After devoting ourselves to our non-profit responsibilities; Jane Austen Society (JASNA) and the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York (GSMT), 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.
Part I: 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.
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 we ate at local restaurants: in Shawandha Lodge (Caribbean coast) and at Manuel Antonio. In both cases, there were restaurants within walking distance of the lodge.
Los Angeles Cloud Forest – Villa Blanca
Villa Blanca in the cloud forest was a perfect place to start our Costa Rica. 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. But by evening the mist rolled in and it was beautiful as well. It was chilly – about 60 degrees when misty and a bit warmer when sunny.
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.
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 took a tour offered by the resort; a day trip to Sarchi, a town that specialized in painted ox wagons. The factory is still operating, but it now makes 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.
We white-water rafted (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 remote with 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.
We woke up each morning, at 5am, by the unearthly howls of the Howler monkeys 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, but first we crossed the river in this basket.
Shawandha Lodge, near Puerto Viejo, was charming. It is surrounded by jungle.
Our lovely cabin had electricity, ceiling fan, lots of screened windows. 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 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.
There were restaurants within walking distance. My favorite was Pita Bonita, 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.
Best 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 Tabacon Lodge, we flew, by air taxi. 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 Viejo). 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 the pilot, 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
Lovely Monteverde Lodge was a short 10-minute walk into town. But being in the mountains, it was a 10-minute up or down walk (never flat). The town has excellent coffee shops. I can recommend the hot chocolate.
Near the lodge is the Cloud Forest Reserve. Our tour started at 7 AM because only 150 people can enter the reserve at any time to keep the area pristine. Costa Rica is serious about ecology and only allows people in 1% of the reserve. Our guide had a telescope, which allowed us to see some animals high in the trees.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the animals were out foraging. Most exciting sighting was 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!
We also visited the hummingbird house. There were many feeders and the birds 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, was 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 from the beach were some of the best ever.
The main attraction in the area is Manual Antonio National Park. We booked a guided tour and were able to view wildlife through the guide’s scope. Below is the 3 toed sloth and baby that we saw through the guide’s scope.
On our own hike, we saw these darling White Faced Capuchins.
On beach days we ate at restaurants across from the beach. One evening we walked down to one of those restaurants between the hotel and the beach to watch the sunset and eat dinner.
On our walk there, we saw 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 the beautiful Punta Islita beach resort on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Our private patio, not visible from any other cabin, had a private Jacuzzi, comfortable chairs and a view of the ocean.
The main lodge was above the beach with a stunning view of the ocean from the dining room. Guests can either walk or ask for the van to get to the beach.
The beach area was 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 ARA project, on the property is working to increase the Scarlet Macaw population. They built a nursery and release center.
Lapa Rios at the Osa Peninsula
Getting from Nicoya Peninsula to the Osa Peninsula was an adventure. We were to fly Nature Air from an airstrip, 15 minutes from the resort. Unfortunately, the airstrip was closed for repairs, by the government and our 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, and he guided the arriving plane to a stop.
Lapa Rios 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. 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 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).
One day, as we walked up from our cabin 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 the 15-room, Finca Rosa Blanca. We went on a coffee plantation tour and to the Poas Volcano.
Poas is an old volcano which collapsed. It has 2 crater lakes at the top: an older lake, which is cold and newer one which is still steaming. So interesting.
We were lucky to be in town for a festival. The costumes were fabulous.
Final Comments:
- There was so much to do in Costa Rica that the seven weeks flew by.
- We used a very capable travel agent and he chose our destinations and accommodations well.
- The eco-tourism in Costa Rica is top notch. They take great care of their parks and forests. The guides are excellent
- Both the Pacific and Atlantic beaches were lovely.
- This trip allowed us to refresh mind and body.
Nili's Adventure 