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Trip Report
My holidays in beautiful Costa Rica
Costa Rica, a country where nature is stunning
+ 3
Highs & Lows
Fauna and flora
Terrible roads
Itinerary Overview
Costa Rica is a magical country for nature lovers!
It is a country where animals, plants and people live together! However, man adapts to nature and not the other way around!
There is a real contrast between the Caribbean coast and the Pacific coast! It is absolutely necessary to do both sides to discover two totally different atmospheres!
We could, with a friend, discover both sides and the difference between each city, sometimes even of temperature is incredible! That's why it's a country full of discovery and surprises!
The food is mainly based on rice, bananas, chicken and red beans! The typical dish is the Casado and you can find it everywhere for cheap!
The roads are sometimes impassable but they are part of the authenticity of the country! The nature is green, incredibly provided and the animals do not miss: monkeys, sloths, whales, dolphins, many species of birds, butterflies, frogs etc...
It is a country that has decided to preserve this flora and fauna by protecting and preserving the natural biosphere.
There are still some limits such as the use of pesticides for the mass production of certain products dedicated to export such as bananas or palm oil!
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Road trip In South of America
3+Puerto Viejo is a small fishing village on the Caribbean coast. There is a very pronounced Jamaican atmosphere: reggae, Jamaican food and surf.
We chose to spend the week in a youth hostel which gave directly on the beach! What a pleasure to wake up and have breakfast by the sea.
Everything is concentrated in the small city center: restaurants, local stores. A lot of jewels for sale by individuals on the beach!
A part with white sand then just next to another black sand beach! Incredible!
The food is tasty: many "panaderias" where you can find delicious French pastries like the croissant or the chocolate bread. Many inexpensive restaurants where you can taste casados, typical dishes. Chickens cooked in the Caribbean style. There are also many vegetarian places and typical Jamaican restaurants.
The village being small, we could do everything by foot. The ideal is to rent a kind of electric two wheels to be able to walk further along the coast.
Two main activities: surfing and snorkeling! We were able to observe many fish and beautiful corals.
Manuel Antonio
Road trip In South of America
7+We spent a short week in the area of Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific coast. An incredibly green place. There is no lack of white sand beaches.
We stayed in a great youth hostel not far from this city, in Bahia. Bahia is the place to go for whale watching.
You can find different companies in Bahia to go whale watching by kayak or boat. All at the same price.
Unfortunately for us, we only saw dolphins because the whales come down to the South during this season in October. But a huge surprise two days later: while we were resting on a beach of Manuel Antonio, a whale and its baby came to visit us! Incredible stroke of luck, and free!
Manuel antonio is a lively little town where you can find many restaurants and bars but also many spots to surf.
There is a big market in the middle of the city on Fridays where you can find many fruits and vegetables! We tasted a local specialty: a tasty fish soup with milk!
It is advisable to have a car to be able to visit the very large city but especially to enjoy more widely the peaceful city!
The place not to be missed is the national park of Manuel Antonio: be careful, get up early because many tourists visit this park at dawn to observe the diversity of the fauna and flora of Costa Rica: howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, hummingbirds, frogs... a huge park where you will spend the whole day! The park is on the beach, so you can take your bathing suit to chill. You are not obliged to take a guide but it is preferable to be able to observe all the species of animals! Big surprise for us that day : we could see a boa (very rare and very wanted by the guides on the spot !)
Manuel Antonio is a must-see in the Pacific City! You can't miss this wonderful place to discover a great diversity of fauna and flora.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
Nothing
Tips you would give a friend?
Rent a 4x4 because the roads are difficult
Any surprises?
The use of pesticides throughout the country ! Bad suprises
Lodging
Hostel Rocking J's
Rooms & Pool Macaws