Costa Rica: Puntarenas Province – Corcovado National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park (closed on Mondays) contains three beautiful beaches, casual forest trails, and a dense rainforest teaming with animal life. In 2011, it was named by Forbes as one of the world’s most beautiful parks.
Costa Rica: Carate – Finca Exotica Eco Lodge (Review)
The community of Carate is located in a remote part of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, bordering on the incredible Corvocado National Park. It is a hard place to get to and when you get there it is largely undeveloped. This, for us, was part of the attraction. During our time in Carate we stayed at the lovely and spectacular Finca Exotica Eco Lodge, which is set in a glorious rainforest, full of wildlife.
Costa Rica: Finca 6 Sphere Museum
The exact purpose and natue of the near perfectly spherical pre-Colombian Diquis stones is not known but they are undoubtedly an important part of Costa Rican culture. They largely disappeared, hidden from site buried under soil, until they were rediscovered during the clearing of land for banana plantations. Many spheres were damaged and had to be restored before being preserved for posterity.
Costa Rica: Puntarenas – Drake Bay
Drake Bay is a small community located on the beautiful and remote Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica (you can see the hills and mountains of Panama from here!). Its name came about after, as legend has it, Sir Francis Drake the great English sea captain (who was chums with Queen Elizabeth I), discovered it in 1579. Today, it is still hard to reach but the journey is well worth the effort if you want to escape the crowds found in other parts of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio – Peace of Paradise (Review)
The Peace of Paradise is a small hotel loctated in a small community on the outskirts of the small town of Quepos, between the main centre of the town and the stunning and popular Manuel Antonio National Park. We spent three nights here in the Hummingbird suite, which we loved. The location of the Peace of Paradise is perfect for exploring the area and is walking distance from some great bars, restaurants and supermarkets.
Costa Rica: Puntarenas Province – Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park (closed on Mondays) contains three beautiful beaches, casual forest trails, and a dense rainforest teaming with animal life. In 2011, it was named by Forbes as one of the world’s most beautiful parks.
Costa Rica: Puntarenas – NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary
NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary provides refuge and protection to the wild animals that have been victimized by human actions, such as hunting, removal from their environments, and deforestation. Among the species of wild animals, the Sanctuary offers attention to exist in captivity with dignity are jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, tapirs, white-tailed deer and birds, such as macaws and toucans.
Costa Rica: Puntarenas – Monteverde; Don Juan Coffee Tour
The climate in the central mountains of Costa Rica is ideal for growing coffee, so there are numerous coffee plantations scattered around the area, many of them small holdings. We love coffee and had enjoyed a cup or two every morning during our time in Costa Rica, so we decided to visit a coffee plantation to join a tour to see how coffee is grown, harvested and produced.
Costa Rica: Monteverde – Jaguarundi Lodge (Review)
The central mountains of Costa Rica are a tourist haven with stunning scenery, beautiful rainforests, lakes and volcanos. We decided to base ourselves in the town of La Fortuna during our stay in the area. Hotel Arenal Xilopalo is a budget option for accommodation within walking distance of the centre of La Fortuna and is a great base to explore from
Costa Rica: Puntarenas – Monteverde Cloud Forest
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was established in 1972 and initially covered some 810 acres (328 ha) of forested land. Nowadays, its protective reach extends over 35,089 acres (14,200 ha) and encompasses eight life zones atop the Continental Divide. There are over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, and 1,200 species of amphibians and reptiles living within its bounds. It’s one of the few remaining habitats that support all six species of the cat family — jaguars, ocelots, pumas, oncillas, margays, and jaguarundis — as well as the endangered three-wattled bellbird and resplendent quetzal. Over 8 miles (13 km) of trails are available for visitors to explore on their own or with a guide.
Costa Rica: Puntarenas – Monteverde; ziplines and hanging bridges
One of the most popular activities in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica is to enjoy the rain forests by exploring the canopies by crossing hanging bridges or zip lining. There are several adventure parks in the area that make this possible. We decided to visit the Selvatura Adventure Park to see what it had to offer.
