Costa Rica Part II - Uvita to Corcovado and Caribbean Coast

The adventure continues! We are relaxing into Costa Rican life, appreciating this country with its people, easy access to fantastic wildlife viewing and effortless travel. As I write this blog in my mind I am thinking it is really the travel diary of two middle-aged (can we still stay that, or are we just old now?) people on a budget driving around Costa Rica in a rental car and going for walks. Pretty much sums it up. Our daily organizing principles are: where are we going to sleep cheaply, what version of rice and beans are we going to eat, and where will we do our minimum 5-mile walk? Luckily, hikes here are plentiful and gorgeous, from paid ones in nature reserves and national parks to boundless stretches of empty white sandy beaches.

It is impossible to describe a whole country of people in a brief sentence, but the Costa Rican people we have met are hard working, family oriented, practical and welcoming. The country is immaculate, you never see garbage on trails or by the road. It is among the cleanest places we have ever travelled. Even the most budget accommodations are usually clean and people take Pura Vida seriously on many levels.

Tourism is an economic driver and it is still at 50% here due to the pandemic. It has been a tough year and people are happy to see tourists returning. It is an easy place to travel– with a highly developed tourism infrastructure, you are never far from a wildlife reserve, a tour opportunity, or a restaurant. Our Spanish is limited but we always try and are greeted by smiles and patience as we hack our way through mixed tenses and broken grammar.

We cannot speak to public transportation, although plenty of younger travelers are going that route. We invested in a rental car and driving in Costa Rica has felt safe. If you stick to the main roads, they are narrow but well-built. There are lots of scooters and trucks to watch out for and passing is a game, but people are good drivers and courteous. Off the main highway system, you never quite know what you are going to find but so far our basic rental car has whined its way up every gravel mountain road we have attempted.

Security has not been an issue for us, despite being warned by locals about the hazards, in particular leaving anything in a car at a beach or trailhead. To the extent possible, we have left everything in our hotels when we ventured out (or if our bags are in the trunk parked in a populated area) and have not had a problem. A few times we have hiked with all our valuables (laptop, phones, camera, passports) on us. We have always felt safe leaving our things in the hotels, even traveling at the budget end as we have. We also did not drive at night and tried not to walk in empty areas - even beaches - at night.

*Our driving route for the second part of our trip - 25 days*

*Beachfront road at Dominical, lined with festive vendors. Funky and Bohemian, Dominical offered plenty of yoga and surfing options.*

Uvita

After leaving Manuel Antonio (covered in the Costa Rica Part I Blog) we continued our way south along the Pacific coast. We were happy to be here during the dry season, but it was still humid. And hot. But overall we felt lucky with the weather: we had not really been rained on (the benefits of being here in February) and could usually mitigate the heat by finding shade or breezes on the beach.

Our next stop was Uvita, to visit the Parque Nacional Marina Ballena. Even though it was not whale season, it was a beautiful stretch of coastline to explore. Uvita itself stretched along from the highway to the park, easy to find reasonable accommodations and a surprising number of non Costa Rican restaurants (New York pizza, bagels, sushi . . ). We stayed at the Hotel el Tucan, in a basic room with a kitchenette for $40, surrounded by Costa Rican families celebrating school holidays, a festive time.

*Low tide pedestrian traffic crossing the whale’s tail at Parque Nacional Marino Ballena*

*We made it! Note the water line on Andy’s shirt*

*Because sometimes you just need a break from rice and beans for breakfast. Incredible coffee and croissants at Sibu Cafe in Uvita*

*Typical highway scenery driving the southern Pacific coast*

*Evening walk - it had been a busy driving day so we made do with village streets in Rincon*

*View at Hotel Mirador de Osa - daily toucan and macaw watching, $40 a night for a private cabin with bathroom and cooked breakfast*

Peninsula de Osa - Rincon, Drake Bay, Puerto Jimenez

We made our way from Uvita to Peninsula de Osa and along the way tried to explore Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas. From what we could tell, there was one public developed trail in the park. We found the obscure trailhead, started on our way, and had our first Toucan sighting! But the trail was an old road that was steep and hot and we bailed out of finishing - on the upside, the park was free!

