This summer we embarked on a road trip around Costa Rica, with Canadian stop offs in Toronto on the way and Montreal on the return. Central America is an area that we had never travelled to before and it did not disappoint with the amazing landscapes, wildlife and adventures we discovered!
We flew into San Jose airport and with a quick sleep and car hire grab we set off for our first stop Tortuguero, a village on the Caribbean coast which can only be reached by boat. This was a peaceful hour long journey winding through mangrove rainforests where we spotted monkeys jumping through the trees. Tortuguero can be translated as ‘Land of Turtles’ as the beaches around Tortuguero are key nesting sites for four species of sea turtle, including two critically endangered species.
We took part in a night tour in the national park where we waited patiently in the dark (slightly dramatic with hot, tired, impatient children who may be scared of the dark and wearing flashy trainers when we were supposed to be camouflaged in the dark!). Once the ‘spotter’ had seen turtle tracks in the sand we stood in line and watched a massive leatherback turtle pop out some ping pong ball sized eggs then swipe its massive flippers to cover them with sand. The sand swiping was so powerful there were jets of sand spraying behind her! The eggs are then left in the nest and when hatched a couple of months later the baby turtles that have survived the local jaguars, dogs and birds have to set out on a treacherous journey back to the sea.
From the coastal beauty of Tortuguero we drove inland to the Sarapiqui river and stayed at Selva Verde, an eco-lodge set in tropical rainforest and home to an abundance of wildlife and in particular birds. Our resident bug expert Craig was in his element, exploring with his headtorch. To the girls relief, despite the signs we did not come across any snakes! The birds did elude us to some extent, as we are neither early risers, patient or in possession of binoculars. Luckily there was an area outside the restaurant where fruit was left as an attractant and we spotted some winged species including hummingbirds, toucans and macaws.
Craig and Phoebe had fun white water rafting in class III rapids where they saw their first sloth in the trees above! Phoebe reports that ‘it was a really fun adventure getting splashed about in the water and we met a nice Dutch family’.
On the way to La Fortuna we stopped at Don Jorge to learn all about coffee and chocolate on a family farm. We saw the process of how coffee, cocoa and sugar cane is grown and made into a consumable product. The girls made their own chocolate bar and learnt that the cocoa bean on it’s own is not as delicious as a processed Dairy Milk! The farm trails led to an amazing unspoilt waterfall where we had a much needed respite from the Costa Rican humidity.
Heliconias Hot Springs was our next stop where we spent an evening outside in a thunderstorm bathing in pools naturally heated by the volcano.
La Fortuna waterfall in the Arenal Volcano National Park was our next adventure. However, rather than the peaceful waterfall at Don Jorge this is a full on tourist experience and super busy. I think it was still worth the 530 steps up and down though!
One of the things we were most looking forward to in Costa Rica was the chance to zipline through a rainforest so we went for the highest one, at 200m high at Sky Adventures Arenal Park. It was terrifying (well, according to me and Sophie)! Zooming along 750m up to 70km/h above the trees was an experience I will never forget, with breathtaking views of the volcano.
Our next stay as at Eduardo’s House which was quite possibly the best airbnb we have stayed in so far. We enjoyed relaxing in the hammocks, playing Uno Flip and hanging out together in a house with multiple rooms! The house was surrounded by nature and Eduardo gave us a fascinating tour of his grounds and organic farm. Our lack of Spanish was not a problem as we used trusty old Google Translate to communicate. The tour was a sensory feast as we smelt and ate an array of herbs and fruits and the girls planted an avocado tree. Finally I saw a sloth! We learnt that sloths have favourite trees and unless you know where these are it is quite tricky to spot them as their brown fur easily blends into the trees.
From La Fortuna had an extremely bumpy and sickness inducing trip to Monteverde which is 1.4km above sea level. Once we were there it was a lovely respite from the heat and mosquitos and a chance for some stunning sunset viewing. We did a hanging bridges walk at Treetopia in Monteverde’s cloud forest where we walked through the upper canopy of the rainforest covered by low-hanging clouds. Spot Phoebe doing a bridge on a bridge!
In Santa Elena was my favourite meal out at Taco Taco which as the name suggests was more Mexican than Costa Rican but on the whole we were not overly impressed by the Costa Rican staples of rice, beans and meat and usually ended up with a pizza.
Driving south we stopped at Tarcoles Bridge, which is famous for crocodiles who can be seen wallowing in the river below.
Our final stop was Quepos where we visited Manuel Antonio National Park which is on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and is located in tropical forest surrounded by sandy beaches. The wildlife here was easy to spot and you can find three of Costa Rica’s four monkey species here – the howler monkey, Central American squirrel monkey, and Panamanian white-faced capuchin monkey.
Costa Rica is perfect for a family holiday and an easy road trip destination. The girls enjoyed the activities on offer and we enjoyed the differing landscapes and adventures. It was more expensive and touristy than we expected though – it would be great to get further ‘off the beaten track’ and discover the less touristy areas, which gives us an excuse to go back one day!