Costa Rica: Alajuela – Ten great things to do in La Fortuna
La Fortuna is about 2.5 hours from San Jose. It’s known as a gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park, comprising 2 volcanoes. Active Arenal Volcano is still laced with lava flows. Hot springs dot the foot of the volcano, on the thermal Tabacón River. Dormant Chato Volcano has a crater lake and rainforest trails leading to La Fortuna Waterfall, with its natural pool. The Arenal Volcano National Park also encompasses Lake Arenal, which at 85 square kilometres (32 square miles) is the largest lake in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: Alajuela – The Best Hot Springs in La Fortuna / Arenal
The Arenal Volcano eruption of 1968 changed the topography of the area around La Fortuna / Arenal. It created a new natural resource for the town of La Fortuna: thermal hot springs. There are dozens of hot springs in La Fortuna, which range from luxury to completely free.
Costa Rica: La Fortuna / Arenal – Hotel Arenal Xilopalo (Review)
The central mountains of Costa Rica are a tourist haven with stunning scenery, beautiful rainforests, lakes and volcanos. We decided to base ourselves in the town of La Fortuna during our stay in the area. Hotel Arenal Xilopalo is a budget option for accommodation within walking distance of the centre of La Fortuna and is a great base to explore from
Costa Rica: Alajuela – Volcan Arenal
Located 15 kilometres from Fortuna between the foothills of the Cordillera de Tilaran mountain range and the San Carlos plains, Arenal Volcano National Park covers 12,124-hectare and is one of the most visited destinations in the Northern Zone. We decided to take a trail on a private reserve, known as Arenal 1968, which offers impressive views of Arenal Volcano and lava fields. This park got its name from the Arenal Volcano eruption of 1968 which was one of the most important and crucial events in Costa Rica’s history.
Costa Rica: Tortuguero – Buddha Home (Review)
There are not a lot of options of where to stay in Tortuguero, but after a bit of research we settled on the Buddha Home, which is located in the heart of the village on the main thoroughfare.
Costa Rica: Limon Province – Tortuguero National Park
Created in 1975, Tortuguero National Park is the most important green sea turtle nesting ground in the Western Hemisphere. Each year between June and October, tens of thousands of green sea turtles returned to the dark sand beach to lay their eggs. Since the national park was established, sea turtle populations have declined worldwide. But nestings at Tortuguero have increased nearly 500%.
Costa Rica: Limon Province – Ara Manzanillo
Once prevalent throughout the entire Costa Rican Caribbean, Great Green Macaw populations have declined alarmingly in recent decades. The Ara Manzanillo project is one of the programmes aiming to reverse the decline of these beautiful birds. Between 2016 and 2019 more than 30 chicks have fledged and are now flying free, and in 2020, 13 more chicks are growing strong.
Costa Rica: The Jaguar Rescue Centre
The Jaguar Rescue Centre covers an area of approximately 22,000 square meters and is capable of housing up to around 160 animals temporarily. Tours are run daily at 9:30 am and 11:00 and last for about 90-minutes. You are unlikely to see a Jaguar but there will be plenty of other indigenous wildlife on display; including sloths, spider monkeys, small cats, snakes and birds.
Costa Rica: Limon Province – Moin to Tortuguero National Park
Getting to Tortuguero National Park on Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast is not easy as you cannot drive there. Most people travel by boat from La Pavona, but we decided the longer, 3.5 hour route from Moin further down Costa Rica's Carribbean coast. It was an adventure in its own right!
Costa Rica: Limon Province – Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a small town in southeast Costa Rica, on the Caribbean coast. It’s known for the Salsa Brava surf break and beaches like black-sand Playa Negra. The town is not built up like the towns on Costa Rica's Pacific coast and has a different vibe, with its quirky restaurants and bars that pump-out reggae music .
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