Tired and hungry we landed at Mirador de Osa, a beautiful family run restaurant with a splendid view and gardens, on the way to Puerto Jimenez. We had a great meal and watched the antics of the macaws in the nearby trees.

Our outdated guidebook (we use Lonely Planets but had an old version) let us know that the road to Drake Bay was only accessible with four wheel drive. We decided to explore the route anyway and see just how far we could get. We were thrilled to find that the road had been graded and bridges built over the water crossings so we made it all the way.

We had a fantastic day exploring the scenic beaches and hiking around the point. Drake Bay still felt remote and a little wild. Most people seemed to get around on scooters. Tourists mixed with locals in the small dusty downtown and the atmosphere was upbeat and lively.

*Final Drake Bay beach photo - it was one of our favorites. “I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”*

*Swinging bridge to access the hike around the point to Rincon*

The next day we made our way to Puerto Jimenez at the tip of the peninsula.

*Stopped along the way to watch the macaws in the trees, eating voraciously, bickering, eating, squawking, bickering . . .*

Puerto Jimenez had a friendly character and vivacity that seemed to originate from the people who lived there. Despite the fact that tourists were walking the streets, it felt very much like a town of Costa Ricans who were welcoming visitors into their sphere.

Parque Nacional Corcovado

Like many others, we were there to visit Corcovado. For us, this was the absolute jewel of Costa Rican parks. We made a steep investment on a three day guided trip (you cannot enter the park without a guide) and it was worth every penny. We went with Surcos Tours at $500 each, including two nights accommodation in the park and all meals. Our guide, Oscar, was a self-taught wildlife expert who showed us more than we ever expected to see. In his past careers he had been a banana planter, a hotel worker and a furniture maker. After teaching himself English, he found his joy in showing people the wonders of the wildlife of Corcovado. He carefully curated an experience that met all of our desires (tapirs, sloths, frogs and much more). Andy had hoped to see a fer de lance and Oscar did his level best searching for one, but it was the wrong season. His powerful scope allowed us to see every hair and beak and made for an amazingly intimate wildlife viewing experience.

The trip began with a 5am boat ride from Puerto Jimenez to a beach near the Sirena Ranger Station. For an hour and a half we sped along the coast watching the unbroken jungle fly by. Once we arrived, we immediately settled into the daily routine: 5 AM wildlife walk, return to station for breakfast, wildlife walk, return for lunch and siesta, final wildlife walk, then dinner and lights out at 8pm. The food was excellent and the international company of guests and guides formed instant camaraderie, sharing stories of sloth and tapir sightings.

Below are photos of some of the highlights:

*Spider monkey - long limbed athleticism in action*

*Tapir - we magically watched a mom and baby come down to the water to drink.*

*Andy’s art shot up the center of a strangler fig*

*Five men simultaneously taking a picture of a poisonous frog*

*Watching sloths through the invaluable spotting scope*

Oscar gave us an intensive three-day lesson into the flora and fauna of Corcovado and we left feeling tired and satiated. Back to Puerto Jimenez.

*Costa Rican ingenuity - when you need a charging plug but have no wall*

*Our 33rd day of rice and beans for breakfast. Not that we were counting.*

Cloudbridge Nature Reserve

After a final night in Puerto Jimenez, we set off for the Caribbean coast, crossing the country by Parque Nacional Chirripo. We opted not to take on the 12,000 foot climb of Chirripo, but stayed in a hostel nearby to explore the area. We had booked two nights at Hostel Casa Chirripo and this was the first place we bailed on. The roof was leaking, the toilet was leaking, the room smelled slightly, the bedding was frightful and the internet only allowed email access. Even for budget accommodations at $33 for the two of us it didn’t hit our minimum bar. We spent one night and went on our way.

