It was in the morning of July 29th, 1968 when the Arenal volcano violently erupted and spewed rocks, ashes, and gas for three days. La Fortuna was born as the result of this happening. It is situated 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Ciudad Quesada and 120 kilometres (75 miles) from San Jose. It is an attractive and bustling town that is at the base of the Arenal Volcano. It has a number of good quality restaurants, bars, bank, gift shops pharmacies, and many more for your needs. Continue reading Arenal La Fortuna Area
Cabo Blanco National Park
It is one of the most scenically amazing and beautiful areas in the southern tip of Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica. This park was established in 1963 and it was the first protected site in the area. This is one of the best places for hiking, swimming and bird watching. It is famous for its sea bird sanctuary that is inhabited by large frigate birds which are around 150 species, laughing gulls, brown pelicans, common terns, ospreys and is dwelling places for plethora species. There are some perfect locations in the area to watch hundreds of pelicans as they soar while searching for fish.
1,270 hectares of mixed forest is what you find here. The forest is a habitant of large variety of animals and is 60 years old. It is a tropical moist forest and more than 150 types of trees have been identified. There is also dry forest species found here but the evergreen species predominate here. The most common trees you find here are bastard cedar, lance wood, dogwood, trumpet tree, gumbo-limbo, wild plum, and frangipani that are famous because they produce material used to make chewing gum. There are various impressive trees and the most abundant tree is the spiny cedar (pochote) with 40 meters high specimens. There is silk cotton tree (caoba) which is 60 meters. Continue reading Cabo Blanco National Park
Samasati Nature Retreat
Located on the Southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, Smasati Nature Retreat is 4 miles away from Puerto Viejo and Cahuita National Park. This is the perfect place for them who love to do yoga, to be connected with nature. It’s not just like a hotel, it’s something more. It’s a way of life. This place is a perfect blend of an exotic rainforest location with onsite yoga and a remote beach town for local atmosphere. This is really the perfect place to experience the rainforest close-up, but with the luxury of comfortable rooms, delicious food and the possibility to do yoga, meditations or have a great massage treatment. If you’re looking to experience Caribbean Costa Rica in an eco-friendly, healthy, peaceful and natural setting, this is the place to go.
Ostional – The Turtle Beach
Ostional is one of the most remarkable places in Costa Rica because every few weeks during turtle season, thousands of Olive Ridleys invade the beaches, laying their eggs by the gazillions.
Meanwhile, the babies are hatching in even greater numbers, and dozens of tourists and nature guides are running around trying to keep the hatchlings from being run over and squashed by the egg-laden mommies.
Not far from the beautiful surf and yoga town of Nosara, Ostional is one of those places you probably saw on TV at some point in your life. Millions of kids around the world are traumatized by nature videos of these baby turtles breaking free from their eggs, struggling without air to the surface through the sand, then running a gauntlet of ravenous predators such as vultures, hawks, foxes, raccoons, and beach crabs. If they survive these terrors, they try to enter the sea, where huge waves push them back and even more hungry fish and such await with hungry jaws. We are told that only 1 in 100 baby turtles survives to adulthood. So to actually SEE this and BE HERE at Ostional is an emotionally powerful event that everyone should experience once. Of course if everyone DOES try to experience this at Ostional, there will be millions of people on the beach crushing every living thing, but my point is that seeing the running of the sea turtles at Ostional is a great experience that I recommend to those who love nature.
Curu Beach and National Wildlife Refuge
Located in the Southern Nicoya Peninsula, near to Santa Teresa, Montezuma, Tambor, and Paquera, Curu is one of the best parks to visit in Costa Rica. This small park is one of the best places to see animals, and it has reintroduction programs for both the Scarlet Macaw (a giant red and rainbow colored parrot) and the Spider Monkey, which is otherwise extinct in this part of Costa Rica.
In addition to have a very beautiful beach that looks out towards Tortuga Island, Curu also has an adventure tourism group that offers scuba diving, horseback riding, snorkeling, and guided nature tours.
Although it’s a national wildlife reserve, it’s also still a working sustainable ranch.
More Information about Curu:
Curu Wildlife Refuge – Info from CostaRicaJourneys.com
Curu Park on Montezumabeach.com – Info from Montezumabeach.com
Santa Teresa Beach
Santa Teresa is a relative newcomer in Costa Rica’s travel scene, but it has really taken off, with tons of great restaurants, accommodations of all price levels, and the most varied and beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.
There are three main beach areas here: Santa Teresa, Malpais, and Playa Hermosa, and each has its charms, as well as amazing surf spots.
The climate here is probably the best of anywhere in Costa Rica as far as beaches go. It’s in a transition zone between the drier north and the wetter south, giving it the best of both world: not too much rain, lush forests and a plenty of wildlife.
More Info on Santa Teresa: Click Here
Playa Montezuma
Possibly the artiest, funkiest, hippiest town in Costa Rica, Montezuma> is also one of the country’s centers of yoga, organic/raw food, and healthy living.
This beautiful coastal town frequently wins awards as one of the most beautiful beaches in Central America, and is a favorite “secret spot” of adventure travelers for over thirty years.
More info on Montezuma: Click Here.