We spent one month exploring this amazing country and could easily have used a few more weeks. We started in San Jose, the capital. The city is not a touristy place and offers no good reason to visit. From the minute we arrived we began getting warnings about the crime from locals although we never saw any or felt worried or uncomfortable in any way. We started out our adventure by doing a walking food tour. We like to start our trips this way when in a new country cause it’s not only fun but it works as an orientation. We get lots of good advice from the guides that we can use on the trip. The tour itself was fun but Costa Rica doesn’t have much of a unique food scene. We tried lots of fruits which were all amazing but the highlight was trying raw turtle eggs. Our guide saw we were looking for something special and unique so he ordered this special treat for us. We loved it! Raw turtle egg in a shot glass with Sangria and chillis. As soon as the tour was over we hopped in our rental car and headed south along the carribean coast towards the beach town of Puerto Viejo on the Panama border. This small beach town ended up being my favorite stop on the trip. The laid back vibe and beautiful beaches were the perfect way to settle into the travel groove. We spent a week hiking in national parks, beach hopping on bicycles and and just enjoying the Pura Vida attitude. On our last day we took a tour of an indigenous village to take in some culture and learn about the Bribri people.
From there we drove to the Pacific coast and met up with some friends from our Spokane days in Quepos. The town didn’t offer much other then a gateway to Manual Antonio National Park and several waterfalls. The parks were on par with the others we have been to but the highlight for us was spending time with friends. We had a good time with them as well as some amazing Indian food. We are so grateful they took the time to come see us.
After a week on each coast it was time to head north into the mountains. Before heading inland we stopped and spent an afternoon in the town of Jaco. It has a similar vibe as Puerto Viejo but less of a carribean influence and more of an Asian feel. Less 3rd worldish. We would have stayed here instead of Quepos had we known.
Our last stop was La Fortuna. This small tourist town at the base of Arenal Volcano was not only fun but probably the most welcoming town we tried. Here we did the hanging bridge tour, went kayaking, ziplining and hiking around the volcano as well as relaxed in the natural hot springs. This was by far the most expensive part of the trip because there is so much to do and it all costs big bucks.
As far as comparing Costa Rica to other destinations; the prices were much higher than say SE Asia. A Big Mac meal is $5.85 and hotels ran us between $60-$120. Meals at the local Sodas were alot cheaper than restaurants. As far as getting around goes it seems the popular thing to do is rent a car. But that can get pricey and rental availability sells out long in advance. The roads on the east side of the country had construction everywhere, one lane, busy and slow going. The west side was in slightly better condition. A car is nice if your looking to get off the beaten path or pack alot however if your just going to bounce between a couple of popular tourist areas it would be cheaper and easier to just fly on the local budget airlines. Overall Costa Rica is a paradise for nature lovers and the active outdoors type. The weather was perfect. And best of all its just a couple of hours flight from the US making it very affordable. We already have a list of things we missed and I am sure we will be back. Pura Vida!
As for now we are heading back to Santa Fe for 4 weeks before heading back to the east coast for a visit while we work on our videos from Turkey and Costa Rica. Then we are off on a European adventure which will include a road trip from Croatia through Greece, Running with the Bulls in Spain and much much more. For current updates follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel. New videos coming this month.