a wonderful opportunity to socialize with other guests. Then we walked back to the cabin, by flashlight, to be greeted by a candle lit cabin and the sounds of the river.
Puerto Viejo and Shawandha Lodge
After 4 wonderful days, we moved on to the Caribbean coast. Since the rafting out was level 4, we chose the van alternative.
First we climbed into a basket to cross the river. Then we went by van via a very bumpy road for about 1½-hour to the warehouse to pick up our bags. From there, we continued, on paved roads, to Shawandha Lodge.
Shawandha Lodge, near Puerto Viejo, is surrounded by jungle.
Our lovely cabin had electricity, ceiling fan, lots of screened windows. But even without air conditioning, it felt very luxurious after Pacuare Lodge..
The open-air dining area was very attractive and comfortable for both eating and relaxing.
The beach was across the street and a ¼ mile down a trail. The little walk was well worth it. The beach was picturesque with the jungle coming right down to the shore. The water was warm, and the surf gentle. The hotel provided beach towels but no chairs or umbrellas. However, there was enough natural shade to make sitting on the beach very pleasant.
We ate our first dinner at the lodge, but after that we ate other meals at nearby restaurants, all within walking distance. Pita Bonita, ½ mile south of Shawandha is a Middle Eastern restaurant run by an Israeli/American couple. What fun to meet them. We also ate a lot of fish and pizza.
The best treat was the Chocorart chocolate plantation tour, which included walking through the plantation, learning the process and chocolate tastings. The hot chocolate was fantastic.
Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Lodge
To get to La Fortuna and the Tabacon Lodge, we flew, by air taxi, from Puerto Viejo. We did not realize that this was going to be a private taxi flight, and were concerned that the tour company had arranged our car pickup only 45 minutes from flight time (which is how long it takes to get from Shawandha Lodge to Puerto Limon “airport”). When I questioned our contact, she laughed and said that we would be on time and in any case, the plane would wait. No security lines, and no check in.
Our plane arrived right on time; we boarded, and were off.
It was a perfectly clear day and the flight was unbelievably exciting. We saw every volcano between the Caribbean coast and La Fortuna. When we landed, the pilot said that he has rarely seen Arenal volcano bare of clouds and only very rarely does he see it in a cloudless sky.
According to him, only about 30% of the tourists see any part of the mountain, much less the whole thing. By the afternoon the clouds surrounded Arenal.
Tabacon Resort has magnificent hot springs, and guests of the hotel, can go anytime during the day and evening either by foot (5-minute walk) or by van. Non-hotel guests pay a fee to use the hot springs. There are many hot pools and the surroundings are beautiful. We spent a couple days; trying them out, and especially loved the shady cabanas with a view of Arenal, clouds permitting.
But lounging in the cabanas all day would satisfy the relaxation part of the brain, but not the adventure part. Unfortunately, I possess both. Therefore, we went on two tours: the Arenal volcano 2 ½ mile round trip hike and the Hanging Bridges 2-mile hike.
The Arenal hike ends with a steep climb on volcanic rock, which is rewarded with a great view of one of the volcano’s craters and of Arenal Lake. The last time it erupted was 1968. It is not active now but there is steam venting and much of the mountain is off limits.
The second hike was vigorous but not difficult. Similarly to the Canope Walk in the Amazon, here we hiked mostly on swinging bridges.
These swinging bridges are mid forest, which enabled us to watch Howler monkeys scampering at eye level.
The most exciting sighting was a tiny poisonous snake curled in the tree. Obviously the guide found it.
Monteverde Cloud Forest
Usually getting from one resort to the next is an adventure. This was no exception. We took a ferry, which the driver drove with abandon, knocking into one of the other ferries. To give him a break, the wind was ferocious.
Monteverde Lodge was lovely and well situated. It is a short 10-minute walk into town. But being in the mountain, it is a 10-minute up or down walk (never flat). The town has excellent coffee shops. I can’t recommend the coffee – I don’t like it, but I can recommend the hot chocolate.
The reason to come to Monteverde, is to go to the Cloud Forest Reserve. Our tour had an early start (7am) because only 150 people can enter the reserve at any time. In addition, only 1% of the reserve is open to the public. The rest is left to the animals, birds and scientists. Costa Rica is serious about ecology. We had the advantage of a guide, who had a telescope, which allowed us to see some animals high in the trees.
It was a beautiful sunny day, which meant that the animals were out foraging. I won’t enumerate all of the animals we saw but was most excited to see a troop of spider monkeys. Some of the mothers had babies on their bellies. Our guide said that a couple of days earlier, it was raining and his group saw nothing!
