Following our two-week expedition of Nicaragua and prior to our stint in Panama, we stopped en route in Costa Rica, a beautifully lush country with one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. With more bird species than the US, Australia and Europe, over 200 species of mammals and reptiles, plus hundreds of species of flora, not to mention canopy tours and jungle trekking to name but a few adventures, Costa Rica really is nature's wonderland! As dictates the national motto, Costa Rica represents Pura Vida...the good life! With so much biodiversity on offer, would we finally be successful in our quest to find the elusive Quetzal?After stopping off in San José after a hangover riddled 10-hour journey we headed to the "mini-Amazon" that is the Parque Nacional Tortuguero ($15 ticket inc. 2 buses and a boat). Tortuguero really is the next best thing to the Amazon; thick, enriched, dense jungle lines the waterways with roots and vines drooping into the glass still water. The jungle is alive with a cacophony of sounds; the almost deafening click-click-clicking of cicadas and roaring howler monkeys marking their territories. Scenes from Jurassic Park spring to mind, perhaps no coincidence that some of it was filmed here.
We took an early morning boat trip of the national park with our hotel (Junie´s, $35 dbl, priv bath inc. breakfast), expecting a nice, relaxing tour of the river in a motor boat. Imagine our surprise when we turned up to find the tiniest of paddle boats, our guide unreassuringly pummeling water out of it. When we all got in we were literally inches from the water and any sudden movement meant the risk of capsizing. I don't know about Steve, but wrestling crocodiles is definitely not my forté! Luckily for us ladies we could relax while the men did all the hard work!
The paddle boat turned out to be a blessing. Drifting almost in silence we could approach the animals almost unnoticed, weaving in and out of the tiny creeks to get as close to nature as possible. This was unlike the large diesel engined boats whizzing past, the clientele clearly more interested in topping up their tans (I don't understand these people....YOU'RE SLAP BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE!!!)!
Floating downstream, surrounded by rainforest, was so tranquil and an
abundance of wildlife was spotted: caimans, river turtles, crocodiles, spider and howler monkeys, reptiles, water otters (river dogs)...the list goes on. Even the water taxi on leaving Tortuguero was a safari in itself.As we were heading to Panama we stopped of at Puerto de la Talamanca en route. Situated on the Caribbean, Puerto de la Talamanca is a great place....if you like the hippie vibe of "free love and peace, man!" Our accommodation suited our budget and was okay, so long as we didn't think too much about bed bugs, STDs, ecoli...
Our first stop on our return to Costa Rica was Manuel Antonio (Tico Lodge, $30 dbl room, priv bath), a beach resort and national park ($7 entrance fee). I dont care what anyone says about this place being "too touristy blah blah blah...", this place is AMAZING!! The beaches are so beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful we have seen yet; white sands, crystal clear and bath-warm waters, jungle backdrop...not to mention the crazy monkeys and coati skulking nearby along with giant lizards (which, judging by Steve's girly reaction, you'd think were dinosaurs!) to name but a few crazy animals!
We decided on a hike of the park for a bit of sloth spotting, having been unsuccessful in Panama. Six very hot, sticky and sweaty hours later, and having been part of some monkey armageddon whereby they were braking off branches from the top of the trees and launching them at us like missiles, we eventually found them! And how the hell did we miss them?!?!? They move oh......soooo......verrrrryy.....slooooooooooow! It almost makes you lethargic just watching them! And what very unusual looking creatures they are. But it was a very worthwhile, almost triumphant, end to the day!
Following Manuel Antonio we made our way to Liberia to coincide with the Guanacaste Day Celebrations, marking independence of the region from Nicaragua. Due to our amazing organisational skills (as usual) we missed the rodeo which was our main purpose for the visit (along with hiking Rincon de la Vieja...more on this later), but we were lucky to see some dancing horses!! Think gymkhana but hardly as graceful...more reminiscent of horses on speed! It was hilarious and made my day!
The 16km hike of Rincon de la Vieja and back was perhaps the best yet, walking through dense and pristine rainforest offering a good selection of wildlife. Although the main tourist attraction in the area, most people opt to visit the waterfalls and mud holes within the park so there is a sense of solitude when walking the volcano trail.
The walk was comfortable and became steeper, naturally, on approach to the volcano, soon opening into a clearing with us looming high above the forest. The volcano itself was reminiscent of a lunar landscape with the winds battering us the higher we climbed. When we reached the top the vista was spectacular; standing above the canopy of the rainforest we could see as far as Lago de Nicaragua, with greenery stretching to the horizon. We couldn't have picked a clearer day. And as for the volcano itself...the sulphorous crater lake resembling a huge vat of milk was an unexpected (albeit extremely noxious) surprise, accentuated by such a natural, unblemished, serene setting!
After Liberia we headed to Samara on the Pacific (Hotel Rancharlo, $35 HUGE dbl room plus cable), a flying visit, only staying there for one night, but it was nice to relax on a beach for the day. We were very fortunate to see a pair of Scarlet Macaws flying across the sky, a very rare sight in these parts!We then headed to Montezuma, another beachside village on the southern tip of the peninsula, perhaps only 80km or so from Samara. TWO DAYS LATER we arrived at our destination, having to make an impromptu stop at Playa Naranjo in order to get a ferry to Puntarenas and back to Paquera again the following morning (NB: There is no bus route between Playa Naranjo and Paquera...erm...it does actually mention that in the guidebook...D'oh!). Costa Rica really does have some of the worse roads in Central America and their buses are not equipped to handle them. Bring back the chicken bus I say! But it was a nice little adventure! Not sure if it was worth the blood, sweat and...well, sweat, but I tell you what...Montezuma had the best gringo food! Having had "Delhi-Belly" several times and a severe dislike of all food Central American, we were in food utopia!