In the meantime we spent an exhausting but fulfilling day at the nearby Cloudbridge Nature Reserve - a privately held nature reserve along a beautiful river. Steep but glorious hiking.

*Cloud rainforest for as far as the eye can see*

*So many bridges! Dawn holding on tight to the railing*

After we fled the hostel in Chirripo, we found Hotel La Princesa in the hills above San Isidro de General. What a welcome relief! Beautiful view of the valley, spacious room with hot water, multiple bed pillows, bedside tables, hot breakfast included, the joy went on.

*Breakfast terrace at La Princesa, where we were introduced to Dawn’s favorite Costa Rican coffee*

*So we stopped at the roasters just down the road to pick up some*

*A road side stop at a new national park. We didn’t see any Quetzals - wrong time of year, but got to explore the trails and stretch our legs.*

Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu

Our next destination, we were turned away on the first attempt. Many national parks and reserves in Costa Rica close at 2pm, and we forgot to check the hours before journeying up the winding road. So we returned the next day. We also needed an online reservation but luckily they allowed us to make it on the spot. Some parks require this and others don’t so we had fallen out of practice.

We have a few mutually favorite foods (chocolate, bread) and few separate (Andy - beer and cookies, Dawn - wine and coffee). But we decided to stop at a coffee farm to find out more about the process and Andy found interest in the agricultural practices. Dawn was there for the sample at the end.

*On the farm at Finca Cristina - $15 per person for a tour and deep dive into the coffee bean processing journey*

Pacuare River

As experienced river rafters with our own whitewater raft, we were hesitant about investing in a group guided tour down the Pacuare River ($75 per person including lunch), but in the end decided to do it and were glad we did! It was a gorgeous river canyon, and even at low water it was splashy and fun with a couple of Class IV rapids. We opted to stay on the river at Pacuare River lodge and raft our way out. The lodge was super, a beautiful location, with one night’s accommodation, all food included (lunch on arrival, dinner then breakfast the next day) for $37 a person. The bungalows were simple but the location was superb. The lodge shuttled our car to the take out at no charge. The afternoon we arrived we were treated to a guided hike to a nearby waterfall.

*Rope drawn carriage to cross the river*

Southern Caribbean Coast - Puerto Viejo, Cahuita, Playa Cocles

Our first day on the Caribbean coast, we drove as far south as possible in Costa Rica to the Gandoco Manzanillo reserve. There is one main hike - 6.5 mile roundtrip hike across the peninsula. Fairly rigorous and uneventful with plenty of beaches along the way to stop and enjoy!

*National reserve at the very southern tip of the Caribbean coast*

*Hike started off with an easy boardwalk. Meandered along the coast then degenerated into a muddy swampy trek across the peninsula.*

Jaguar Rescue Center

Set back from the main road in Playa Cocles is this incredible non profit which rescues, rehabilitates, and, when possible, releases animals. We had a terrific two-hour tour ($15 each) which included our most intimate sloth viewings and a wealth of educational information. The most shocking to us: electrical lines in Costa Rica are mostly bare metal wires and sloths and monkeys are frequently electrocuted.

*With a a paralyzed leg from a fall, a permanent resident of the center*

*Another resident sloth with medical issues being lovingly cared for*

*Walking the beach at Playa Grande (one of many of this name in Costa Rica), appreciating the beauty of endless beach to ourselves.*

We spent nights in three places: Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Playa Chiquita. Puerto Viejo is the biggest town in the area, bustling with hotels and restaurants. From there the road south narrows and fills with tourists on rental bicycles riding back and forth between the awesome beaches. The food and the culture here is influenced by Caribbean immigrants and reggae music competes with electronic dance music blaring out of streetside speakers. We stayed at Casa Nara, just off of the main street in a huge room with a mini fridge, air conditioning and an electric kettle. Only downside, no breakfast included. But then it was a one block walk to a panaderia where we could fill up on bread and pastries for $6 for the two of us.