The other fun on this tour was visiting the hummingbird house. There were many feeders and they were all busy eating away.
Manuel Antonio (MA) and La Mansion Inn
In Manuel Antonio we stayed at the beautiful La Mansion Inn and our room had a private patio with a view of the picture-perfect MA beach as shown on the right.
The hotel, up on a hill, is a 15-minute ride to the beach. We spent 3 days lounging on the beach renting two chairs and a cabana each day. The water was warm and the surf was usually calm enough for swimming.
The sunsets were some of the best ever.
The main attraction in the area is MA National Park. We booked a guided tour through the hotel and being able to view wildlife through the guide’s scope was great. Below is the 3 toed sloth and baby that we saw through the scope.
On our own hike, we saw these darling White Faced Capuchins.
There are lots of great meal choices in the area. On beach days we ate at restaurants just across from the beach. There were also a number of restaurants up on the hill between the beach and our hotel. One evening we walked down to one of those restaurants from the hotel to watch the sunset and eat dinner.
On our walk there, we ran across a troop of Howler monkeys crossing the road on the blue wires that the town strung above the road for them. There they were, right in front of us. We were rewarded for our decision to walk rather than take the van.
Nicoya Peninsula
We stayed at Punta Islita beach resort on the Nicoya Peninsula for a few days. Islita is a beautiful resort with a stunning view of the ocean from the lodge dining room.
Our private patio, not visible from any other cabin, had a private Jacuzzi, comfortable chairs and a view of the ocean.
The main part of the resort is about 200 stairs up from the beach. Our cabin was about 2/3 of the way up from the beach. Guests can either walk or ask for the van to get to the beach.
The beach area is lovely, with a restaurant, a pool bar, and a pool. Lunch can be ordered right from the lounge chairs. The food and service were top notch. It was a perfect place to just relax (that’s me in the hammock) and feel pampered. Unfortunately, the surf was a bit rough for me.
The most wonderful adventure at Islita is the ARA project. The project is building a Scarlet Macaw nursery and release center. We spoke with the biologist and watched the beautiful animals from a distance. The staff is trying to increase the Macaw population in the area.
Lapa Rios at the Osa Peninsula
Getting from Nicoya Peninsula to the Osa Peninsula was again an adventure. We were to fly Nature Air from an airstrip, 15 minutes from the resort. Unfortunately, the airstrip was closed by the government (it needed repairs) a day before our flight. The flight was moved to an “airport”, 1 ½ hours away.
The drive required the car wading across 3 rivers.
Our driver was the ground crew at the “airport” strip. He weighed our bags and us (above), he gave us boarding passes, he guided the arriving plane to a stop etc.
Lapa Rios, 25-minute drive from Puerto Jiminez, is another fabulous eco-lodge. They take their eco status seriously by recycling whatever is possible either by composting or by feeding left over food to the pigs and using the resulting methane for cooking. We took the “Pigs, Twigs and Garbage” tour to learn about it. The lodge offers many complementary hikes and adventures. We went on two great hikes in primary and secondary forest, where we saw lots of birds, Howlers, Spider, Squirrel and White-Faced monkeys.
The cabins are screened (no air conditioning). The Howler monkeys and the birds woke us up each morning at about 5am.
Our patio overlooked the ocean and we spent one afternoon watching Scarlet Macaws flying all around. On another afternoon we watched spider monkeys jump around in the trees in front of the patio (but at safe distance off).
One day, as we walked up from our cabin (200 steps) to the main house, we saw 2 scarlet macaws eating palm fruit right on our trail. They were very entertaining to watch and provided great photo opportunity.
Finca Rosa Blanca, near San Jose
Our final stop was at the 15-room, Finca Rosa Blanca, just outside San Jose. We spent 3 delightful days there. We took the coffee plantation tour. We also took a tour to the Poas Volcano.
While Arenal is a triangular volcano, Poas volcano collapsed and now has 2 crater lakes at the top: an older lake, which is cold now and newer one which is still steaming. So interesting.
There was a festival going on in the town and it was a hoot to see the costumes and puppets. That’s me next to the “dancer.”
While in Finca Rosa, we met Sam and Mary, who would be on the next part of the adventure with us, the Windstar Cruise. There is a fun story involved with them and I will reported on it in the next post.
Looking back, there is so much fun stuff that I left out. Costa Rica is really awesome.
Final Comments:
- Seven weeks in Costa Rica was not a day too long
- We used a very capable travel agent and he made very good choices for us
- I feel that I made wonderful use of the time in Costa Rica, to both enjoy the eco-tourism and refresh my mind and body.
Nili's Adventure 