Costa Rica - Pura Vida
Costa Rica - February, 2007
Pura Vida- the national greeting of Costa Rica - is the perfect way to describe the country's Pacific coastline. Pure Life is exactly what you get in the form of white sandy beaches trimmed with palm trees; rain forests brimming with wildlife and crystal clear rivers, oceans and lakes overlooked by active volcanoes.
A rafting trip down the river is a very relaxed way to spend a couple of hours but don't expect the thrills of white water rafting.
Costa Rica's pacific coastline runs from Nicaragua in the north to Panama in the south. Guanacaste, named after Costa Rica’s national tree, lies just south of the Nicaraguan border and is home to the sabanero, the Costa Rica cowboy. The region became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1999 thanks to national parks such as Tenorio, Rincon de la Vieja, Palo Verde and Santa Rosa with their volcanoes, steaming mud pools and hot springs. Apart from the volcanoes the countryside is flat and filled with cattle ranches, cantaloupe, rice and sugar plantations.
Flowing from the Tenorio Volcano into Lake Arenal is the Corobici River. A rafting trip down the river is a very relaxed way to spend a couple of hours but don’t expect the thrills of white water rafting. Although the couple of sections of “white water” will make you smile you will be mostly gliding downstream in a rubber dinghy expertly steered by a local guide. All you have to do is relax and take in all the sights and sounds. There are so many birds including kingfishers, osprey and parrots patrolling the river that you will have a sore neck from looking skyward.
If you are lucky Spider monkeys will follow you through the tropical flora at the edge of the river but the iguanas, bats and crocodiles won’t even bother to look up from their sunbathing as you gently pass by. The bright green basilisk lizards are amazing to watch and when you see them in action it’s easy to understand why they are nicknamed the Jesus Christ lizard as they really do walk – or in their case run – on water.
The gentle float is in sharp contrast to the bumpy roads of the Pan-American Highway which our guide referred to as a Costa Rican massage. South of the plains of Guanacaste is the Nicoya Peninsula famous for its numerous beaches. Its most northern town, Playa del Coco is reputed to be Costa Rica’s main dive resort and surfing and sports fishing are also very popular down this stretch of coastline. One of the many beaches is Playa Grande, the country’s most important nesting site for the leatherback turtle which can grow to a massive two meters in length and weigh as much as half a ton.
In the south of the Nicoya Peninsula is the country’s smallest protected area. The Curu National Wildlife Refuge is privately owned by the Schutt family and access is only with advance permission. The refuge may be small, a mere 70 hectares, but has stunning beaches, rainforests and mangrove swamps and their guides will lead you along trails where you can spot white-tailed deer, racoons, snakes and white faced capuchin monkeys. You will also hear, if not see, howler monkeys whose call can be heard from over 1km away and you could easily mistake the roar for a lion.
Not far from Curu is Tortuga Island which is actually two uninhabited islands with beautiful white sand beaches and warm crystal clear waters ideal for swimming and snorkelling. Tortuga means “turtle” and these islands are a popular day trip and frequented by small cruise ships so don’t expect to have the large beach to yourself. The island’s docile Peccary (a cross between a hog and a porcupine) didn’t appear to mind sharing her beach with strangers and sunbathed right next to us and even enjoyed getting her tummy rubbed. However, if you prefer solitude you can always escape by swimming across to the totally deserted island opposite.
If you are lucky Spider monkeys will follow you through the tropical flora at the edge of the river but the iguanas, bats and crocodiles wont even bother to look up from their sunbathing as you gently pass by.
The next section of coastline is known as the Central Pacific with even more national parks to explore and surfing beach towns to hang out in. It’s most famous park is Manuel Antonio located just outside the buzzy town of Quepos. A winding road lined with hotels, bars and restaurants with dramatic views over the Pacific Ocean will bring you from Quepos to within walking distance of the park’s entrance. Here a small village with a bohemian atmosphere has developed right on the park' doorstep. This is a great place to be based or to have lunch in one of the numerous restaurants overlooking the public beach where local vendors entice you to buy vivid sarongs depicting Costa Rican wildlife.
It is hard to believe that Costa Rica’s most beautiful national park lies on the other side of a stream from this lively little town. Near the entrance of the park, where the buses drop off the tourists from Quepos, you will be able to buy a map and hire a guide except that is on Mondays when the park is closed. The guides will not only lead you to the park's hidden entrance but along with their incredible eyesight are kitted out with large telescopes which will help you see wildlife you might otherwise walk right past. However, even without a guide it won’t be long before you spot white faced monkeys, two and three toed sloths, iguanas and anteaters.
Many locals and visitors just come to the park to sunbathe on one of the five glorious white sandy beaches and swim in the sea where the temperatures reach 80 degrees. It’s impossible to resist the pull of the ocean after a hot hike through the rainforest and as you tread water as warm as a bath you can’t fail to be blown away by the beauty of the beach in front of you. Lined with tropical palm trees with jungle behind you really could be on an idyllic desert island. There are no shops, restaurants or cafes in the park so if you plan to spend the day come prepared with at least a couple of bottles of water.
Other excursions that you can do from Quepos range from mangrove boat tours; rainforest and waterfall horseback riding; ATV quad bike trips through the mountains; canopy tours and sports fishing where you can catch marlin and tuna. If you had to pick just one part of the Costa Rica to spend your time then it would have to be Quepos and Manuel Antonio as there is so much to do and the scenery is breathtaking.
With so many national parks to explore and wildlife to discover not to mention the endless sports and activities Costa Rica will leave you breathless and wanting more.
However, the next section of coastline – Golfito and the Osa Peninsula – is also well worth visiting as it is home to another famous park. Corcovado National Park protects the largest area of tropical rainforest in the country with 140 species of mammals, 367 birds, 177 amphibians and reptiles and 40 freshwater fish. It is a much more serious and demanding park to hike and explore and is so large you could camp here for several days.
There are three ranger stations providing access to the park and the one we used was San Pedrillo in the north which can only be reached from Drake’s Bay either by boat or by walking around the headland. It is even more essential to have a guide here as the park is much larger and quieter and the paths are not as easy to follow. Once again it comes in helpful to have the guide’s telescope to study the wildlife up close and, if you are lucky, he will offer to use the powerful lense to take dramatic and memorable pictures with your own camera.
After a couple of hours examining everything from tiny leaf cutter ants carrying nibbled leaves five times bigger than themselves to studying the antics of colourful scarlet macaws in high branches it was time to head back to the ranger station for lunch. Exiting the rainforest we found ourselves on a long deserted beach made from small pebbles and coral which seemed to swallow up our shoes with every step. Watching a family of pelicans dramatically swoop and dive into the rock pools was a good excuse to stop and catch our breath before trudging on.
Another trek from this station not to be missed is to the waterfall. It is quite a strenuous hike, in very humid conditions, following an uneven steep path along a river climbing over large tree roots and crossing rivers. On the way back you can cool down with a swim at the base of a small waterfall and despite knowing there is a crocodile basking in the river above it won’t deter you from jumping into the refreshing water.
With so many national parks to explore and wildlife to discover not to mention the endless sports and activities Costa Rica will leave you breathless and wanting more. You will find its people intelligent – the country has a 97% literacy rate – as well as proud ambassadors protecting 6% of the earth’s species. Having dissolved its armed forces half a century ago it appears the whole country’s focus is now on protecting this special corner of our planet. Perhaps if the rest of the world took a leaf out of Costa Rica’s book we could all be living the Pura Vida.