By comparison, Cahuita is a sleepy coastal town, but still with plenty of amenities for travelers. In this whole coastal area, we were able to find basic hotels for the two of us for $40 a night, but the hearty cooked breakfast we had come to appreciate was not included as a standard.

Playa Chiquita is a tiny hamlet, really just a beach between Playa Cocles and Playa Manzanillo. This stretch of road is peppered with small hotels and restaurants.

Parque Nacional Cahuita

We had an unexpectedly fantastic day at this smaller unassuming national park that was in walking distance to our Cahuita hotel. We hiked the main trail from the Cahuita side, 8 miles total out and back. The trail was an easy sandy trek along the coast, with jungle meeting the ocean almost the whole way. The wildlife watching and views were spectacular.

*Capuchin - or as the Costa Ricans call them “White Face” - the most habituated to humans of the monkeys in Costa Rica. They can be pests, jumping in to try to steal food and always curious.*

*This one trying to convince us to ignore the sign. We didn’t.*

*Lovely, easy trail, a welcome relief from some of our hikes*

*Beaches along the way at Cahuita National Park*

*Then the best moment of all - a sloth sighting! Crossed the trail in front of us with a baby on her belly.*

*Beautiful Casa Moabi - set back in the jungle at Playa Chiquita. Sloths in the trees right off the deck and a cozy common area*

*Playa Cocles - our final beach walk on the southern Caribbean coast*

Tortuguero

For our last Costa Rican adventure we made our way to Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast. Famous for turtle life, we were hopeful that we would be able to see turtles nesting on the beach. Even though we were technically in the start of the season for the green leatherback, we were told that it is actually really rare to see them this early in the season. No worries, the town and the national park still had much to offer.

The journey is not simple, requiring a long drive, a boat ride up a narrow canal and then a busy river to the town of Tortuguero. Information was a little hard to find online, but we were able to confirm with our hotel the boat times and made our way to Pavona, a remote parking area where the boats brought people and goods to and from Tortuguero. We paid for three days secure parking and our round trip boat ride ($18 parking, $16 for two people roundtrip) and set off without our car.

*It may look simple but we were beyond thrilled with our hotel room at Casa Marbella - a fan, multiple pillows and towels - yay! A little over our budget at $45 a night but worth it.*

*The best parts of Casa Marbella - riverside seating and free canoe usage*

*Main street Tortuguero - no cars, goods and people moved by boats and small carts*

*We took advantage of free canoes at Casa Marbella to explore the canals and waterways of Parque Nacional Tortuguero*

*Are you sure you know where we are going?*

Three days well spent. As an aside, we hadn’t done quite enough research before leaving much of our clothes behind in our car. We both initially tossed out our raincoats. A rain storm as we approached the parking area at Pavona made us re-think and grab them. Thank you weather angels. Tortuguero is one of the wettest places in Costa Rica and even in the dry season we were regularly pelted with rain. Raincoats on, raincoats off . . .

Our trip was coming to an end, back to Pavona, back to the car and a final trip across the country to San Jose. We managed to find a different road and drove through the middle of Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo - jungle for miles. We stopped along the way to hike a few well maintained and easy trails near the Quebrada Gonzalez ranger station.

*Hiking at Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo*

Our final stop! Peering over at the crater at Volcan Poas. We made our online reservation, paid our park fee ($15 each), donned our safety gear for an active volcano site, watched the safety movie and made our way to the overlook. The fog cleared beautifully for us.

Well, six weeks in Costa Rica and we are sad to leave but looking forward to seeing family in Bend Oregon before we return to the UK and truck life at the end of the month. Safe travels to everyone out there and thank you for reading!

Costa Rica Part II - Uvita to Corcovado and Caribbean Coast

Costa Rica - Lessons Learned

Costa Rica - Part I - San Jose to Pacific Coast - Manuel Antonio