Costa Rica has fascinated me for years. With rainforests, volcanoes, cloud forests, two very different coastlines and some of the most extraordinary wildlife in Central America, it is the sort of country that seems to offer a new experience every few days.
Later this year I’ll finally be travelling to Costa Rica myself, when I’ll be adding my own photographs, experiences and recommendations to my main Costa Rica Travel Guide.
In the meantime, this journey from travel professional Victoria Jones provides a wonderful introduction to just how varied a Costa Rica touring holiday can be.
Her route took her from San José to the waterways of Tortuguero before continuing through Alajuela, Arenal and Monteverde and eventually towards the Pacific coast. Along the way there were turtles, monkeys, volcanoes, coffee plantations, waterfalls, cloud forests and even a first attempt at ziplining above the jungle canopy.
It is exactly the sort of itinerary that demonstrates why Costa Rica rewards those who travel around rather than staying in one place.
Starting in San José
Victoria’s journey began in San José, Costa Rica’s capital and the arrival point for many international visitors.
Although travellers often treat San José simply as somewhere to spend the first or last night of a holiday, the city has museums, galleries, markets and restaurants that can make it worth exploring if your itinerary allows.
For Victoria, however, the capital was primarily the starting point for an adventure that would soon take her into a very different environment.
Into the Waterways of Tortuguero
The first major destination was Tortuguero National Park on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, reached by a combination of road and boat.
This is one of those places where the journey itself begins to tell you something about the destination. Roads eventually give way to waterways, with boats becoming an important means of travelling through a landscape of canals, rainforest and wetlands.
Victoria stayed at Pachira Lodge, using it as a base for exploring the surrounding waterways and searching for wildlife.
Canal trips provide opportunities to see monkeys, iguanas, sloths, crocodiles and colourful birdlife amongst the dense vegetation, although as with any wildlife experience there are never guarantees about what will appear.
One of Victoria’s most memorable experiences took place after dark when she joined a controlled visit to the beach during turtle nesting season. She was fortunate enough to see a green sea turtle creating a nest and laying her eggs, as well as newly hatched turtles making their way towards the sea.
Photography was restricted to avoid disturbing the turtles, but some travel experiences don’t need a photograph to remain firmly in the memory.
The following morning provided another unmistakably Costa Rican wildlife encounter when the calls of howler monkeys made any thoughts of a peaceful lie-in rather optimistic.
Wildlife Tip: Turtle nesting and hatching are seasonal and carefully managed. Always use authorised experiences and follow local instructions concerning lights, photography and distances from the animals.
Waterfalls, Wildlife and Coffee Around Alajuela
From Tortuguero, Victoria continued towards Alajuela, staying amongst the hills and coffee-growing landscapes outside the city.
One of the highlights was La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where trails lead through lush vegetation and past a series of waterfalls.
This part of Costa Rica also introduces another of the country’s great attractions: coffee. The highlands provide excellent growing conditions and visiting a coffee farm offers an opportunity to understand the journey from the plant to the cup.
For anyone like me who enjoys a good coffee, Costa Rica was always going to have another fairly significant attraction!
Volcanoes and Hot Springs at Arenal
The journey continued towards Arenal, one of Costa Rica’s most recognisable destinations.
The perfectly shaped Arenal Volcano dominates the surrounding landscape and provides a spectacular backdrop to rainforest, lakes and walking trails.
Victoria explored the Arenal 1968 trails, named after the volcano’s major eruption that year. Walking through the landscape provides views of old lava fields as well as opportunities to spot wildlife amongst the surrounding vegetation.
The Arenal area is also famous for its naturally heated thermal waters. After a day of walking and exploring, relaxing in warm pools surrounded by tropical vegetation is a rather appealing way to end the day.
Arenal demonstrates one of the things that makes travelling around Costa Rica so rewarding. Within a relatively short part of the journey, the experience changes from Caribbean waterways and wildlife to mountains, volcanoes and hot springs.
