Costa Rica- a dreamy adventure paradise that has something for everyone. It is truly a beautiful country with so many hidden gems.
Background
Caitlyn and I wanted a beach and mountain experience for our summer trip. We wanted to travel somewhere that offered a little bit of everything. We also wanted to visit a Spanish-speaking country to practice our Spanish. It was also the first country we really set out and explored ourselves. Costa Rica is perfect for this. We rented a car and had 8 full days to take in as much as we could.
Journey
We started off by renting a car from the Juan Santamaria Aeropuerto for roughly $100 per day. They upsold us hard because of the supposed rough road conditions. We ended up buying every protection plan available. We were also traveling during rainy season and road floods are a problem in the country. We rented a little Tiga.
When we picked the car up, it started to torrentially downpour. We knew it was rainy season, but I have never seen such a crazy sight. We were also right in the valley of San Jose and the whole city was flooding. It was 3pm and got dark at 5pm, so we continued through the storm. we had a 2-hour drive through the mountains to achieve before sundown. Our goal was to arrive in Bajos Del Toro before it got dark. The most amazing feeling in the world was getting out of the flooded city in a little Tiga and to be greeted with a beautiful sunset in the mountains of Bajos Del Toro.
We woke up to clear skies, but we knew it would not be like that all day. We got up at the crack of dawn to hit a few local hikes. Everything in this town did not open until 9am, so we ended up hiking a few miles through this neighborhood. This town is a hidden gem with untouched landscapes. After breakfast we wanted to hike one of beautiful waterfalls of this area. We chose the Tesoro Escondido (translated to hidden treasure). Caitlyn and I agreed it was one of the most beautiful sights either of us have ever experienced.
At the end of the hike, the afternoon storms started to set in, so we headed to our next destination: La Fortuna
After a 2.5 hour drive to La Fortuna, the rain was not letting up. We chose this area for the famous Arenal volcano. Unfortunately we barely got to see the mountain. We arrived at the Airbnb around dinner time, so we walked to a local restaurant for some chiliguaro shots and a traditional Costa Rican dinner. We woke up to more rain in the morning, but that did not scare us away from hitting a nature walk. We went on a trail called “Sloth Watching Trail” for about $10 per person. It was an extra $10 for a guided tour to tell you where to look for the sloths, but we are budget travelling (would actually recommend paying the fee to get a tour). After the hike we went back to the home to decide our next move for the day. We decided to ball out and go to one of the famous hot spring resorts in town. We went to Baldi Hot Springs Resort for drinks and relaxation. We do not recommend this if you are budget traveling, as the drinks cost $10 each. It was pretty cool though because it was at the base of the Arenal volcano during a lightning storm. No one seemed to care though, so we stayed in the water and watched the bolts strike the mountain above us. Very cool experience. We woke up the next day with a half day left to explore the rest of La Fortuna. We heard from a local that there was a free natural hot spring in a river. It is called the Tabacon free hot spring on Google maps.
After a swim at the Tabacon free hot spring, we made our way through the back country roads and through the mountains. Our next destination was the mountain town of Monteverde. This place is a must-see in Costa Rica, however it is not a cheap spot. All of the outdoor activities are privately owned and cost a fair amount. We avoided the popular spots like the Skybridge park to keep to our budget. We did however pay only $20 per person to have a private tour for a night hike through the rain forest. We recommend this as a move if you are not deathly afraid of spiders (they are everywhere)! Eating out in Monteverde is not a cheap activity, either. We recommend hitting a corner store for smaller eats to keep on budget.
On our way to the Pacific coast from Monteverde, we stopped at a little family coffee farm. It was the coolest tour either of us have been on. It was such a personable experience. There are so many of these farms that you can tour when in this region of the country. Costa Rican climate is perfect for coffee, so we recommend taking advantage and buying a few local bags to take home. We did the El Cafetal Coffee Tour.
After the tour we made our way to the moderately-known beach town of Jaco. Jaco is a budget-friendly surf town. We went at the end of July which was rainy season, so it was not considered as crowded as we heard it gets there. During the winter months we do not recommend coming here because it gets very touristy. Jaco is amazing because of the natural attractions that surround the town. One of the places we explored one morning was the El Miro. We also explored the sticky rainforest of Parque Nacional Carara. On the way to this park check out the Crocodile bridge, which hangs over the River Tarcoles.
An absolute must-do in Jaco is get affordable surfing lessons. We had never been surfing before and we met this guy whose son offers surfing lessons for only $40 per person for around 4 hours of lessons. It is exhausting, but well worth it. Jaco is famous for its surfing. The surfing culture bleeds into the small town of Playa Hermosa just south of Jaco. Our surf instructor told us that he was competing in this competition that night (our last night) in Playa Hermosa. We decided to check it out. This was the perfect way for our trip to end. Little did we know that Playa Hermosa turned into an amazing night life spot. We hung out at the bar called Vida Hermosa for at least 4 hours. We started by watching the competition. When all of the surfers were done, it turned into a huge party. They have “Sunday Funday” every Sunday with a DJ and cool lights. We wish we could have stayed longer.
After hanging at Playa Hermosa all Sunday, we made our way back to San Jose for our early flight out in the morning.
Recommended Places- Magnification
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El Miro
This short hike is the south part of town. it is a beautiful observation area of an abandoned mansion. It is littered with street art and graffiti. The art ranges in styles and is obviously professionally done. This was like a free entry to a beautiful art exhibit. Look out for the huge spiders that you are almost guaranteed to encounter here.
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El Cafetal Coffee Tour
We took a tour around this small property that had at least 10000000 growing things in their yard. It is so cool how anything can grow in this country. After exploring their yard, we came across their coffee growing operation. I did not realize how much sunlight, moisture, and soil types influence the taste of a coffee bean. This property seemed to have perfected the diversification of coffee beans, as we tried many different types. This specific property was very hard to find, as we were at least an hour from a bar of cell service. To continue our journey forward, we had to ask for verbal directions. Plan this out ahead of time to save yourself the stress!3.
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Tesoro Escondido
This is an absolute must-see waterfall hike. It is so far out of the way that you are guaranteed to have it to yourself. It is a property that is privately owned. We had to pay the American fee (aka gringo tax) of $15 per person. I guess my Spanish was not good enough to get the local price! Either way it was entirely worth every cent. The property offers 3 main hikes. One section takes you to an overlook on top of a mountain. This is a must-see on a clear day. It also only takes about 30 minutes to add this part of the hike. Another hike on the property is called the Emerald Pools. It is a hike that follows the flowing water from the big waterfall all the way down to these quaint little blue pools. Very cool. The grand finale of the hike is the waterfall. This is the coolest waterfall that I had ever experienced.
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Parque Nacional Carara
This nationally protected area is full of wildlife and big lizards. Out of all the hikes we did in Costa Rica, this area was the richest in biodiversity. So many cool frogs, lizards, monkeys, and even crocodiles! We considered it a requirement to wear closed-toed shoes, long pants, and even a long-sleeved shirt. This is because every bug in this forest is trying to suck your blood.
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