With Costa Rica as our Destination of the Month, here’s our list of what not to miss in the capital of ‘pura vida’ (the pure life).
Walk the streets of San José
Downtown San José. © carso2
Don’t be deterred by tales of urban chaos and pickpocketing, under its noisy surface, there’s enough scruffy charm to make Costa Rica’s capital city worth a lengthier stopover.
Head North to historic Barrio Amón and take a stroll around the tropical Victorian-style mansions of former coffee barons hinting at the nation’s colonial past. The much-loved neo-classical National Theatre was born of a self-imposed tax on those same coffee moguls and houses a charming little café where you can sit back and enjoy a cup of the ‘grano del oro’ (golden bean).
Also in the area are the Museo del Jade, housing the world’s largest collection of American jade and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, a gleaming display of Central America’s indigenous heritage.
End the day at ‘the lungs’ of San José — as the ‘Joséfinos’ (natives to San José) call it — La Sabana Metropolitan Park. The city’s main airport until 1955 is now a green oasis bordered by the cityscape, complete with a roller blading rink, paddle boats for rent on the lake and vendors selling spicy green mango slices. Go on the weekend and you can join an early morning outdoor aerobics session.
Pay a visit to a volcano
A hanging bridge in Arenal National Park. © Vytautas Šėrys
Depending on your lava-lust, it may come as a relief or a disappointment to hear that the Arenal Volcano, one of more than a dozen in Costa Rica and formerly the most active, has had no eruptions since 2010.
Young by volcano standards, this 7,500-year-old rupture in the Earth’s crust may be sleeping but, set in a beautiful backdrop of 29,960 acres of National Park, makes for one impressive hiking adventure.
A loop path of 16 interconnected bridges – 6 of which hang suspended over the dense jungle – weave you through the park. Look up… there are 850 different species of birds flying about!
To kick up the adrenaline levels a notch, dabble in some white water rafting , waterfall rappelling or join a zip-lining canopy tour.
You’ll be rewarded for your bravery at the day’s end. Natural hot springs are the result of the area’s geothermal activity and they come in all shapes and sizes, from hot and cold pools lit up at night, to waterslide add-ons and swim-up bars.
Go underground caving
Not far from Arenal, the Venado Caves, rediscovered by hunters in 1942, offer another thrill-seekers’ delight – spelunking!
Venture down below the Earth’s surface to crouch around 5-million-year-old bat-friendly cavernous rooms and study the fossilised sea life and shells jutting out from the walls – left behind from a marine past. While no longer below sea level, a small stream will accompany you throughout your walk so count on getting wet.
Expert spelunkers seeking a challenge should head to the less developed but more demanding caves of the Barra Honda National Park in the Guanacaste province.
Cruise the canals of Tortuguero
The canals of Tortuguero. © Costa Rica Tourism Board
If you like sailing along smooth waters and slowly taking in the sights and sounds of the rainforest, you’ll love Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast.
Only accessible by boat or aircraft, this protected reserve is home to 11 different habitats, including swamps, lagoons, beaches and mangrove forests. Take a boat tour and let a guide help you spot the timid wildlife or kayak your way down the lush canals.
Boasting 5% of our planet’s biodiversity at only 0.3% of the world’s landmass, Costa Rica is also a world leader in eco-tourism. Book a bungalow at an eco lodge for a chance to delve deeper into this remote forest.
For many, the star attractions here are the clumsy yet elegant creatures that give the park its name – the hundreds of sea turtles that come to nest on the beach from July to October. If you’re around 60 to 80 days later, you might just see those tiny hatchlings racing to greet the safety of the ocean!
Become a coffee expert
Cacao beans being ground by hand.
Coffee-lovers and foodies alike will be delighted to find several farms across the country providing guided tours of their plantations.
Finca Rosa Blanca is committed to producing organic, sustainable, shade-grown estate coffee and will be more than happy to show you how they do it. An expert in all things coffee, will take you around the fields, the processing plant and roasting house before treating you to a ‘catación’ – a professional cupping session.
Those less caffeine-oriented should pay a visit to Villa Vanilla – equally eco-serious, this farm specialises in cultivating vanilla, as well as cinnamon, cocoa, turmeric, black pepper and other tropical spices. The tour includes a tasting of several yummy delicacies – think vanilla bean cheesecake and cinnamon tea – made fresh on the farm with local products.
Go camping in Corcovado
Fishing in the Osa Peninsula.
A hub of gold-fever frenzy in the mid-20th century, the Osa Peninsula is these days one of the quieter corners of Costa Rica. Home to 13 ecosystems and the Corcovado National Park, the country’s biggest, taking up one third of the Peninsula, Osa is the ultimate natural paradise.
Take to the Park for a camping trip and visit La Llorona (‘The weeper’) waterfall shedding her heavy tears on to the beach, or play spot-the-tapir at the Corcovado Lake. A horseback ride along the trails is highly recommended.
For some life aquatic, head to Drake Bay and out to sea for some dolphin and whale-watching. The humpbacks make an appearance from December to March and July to November but the friendly flippers can be seen splashing about all year round.
Find out more about Costa Rica and its world-class beaches on the momondo blog.
