In January 2020, I studied abroad in Costa Rica for one month. After meeting so many amazing people, and not having enough time 'complete' the country, I have been looking forward to revisiting the country ever since I left. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in another month, three years later, and show my mum and sister around for the first week.
If you thought the flight entering the US was hectic, the one exiting was only marginally better. We booked with American Airlines, Tulsa to Costa Rica via Dallas, however, our first plane was delayed which meant that we would have missed our second flight had it too not been delayed. Unfortunately, only one of our checked-in bags made it over...the others were delivered to our hostel two days later. (Notes to self: always pack an emergency night’s supplies in my carry-on!)
The first thing you notice when exiting the San José airport (SJO) at sunset are the Ticos (Costa Ricans) are sitting on the side of the road watching the planes come and go. It is a very relaxed country. Pura vida, literally 'pure life', it is the catch phrase of Costa Rica and can mean 'hi', 'bye', 'thanks', and 'no worries'. It encapsulates the nation's easy-going atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the centre of San José isn’t that pleasant. There are a lot of people living in poverty, and high rates of crime at night. If you stay in San José, I would recommend the trendy district of Barrio Escalante where there are lots of restaurants and cafés. During the daytime, the capital is good for museums, specifically National, Gold, Jade, and Theatre.
Fun fact: If you look closely at the facade of the National Museum, you'll see bullet holes from the Civil War of 1948.
Costa Rica is one of the most expensive Latin American countries. US dollars are widely accepted although it is worth having some of the local currency to ensure you aren't scammed by the exchange rate. Venders will not accept USD with rips, so make sure your bills are pristine. They are also unlikely to have change for $50 and $100 notes. You can get lucky with some hostels dorm bed for $10/night, but others can be upwards of $20. You can save money on cooking or eating at sodas (restaurants serving local food). Some delicious food and drink to look out for are:
Gallo pinto (rice and beans)
Casado (pictured) (rice, beans, plantains, salad, and meat)
Ceviche (raw fish and veggies in lemon juice)
Yuca ('cassava' chips)
Imperial (pictured) (national beer)
Chiliguaro (a shot, which you can sip, made from guaro (distilled cane liqueur) and hot sauce)
Naturales/Batidos are smoothies. The most common flavours are: piña ('pineapple'), maracyua ('passion fruit'), guanábana ('soursop'), banano ('banana'), sandia ('watermelon'), and limon ('lemon').
The drinks that I'm not the biggest fan of are caz (sour guava), chicheme (fermented dried corn), tamarindo (an earthy fruit pod), chan (seeds that grow gelatinous in water), and avena ('oat' but instead of milk, it's watery). I also didn't really like agua dulce ('sweet water') which is cane sugar in hot water.
Originally, we had hoped to hire a car for the week, however, it proved to be cheaper and more convenient to have a driver. We had an amazing guy who doubled up as our tour guide (although, I was responsible for organising the activities). He was extremely knowledgeable about the country and taught us that almost 100% of Costa Rica's electricity comes from renewable energy, with about 75% being hydro and 15% geothermal!
I did all the translating for my family. Despite majoring in Spanish at University and living in Spain for six months, Mum couldn't believe that I can actually speak Spanish.
The Itinerary
Day 1
Fly into SJO and sleep in Luz de Luna, San José. It's in a lively and safe neighbourhood, plus they have a friendly cat called Klaus. (We caught up with some friends for dinner.)
Day 2
Drive to La Paz where there is a waterfall and animal sanctuary (keep an eye out for the coffee plantations and rainbow eucalyptus trees along the way). Mum was ecstatic to see a toucan, my sister enjoyed the butterfly garden, and I liked the hummingbirds. We also saw a sloth climb, very slowly, right in front of us!
Drive to Paradise Hot Springs, La Fortuna. This was a great way for us to start the New Year, relaxing in a thermal bath. Baldi Hot Springs is the more famous one, but way more expensive. There is also a free creek, but is difficult to get to without a car and only open during the day.
We slept at La Choza Inn, La Fortuna. This hostel is perfect for couples and families as it has such a great vibe.
Day 3
Drive to the wonderful Sleepers hostel in Monteverde. It is just off the main street and extremely cheap.
Look out for crocodiles and pizotes (white-nosed coatis) along the way...
We booked with Selvatura Adventure Park and loved walking on the hanging bridges over the canopy of the cloud forest.
Day 4
Go zip-lining with Selvatura (this and the hanging bridges can be done on the same day, but we arrived too late to fit them both in).
Drive to Manuel Antonio and stay at Costa Linda Art Hostel. We loved the atmosphere and staff members at Costa Linda, although the room was tiny and we had to share a bathroom.
Day 5
Spend a day at the beach and in Manuel Antonio Park. Look out for monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and crocodiles. Try not to get as sunburnt as we did. Oh, and keep an eye out for tsunamis...
Day 6
Drive to San José. What is normally a 2.5 hour drive, we accidentally left Manuel Antonio at peak hour (1.30pm on a Thursday apparently) and didn't arrive to the capital city until 6.30pm!
Have dinner at the Costa Rican Beer Factory.
Sleep in Luz de Luna again because the cats are irresistible.
Day 7
Go shopping at the markets. This would also be a good time to visit a museum or two.
Do the chocolate making workshop at La Casa del Cacao.
Drive to Alajuela to sleep at Toucan Hostel. There's not much to do in the area but it's close to the airport and a clean, affordable hostel.
I think overall, this itinerary provides any traveller with a solid understanding of the country as well as its biodiversity. I sourced the most economical hostels as a family group of three. I definitely recommend visiting Costa Rica in the dry season. And with more time, some surfing, a hike to a volcano, seeing turtles nest, and a trip to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean would sum up Costa Rica pretty well.
The chocolate-making workshop at La Casa del Cacao was very informative. It does cost a bit, and takes around an hour, but you get to learn about the ancient process of making chocolate. Here are some facts:
cacao plants come from the Amazon
the Mayans began manipulating cacao 3-4000 years ago. Their recipe used corn and did not include sugar or milk
the cacao seeds fermented naturally for one week
the people of Central America used a metate 'volcanic stone' from 4000 BCE until the 20th century to grind the cocoa beans into powder
nowadays, a machine is used to grind the beans for 20 hours in order to bring out the cacao paste
I had not realised but white chocolate does in fact contain 'chocolate' as it is a mixture of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar
the difference between artisanal and industrial chocolate is that artisanal chocolate uses cacao paste as the main ingredient whereas industrial chocolate uses cocoa powder which contains none of the pharmaceutical benefits from cocoa butter
It was really awesome being about to show my mum and sister around. I am getting pretty good at solo travelling, but it is always fun having friends and family join. Pura Vida!
Notes:
- since I was last here, most Costa Rican tap water is safe to drink
- unfortunately, toilet paper cannot be flushed, there are bins for it instead
- in hindsight, the Liberia Guanacaste Airport could also have been a good option for flying into Costa Rica
- Costa Rican schools buy decommissioned yellow school busses from the US (after about 5 years of use) and some of them even have their old school name painted on the side
- because I will be in Costa Rica for a month, I bought a SIM card with Kölbi. It is the most reliable SIM and has the best coverage. Here are the plan options
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