Into the Cloud Forest at Monteverde
From Arenal, Victoria travelled onwards to Monteverde, where another completely different Costa Rican landscape awaited.
Monteverde’s cloud forest is cooler, mistier and noticeably different from the tropical lowlands. Moisture hangs amongst the trees, creating ideal conditions for mosses, orchids, ferns and an enormous variety of wildlife.
Victoria visited an organic coffee farm before confronting something rather more adventurous – her first ever zipline.
Flying above the forest canopy isn’t everybody’s idea of sightseeing, but in Costa Rica it has become one of the classic adventure experiences. For Victoria, the initial nerves were rewarded with an entirely different perspective on the forest below.
The following day provided a slower way to appreciate the landscape, walking amongst the cloud forest and across hanging bridges suspended amongst the trees.
This combination of adventure and nature is one of Monteverde’s greatest attractions. You can spend one day flying through the canopy and the next moving slowly through the forest looking for birds and wildlife.
Monteverde Tip: Conditions in the cloud forest can be considerably cooler and wetter than on the coast, so a lightweight waterproof and suitable walking shoes are well worth packing even if the rest of your holiday wardrobe consists mainly of shorts.
Finishing on the Pacific Coast
After travelling through the interior, Victoria finished her journey at Punta Leona on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.
Once again, wildlife was never far away, with macaws, parakeets, monkeys and raccoons amongst the animals that can be encountered in this part of the country.
This section of the journey also provides access towards some of Costa Rica’s beautiful Pacific landscapes and national parks, making it an ideal place to slow down after a busy touring itinerary.
After waterways, volcanoes, coffee farms, cloud forests and ziplining, a few days beside the Pacific seems a perfectly reasonable way to finish.
The Wildlife of Costa Rica
If there is one theme that runs throughout Victoria’s journey, it is wildlife.
Costa Rica protects a significant proportion of its land through national parks, reserves and other conservation areas, providing habitats for an extraordinary variety of species.
Sloths, monkeys, toucans, macaws, reptiles and countless smaller creatures can appear throughout a trip, although responsible wildlife viewing is important. Animals should never be fed or approached simply for a photograph, and experiences involving sensitive wildlife such as nesting turtles should always be undertaken according to local conservation rules.
Binoculars are one of the most useful things you can pack. They allow you to enjoy wildlife properly without needing to get unnecessarily close.
What to Pack for a Costa Rica Tour
Travelling through several different regions means packing for changing conditions rather than one type of weather.
Lightweight clothing works well for the warmer lowlands and coast, while a light waterproof jacket becomes useful around rainforest and cloud forest areas. Comfortable walking shoes are essential if you intend to explore trails, and insect repellent, sunscreen and a hat are worth keeping in your day bag.
I would also take binoculars, a reusable water bottle, swimwear and a small backpack for day trips. Most importantly, don’t pack so much that moving between hotels becomes a chore. Costa Rica is a country where travelling light makes a touring itinerary considerably easier.
Pura Vida
One phrase you’ll hear repeatedly in Costa Rica is Pura Vida.
Literally translated as “pure life”, its meaning goes considerably further than that. It can be used as a greeting, an expression of happiness or simply a relaxed way of saying that life is good.
After following Victoria’s journey through rainforests, volcanoes, wildlife reserves, coffee plantations and cloud forests, it isn’t difficult to understand why the phrase has become so closely associated with Costa Rica.
Her trip provides a great introduction to the country, but later this year I’ll finally have the opportunity to experience Costa Rica for myself.
I’ll be adding my own photographs, stories and recommendations to my Costa Rica Travel Guide after I return, and I’m already looking forward to discovering which places and experiences leave the biggest impression on me.
Until then, Victoria’s journey provides plenty of inspiration for anyone considering a Costa Rican adventure of their own.
About This Costa Rica Experience
This article is based on the travels of Victoria Jones, who originally shared her Costa Rica touring experience with Just One For The Road.
Her original contribution has been updated to remove outdated travel and promotional information while retaining her route and first-hand experiences of travelling through this extraordinary Central American country.
