From Panama, we crossed the land border into Costa Rica and made our way to the capital San Jose, arriving just after 10 in the evening. Despite looking relatively small on the map, distances can still be quite large and journey times should not be underestimated. San Jose does not have a centralised bus station so getting in and out of it by bus can be complicated.
San Jose may lack some of the grand sites other capitals have, but its centre is compact and feels fairly safe. The National Theatre is one of the highlights and tours guided by one of the acting staff give you a good insight into the history of theatre in Costa Rica and the country as well. The theatre while designed by a Costs Rican, has extensive Italian paintings and sculptures. Of particular interest is the floor which can be raised to make a completely level dance floor with the stage. The theatre was built in the late 1800s by the coffee barons and other high end members of Costa Rican society and in addition to putting on plays etc. was essentially a venue for high society to be seen.
Close by is the Gold Museum, run by the central bank. While not on the same scale as the Museo d’Oro in Bogota, nevertheless it has many impressive artefacts and also gives a good story of pre-Columbian Costa Rica and how traditional society was before colonial times.
For the rest of our time in Costa Rica we took the 9 day G Adventures tour – Costa Rica Quest, which covers a number of the key National Parks. We had a great experience with G Adventures in India, in particular the excellent guiding there. While this tour lacked some of the personal touch and quality guiding in India, nevertheless it covered the ground advertised and also the quality of the accommodation was excellent.
Our first destination out of San Jose was a coffee tour at the Mi Cafecito Community Coffee Plantation. The tour covered the basics of the coffee growing process and also a good lunch and some excellent coffee liquor, it lacked the experience of being in the coffee plantation that some other coffee tours we have been to in Colombia and Panama.
From there we headed to outdoor adventure capital of La Fortuna, but on the way there the G Adventure guide heard that there were a number of sloths in a tree by the road side. We were luck and saw five sloths in one tree – an unusual rare family group to see so many in one tree. Here the weather was quite mixed as the air flows from both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts meet to bring rain and clouds throughout the year. However on our arrival there was a clear blue sky and an excellent view of Volcán Arenal.
We took a river trip to see the monkeys and birds all by the river. Others in the group did more active things like river rafting etc. The bird life was spectacular and varied, indeed some of the best birds were right on the road side by the hotel. Costa Rica is rightly famous for its wildlife, but often in our experience some of the best wildlife experience can by found on the roadside and not just in the national parks.
From La Fortuna we headed to Monteverde Cloud Forest, the journey was a mixture of road and also a boat trip across Laguna de Arenal. The climate at Monteverde is quite different, it being much higher and also closer to the Pacific. Often with the prevailing winds Monetverde is actually in the clouds so gives the impression of a light rain all the time.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was originally set up by Quakers escaping the US draft at the time of the Korean War and today is a well preserved forest with abundant wildlife and little farming. The bird life is particularly spectacular and the forest has a population of the beautiful quetzal with their red and blue plumage. You need a guide to spot the birds as they are high up in the trees and often partially obscured by many leaves, which makes getting a clear photograph very difficult. There are many other birds and other fauna too. Access to the forest is tightly managed so unlike other places in Costa Rica you can see the wildlife without being surrounded by many visitors.
Next to the entrance is a small hummingbird garden and cafe serving excellent Costa Rican coffee. The humming birds in the sunlight are iridescent but out of the light are surprisingly quite dull. Their nests are tiny and hang from the trees like small branches.
In the small town of Santa Elena next to the Park the Jardín de Orquídeas is well worth a visit, taking a guide round the small gardens you learn all sorts of information about orchids and the commentary given by the guides is given with real enthusiasm and knowledge. Next door is a cafe that serves good food in a beautiful setting with all the orchids and other plants.
The National Park has a number of outdoor activities like hanging bridges etc. I took an evening horse ride through the cloud forest to watch the sunset. The horses of course knew where they were going and needed hardly any riding skills, nevertheless it is always a great experience to be with nature on a horse.
From Monteverde our final destination was Quepos and the Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific Coast. Temperatures here were significantly hotter than the cloud forest. On the way to the coast we crossed a river where a number of crocodiles lived and the bridge over the river was a full of travellers taking photographs of the crocodiles.
At Quepos our first activity was a catamaran tour on the Pacific Ocean to watch the sunset and also swim. There were a number of dolphins playing in the water and swimming alongside the boats. The tour also offered food and also drinks.
The next day we went for a walk in the Manuel Antonio National Park. There is a standard route through the park and we were able to see sloths and a number of different birds. However it was all very crowded with many groups all crowding around the telescopes to check out the birds etc. All in all it was far to crowded to be a particularly rewarding wildlife experience.
However the trails after the guided tour were worthwhile, albeit very hot and the beach in the National Park was very good and offered clean sand and decent swimming. In addition on the forest edge there were a number of capuchin monkeys playing in the trees. Watching monkeys play is always a great experience, especially observing the different relationships they have with each other.
From Quepos we returned to San Jose for a final night before taking the early morning Tica Bus to Granada, Nicaragua.
Costa Rica is an expensive destination when compared to the other countries we have been to in Latin America, however it is relatively safe and is a comfortable first Latin American destination for first time visitors to the region. The wildlife in the country is good, and not only restricted to the National Parks, and the country’s attitude to conservation is excellent. Its capital city, San Jose, is not one of Latin America’s finest, unlike the colonial cities in next door Nicaragua, but it is safe and easy to navigate.
Dates: 23rd January 2024 to 2nd February 2024