Costa Rica

During the summer of 2018, my good friend Danny and I decided to devote two weeks exclusively to driving across Costa Rica. All in all, it proved to be an incredibly beautiful country, on top of also being an absolutely AMAZING ecological adventure park: known for its pristine beaches and inland rainforest, Costa Rica offers just about everything a family could hope for on vacation. It also, interestingly enough, is one of – if not THE – most economically stable Central American country. It’s basically the Hawaii of Central America IMO.

Interestingly, this was one of the first trips I ever took where a rental car – as opposed to a preset destination or limited bus service – was our primary mode of transportation for the duration of the trip. After getting over the initial shock that came with driving in the capital of San Jose – there are ZERO rules for how fast or aggressive you’re allowed to drive there – it was shockingly easy to get around. It also definitely helped that, over the course of my travels, I’ve managed to learn the importance of driving aggressively, vs. simply following the “rules” of the road – like it or not, in most places you’ll visit, NO ONE will let you in on cross-traffic (one major downside of this: most of these bad driving habits tend to follow you home post-trip – including the different “languages” of driving that you pick up while traveling abroad. A perfect example: a honk of the horn in the United States = “F— You,” whereas a honk of the horn in San Jose = “Keep moving forward, so we can all make the next right.” Semantics, maybe, but when driving around your hometown, it can still result in some less than ideal situation with your fellow drivers.)

Danny and I essentially drove a giant “H” across Costa Rica: over the two weeks we were there, we drove north and south along both coast lines, crossing over between them at around the country’s mid-point. Overall, I probably preferred the Caribbean coast, mostly for its culture, sandy beaches, and – of course – food (the standard meal there revolved around chicken and rice, as well as some sort of bean side dish – it was delicious). Along the east coast, the mixture of different island influences with local and Spanish spices is very homey and EXTREMELY tasty – although I will say, the Pacific coastline definitely felt like it had a decidedly more “family tourist vibe.” Just FYI, in case you’re trying to decide which to visit.

One of our pre-planned activities was to hike the tallest peak in the country, called “Cerro Chirripo” (it’s so tall that, on a clear day, you can apparently see both the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean…or so we were told). We started our hike just before sunrise and had a few hours of light before mist and clouds started to roll in mid-morning. The rest of the day consisted of mostly a “head down” hike, as we kept our eyes on the ground while hoping for a break from the misty shroud once we arrived at the mountain’s peak. Unfortunately, we had no such luck, and as a result, we weren’t able to see either coastline, let alone the hands in front of our faces. Oh well: you can’t control the weather. Especially when traveling.

The hostel we stayed at was located at the base of the mountain. When we checked in, the owner of the hostel insisted that the hike up the mountain couldn’t possibly be done in a day before sunset, and as a result, we would need to make sure that we paid for two nights. Not buying this – and, admittedly, determined to prove him wrong – Danny and I managed to knock out the 18-mile hike well before dark the next day, and even managed to get in a nice “trail run” on our way back down to the mountain’s base. Arriving back at the hostel, we began to pack up our things to leave, only to be confronted by the owner, who continued to demand that we pay for another night. Despite our efforts to explain to him that we were from Colorado and that this was a fairly doable hike for us, the owner kept pushing for payment, eventually leading Danny to exchange some – *cough*cough* – “kind” words with him, before eventually, the two of us packed up and set out to find the next adventure that we “couldn’t” do.

Two absolute “must see” places in Costa Rica are La Fortuna and Rio Celeste. La Fortuna is a cute little town (complete with an adorable square) and – located right off of the main road leading into town – a hot water stream, the La Fortuna waterfall, and Arenal Volcano (no lie: it’s pretty amazing to behold).

Located not far away from La Fortuna are the turquoise rivers and pools of Rio Celeste, which was 100% worth the price and trip to see, but – like most attractions – if you visit during peak times, can feel a bit “less” due to the sheer influx of people visiting. Unfortunately, this happened to be the case for our chosen day – it was SLAMMED with people, and honestly, it did take away a bit from the natural beauty of the experience. However, there was one aspect of the visit that felt distinctly authentic: afterwards, as we returned to our car, we noticed a handwritten sign posted along the side of the road: “Rio Celeste swim.” Since swimming is not allowed, we were intrigued, and decided – for reasons that are still unknown even to me – to check it out. Hiking off the road to the owners’ make-shift payment stand, we paid a few dollars, then made our way down to the water. While it wasn’t as blue as other areas, the water was still beautiful, with several people openly swimming in it. Our best guess is that the land adjacent to the national park was private – hence, the ability to swim – but also located just close enough to Rio Celeste to maintain some of the area’s allure.

Before flying out of Liberia, we visited Santa Rosa National Park. The drive down to the beachfront was rough – at least, it was for our little rental car; with four-wheel drive, it would probably be quite manageable. We drove down to the parking lot and from there, hiked to the beach. The black sand was stunning, with the beach itself appearing to go for several kilometers in either direction. On the horizon there were several small rock islands, which gave even more character to the beautiful sunset that evening.

DABLs Decision:

Costa Rică was one of my first big trips, and on the whole, it felt extremely safe while ALSO providing a genuine sense of adventure around nearly every turn. It’s also an extremely easy trip to make from the States, with an overall travel time – and the accompanying risk of jet lag – that’s quite minimal (thank goodness), making it both a worthwhile destination for families and the solo adventurer looking for something a bit off the beaten path. In other words: no matter who you are, if you like to travel abroad – or are interested in doing so for the first time – Costa Rica is 100% worth checking out. Especially for first timers abroad who want to try something other than Mexico.