The following three days were spent cooling off in San José (
Hotel Nueva Central, $20 dbl room, priv bath, cable), as the near 100% humidity and inevitable weight loss from sweat alone was becoming slightly uncomfortable. San José is certainly not known for its charm, but we loved it! Whilst here we visited Volcan Poàs, comprising a crater lake not too dissimilar to Rincon de la Vieja, albeit that it is very heavily commercialised! Nevertheless it was nice to have a stroll in the open air of a Sunday!Our final destination in Costa Rica comprised La Fortuna, location of Volcan Arenal (the most active volcano in Central America), and Monteverde, in the hope that we were saving the best til last. We were not disappointed!
It is said that, due to mother nature, 1 in 2 people leave La Fortuna having the misfortune not to have seen Volcan Arenal in all its glory. Luck was clearly on our side.
The seemingly cloudy weather as we arrived in La Fortuna (Hotel Dorothy, $8pp dbl, priv bath inc. breakfast) took a sudden U-turn as it cleared, revealing the perfectly formed conical shape of Volcan Arenal, perhaps the most "perfect" of all volcanoes. This merely whet our appetite for what was yet to come.
As we reached the viewing point at Volcan Arenal and watched the beautiful sunset over Lake Arenal, the heavy rainclouds shrouded the entire volcano and it looked doubtful that we would see the pyrotechnics in action. However, lava we were promised and lava we did get! As if by magic the clouds dispersed and nature's fireworks began, with Arenal spitting out molten rock, the bright orange glow slicing the black of the night as it oozed down the volcano. Along with the billion-gazzillion stars...ok, perhaps not that many but I have never seen a clearer, starrier night...it was breathtaking!
As part of our tour we visited the Baldi Hot Springs (http://www.arenal.net/baldi-hot-springs.htm), comprising a number of pools of varying temperatures and swim-up bars. There is only one word to describe this place. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Having not had a bath for four months, soaking in a huge pool at 48 degrees beneath the stars, with the cool breeze titillating our shoulders was pure heaven. Orgasmic in fact! This is the Pura Vida the Ticos are talking about!
The following day we took the jeep-boat-jeep ($15) to Monteverde (Visto al Golfo, $7pp, free internet, shared kitchen, SPECTACULAR views), home to what is said to be the most pristine cloudforest cover in the world and a growing Quetzal population, not to mention the hub of Costa Rica's eco adventure playground.
Although I wasn't overly impressed with the Monteverde reserve itself, as it simply wasn't pristine or rustic enough for my liking, the Hummingbird Gallery (free entry) nearby was fantastic. We could have sat there all day watching the beautiful, tiny birds, flapping their wings at supersonic speed as they fed. And as for the Quetzal hunt? Bah humbug! Unsuccessful yet again. It transpired that they had buggered off only a week before - I guess we should have researched their
migratory habits beforehand! I am beginning to think that these mythical creatures are just that - a myth!Following the reserve we visited Ranario Frog Pond ($9 entrance fee, inc. evening entry), a collection of vivariums housing numerous species of frogs! This may not sound too exciting but it was fascinating, offering the only way to see such frogs as the infamous Leaf Frog which are nigh-on impossible to see in the wild! Despite Steve's frog phobia (yes, it's true), he jumped at the chance to drag me along to the evening exhibit, when the centre was alive with a frenzy of nocturnal, croaking activity!
We deliberately saved our final day in Costa Rica for what is the main eco-adventure activity - the Canopy Tour (http://www.monteverdeadventure.com/video_canopyes.html). Following advice from the agency we opted to take the bridges tour first, a 2km-or-so hike across several suspension bridges high in the canopy of the cloudforest! Although little wildlife was spotted, we had an indepth education on the flora itself. I didn't realise botany could be so interesting! I now understand why there are so many tree huggers in this world! It really was very fascinating!
Following the bridgewalk we moved on to the Canopy tour, an activity for serious adrenalin junkies, complete with Tarzan Swing! This was what we had been waiting for since we arrived in Costa Rica...but guess what? It was CANCELLED!!! Mother Nature triumphed again and brought with her a lightning storm, perhaps not the best conditions when suspended 50m above ground on a steel cable! Fried chicken springs to mind! This was surely a sign from some powerful force above that it was obviously not meant to be...I'm sure it would have only ended in tears anyway!
Finally, with our bank balance breathing a sigh of relief, we reluctantly left Costa Rica, having had a very exciting and varied adventure! Although financially it is not the ideal place for backpackers, if money was no object, Costa Rica would offer the adventure holiday of a lifetime!
[Photos: 2 - Crocodile, Parque Nacional Tortuguero; 3 - Volcàn Poàs; 4 - Volcàn Arénal; 5 - Steve climbing the inside of a tree, Monteverde Reserve]
