Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Liz Penn on 16 January 2022
I've recently returned from Costa Rica, as those of you who follow me on Facebook will not have failed to notice, no doubt! The primary aim was to see as much of the country as possible and this was achieved through a blend of accommodation and transportation that brought us into contact with the amazing range of environments and biodiversity Costa Rica is known for.

Costa Rica has almost 6% of the world’s biodiversity

Smaller than Scotland, Costa Rica is one of the world’s top 20 countries in terms of biodiversity; home to 6% of all species worldwide, including nearly 900 species of birds alone. A pioneering understanding of sustainability has led to the creation of a virtuous circle; conserving wildlife and its habitat attracts tourists who are willing to pay, enabling more conservation. To avoid the threat of ‘over-tourism’, numbers are limited in the national parks and reserves and much of the accommodation in these areas are eco-lodges, small-scale hotels and guest houses.

What you want to see will determine when you travel

Costa Rica manages to squeeze in both a tropical Caribbean and Pacific coastline, cloud forest, rainforest, wetlands, and a few volcanoes for good measure. This means if you want to know when to go you need to consider where you want to go, which in turn is likely to be led by what you want to see and do. We chose February as the ‘dry’ (slightly less wet in some areas) season tends to be December through to April.

Turtles, monkeys, birds and an armadillo

Our journey took us from the capital, San Jose, to the ‘mini-Amazon’ of Tortuguero, an important breeding ground for sea turtles – four of the eight species nest here. Prime turtle-watching season is July and August, so whilst we didn’t see any there was plenty of other wildlife to keep us amused, from howler monkeys to tiny frogs. From here we ventured inland to Arenal, home to the most perfect cone-shaped volcano and hundreds of birds; we hired a guide to help figure out what we were seeing. We then followed the lake around to Monteverde with its cloud forest for more birds, including the famous quetzal, plus plenty of coatis, (an incredibly cute raccoon-like animal), and we also saw an agouti (like a massive guinea pig) and an armadillo. Arenal and Monteverde are both known for adventure activities, from ziplines to white water rafting, but we chose the more sedate canopy bridge walks.

Beautiful beaches and sloths hanging around

Next up was the Pacific coast, first Parque Manuel Antonio, an incredible combination of stunning beaches and plenty of animals, including cheeky capuchin monkeys stealing peoples’ sunglasses and sloths hanging out. We then spent our last few days further south on the Osa Peninsula. On snorkelling trips we encountered humpback whales, a huge pod of dolphins and the occasional turtle. On dry land our guides helped us spot tapirs, snakes and my personal favourite, an anteater.

An incredible country with warm and genuine people

A special mention goes to the people we met. The guides were so knowledgeable and took great pride in sharing their country with us. Everyone met us with a warm and genuine ‘pura vida’, Costa Rica’s greeting and general mantra. It means ‘pure life’ and is a wonderful way of summing up this incredible country.