Costa Rica
- Comments Off on Costa Rica
- By Nate & Linds
Pura Vida!
Trip Overview:
- Duration: 11 days
- Country: Costa Rica
- Cities Visited: San Jose, La Fortuna, Santa Teresa, Manuel Antonio
- Highlights:
- Santa Teresa sunsets, shopping, people, restaurants, and overall vibe. We all want to move here.
- Hot springs in La Fortuna overlooking the active volcano Arenal
- Monkeys, sloths, macaws, and the rare jungle-meets-beach scenery in Manuel Antonio
Itching for adventure and someplace other than America, Graham, Emily and the two of us quickly planned a 10-day getaway to the beautiful country of Costa Rica (well, really, Graham planned the whole thing). After a some contemplation, we had finally nailed down the short circuit we were going to embark on: La Fortuna, Santa Teresa, and Manuel Antonio.
We all landed and spent the first night in San Jose (not much to do here, just land and keep it moving). In order to see as much of the country as possible, we decided to do the entire trip by car. The first leg was from San Jose to Poas volcano, where we would make a quick pit-stop to view the active volcano from above and then keep it moving to our final destination, La Fortuna. We woke up bright and early to set off on the first leg of the drive, and trucker Linds got us to Poas quick, safe, and sound. It was an easy drive with beautiful scenery, but the highlight was looking down into the crater of an active volcano. Poas volcano is the second largest crater in the world and has erupted 40 times since 1828, including April 2017 when visitors had to be evacuated. There are two crater lakes near the summit, one being one of the most acidic lakes in the world. To go, you must pre-book via a not-so-user-friendly website (http://www.sinac.go.cr/EN-US/ac/accvc/pnvp/Pages/default.aspx). This is a quick and easy pit stop that we would highly recommend for anyone traveling past it en route to somewhere else.
Poás volcano to La Fortuna included a 2.5 hour, scenic drive with a delicious lunch/coffee break in the middle of nowhere where not a single soul spoke a lick of English. Without much knowledge of what we ordered, we all ended up happy and full from delicious local plates of gallo pinto (rice & beans) con huevos. A short while later, we arrived at the Selina hostel in the small town of La Fortuna. (Side note: Selina hostels are amazing. Awesome if you are looking for a nicer hostel with a great community, even better food, and co-working space). La Fortuna is a gateway city to Arenal Volcano National Park, which is comprised of two volcanoes. Arenal Volcano can be seen clearly from the streets and is a wonder to look up at while relaxing in the small town. While here, we went on a chocolate tour to see how chocolate is made (don’t do this; we didn’t even get a free piece of chocolate), and we indulged in a full day at The Springs. The hot springs in this area are heated naturally by the volcano’s thermal energy, and this is one spot worthy of your time. Some of the places can get overrun with tourists (the first 2-3 we contacted were sold out!), so we highly recommend The Springs Resort & Spa which we basically had to ourselves.
Next up, Santa Teresa. Thus far the driving had been breezy with paved roads and sunshine. Ahead of us was our first long haul from La Fortuna to Santa Teresa which included a super-disorganized water-taxi and a gypsy drive for another hour and a half on unpaved dusty roads. We couldn’t figure out how to buy a ticket online for the life of us, so we all decided to just wake up early as hell and head to the port and pray. We arrived at the car ferry line around 9:30 am in hopes of getting on the 11am ferry. Lucky us, we were pretty much the last car on the boat!
We continued our journey once docked and the roads were no joke! Thousands of massive potholes later, and with a whole lot of gratitude for 4-wheel-drive, we eventually arrived to a dusty surf town and a luxurious Airbnb in Santa Teresa. We headed to the mart, grabbed two bottles of champagne, and walked across the street for the only mandatory activity for the next four days: enjoy the sunset. Surfer silhouettes, and the pink, purple, and orange sky reflected off the water like nothing we had ever seen before. What started as a remote fishing village relying on agriculture, now relies on tourism as income for most families because it is slowly gaining the recognition it deserves. The small town wasn’t saturated with tourists, and it’s only one street, a few miles long, but the relaxed vibe and beautiful scenery make for what became our favorite place in Costa Rica. Morning jogs, beach workouts, yoga, impeccable sunsets, and boutique restaurants/shops/bars should bring this area to the top of your list.
Although we could spend months in Santa Teresa, after four nights it was time for our longest haul yet to Manual Antonio: 2 hour drive to the ferry, 1.5 hour ferry ride, then a 2 hour drive down the coast. We of course had to stop in the other popular surf town of Jaco per a recommendation from our Costa Rica pro Rachel to try “the best soda in Jaco“! The food was amazing and you could tell it was a local favorite. A short drive from Jaco and we finally arrived at our airbnb at the top of a mountain in Manuel Antonio where monkeys run rampant and a beautiful family of red macaws soar the skies. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the smallest parks in Costa Rica but it is the most visited due to its varied fauna with 109 species of mammals and 184 of birds. It is a very popular Costa Rican destination due to its beautiful white sand beaches which are backed by a thick evergreen forest. The town is small but has a number of cute coffee shops / restaurants with some great food and smoothie options. The actual park is easy to get to, and we highly recommend getting there right when it opens. The temperature is cooler, and you’ll have the park to yourself before the armies of tourists arrive later on (pro tip: If you’re driving, make sure you don’t stop at the first place locals are trying to wave you down at, they are charging 2-3X more than if you keep driving towards the entrance of the park). While at the park, we walked most of the routes and were fortunate enough to see a few sloths, iguanas, and a number of monkeys. The trails are easy and have a number of different areas to explore. The time in Manuel Antonio flew by but we certainly enjoyed our airbnb views and the beautiful park and beach.
All in all, we are in love with Costa Rica. It is extremely easy to get to, affordable, and both the people and geography are some of the best in the world. We certainly enjoyed Manuel Antonio as the beach/park are beautiful, but we found it to be more touristy and older than our liking. We’ve already started looking up real estate in Santa Teresa, as that was one of our favorite little towns we’ve ever been to. We highly recommend this country to anyone looking for somewhere to go, and thanks for reading about our trip!
-Nate & Linds
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