The Many Faces of Costa Rica

Costa Rica has much in common with the US.  They both span from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, have mountains, natural wonders and a variety of wildlife.   But Costa Rica is vastly different than the US in many ways.  For a country a little smaller than West Virginia, it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, has 5 active volcanoes and 12 microclimates.

I recently flew in to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, for a couple days before traveling around this marvelous country with friends.  Strolling around the city, we checked out theaters, churches, government buildings and visited the underground Pre-Columbian Gold Museum.  The local dishes and fruits I sampled from the street markets were delicious.  We learned that Costa Rica has not had an army since 1948 and spends that money on security, education and culture instead.

On our way to the Arenal area we stopped at the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation and learned all about how coffee is grown, processed and ground to produce the different roasts.  Did you know that espresso actually has less caffeine than regular roast?  They also had some of the biggest hydrangea blossoms I have ever seen.  As a waterfall enthusiast I was delighted with our next stop at La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park.  The cloud and rainforest hiking trails were beautiful and a bit exhausting but the views of the falls made it worth it.  When we arrived at our resort that evening we were all happy to hop into the relaxing hot springs.  There are many hotels with hot springs on or near their property.  You can stay in the town of La Fortuna which offers lots of dining and shopping or choose a more remote hotel surrounded with animals and nature.  It is not uncommon to see sloths, monkeys or coati as you are walking about.

Usually shrouded in clouds, we finally were treated to a clear view of the Arenal Volcano on our way to the Monteverde region.  We spent a day at Selvatura Park walking the many treetop suspension bridges through the cloud forest canopy to see the wide variety of flora and fauna.  My favorite was the striking teal quetzal which we saw in flight.  The park also has ziplines, a butterfly garden, reptile and amphibian exhibition and a sloth sanctuary.  Monteverde is a true nature lover’s dream and is a perfect location for a health or yoga retreat.

Our final stop was an oceanfront hotel in the coastal town of Tarmarindo.  Surfing is very popular here.  We spent a day at Diamante Eco Adventure Park where we visited the Costa Rica Wildlife Sanctuary, the Botanical Garden, Hammock Beach and some (not me!) went ziplining.   I especially liked the replica farmhouse where we had a hands-on exhibition of working with coffee, sugar cane and chocolate as they did a hundred years ago.

Costa Rica’s diversity makes it a great destination for nature, beach, adventure and coffee lovers.