Costa Rica Critter Round-Up

Warning: image-heavy post ahead. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Costa Rica was because of its incredible biodiversity. Although it's a pretty small country, the landscape and the climate changes quickly from cloud forest to rain forest to hot, dry beaches and as such, it would be difficult to spend two weeks there and not see some cool creatures. I'd been hoping for some mammal close-ups—particularly of sloths and monkeys—but although I saw numerous monkeys and one lone mama sloth, they weren't exactly frolicking at my feet either. Then again, it's pretty cool when you no longer need your iPhone alarm because you get a dawn wake-up call from a troop of howler monkeys. For the first few nights at least.

Spot the howler monkeys

Shy baby capuchin monkey

We went on several nature hikes, including one at dusk, but we tended to get better views when we just happened upon the creatures in question, like the sloth our guide spotted in a tree by the road while we were driving to the Arenal Volcano, or the coati that was wandering around near the La Fortuna waterfall, looking for lunch.

Mama sloth

The catarata coati

The thing that surprised me the most was how beautiful the country's birds are. I prefer fur to feathers, but we saw some gorgeous birds, including the emerald toucanets I spotted in the garden of our Monteverde hotel, or the blue-crowned motmot I saw hanging out at a dusty bus stop near Tamarindo. Despite it being the right season, we didn't see a quetzal, although our guide heard one, and we did catch a glimpse of the equally elusive bellbird, although I wasn't fast enough to photograph it. Even in the middle of San José, the random birds you see out and about are so pretty. We were initially captivated by the white-throated magpie jay who came to perch on the railings of the roof-top restaurant at our hotel in Mal País and who seemed so tame. We soon realised he came every day, because he knew when it was time for his French toast. The iguanas that climbed to the top of the canopy and sunned themselves, just below the restaurant, were just as predictable.

Emerald toucanet

Blue-crowned motmot

Breakfast time for the white-throated magpie jay

A tree-top iguana

In the butterfly garden in the Museo Nacional in San José, we saw the beautiful blue morpho butterfly, but it was too shy, so my only photos were far too blurry. I did manage a close-up of a pretty red and black butterfly, and we saw many other lovely butterflies throughout the country. I also enjoyed spotting a tarantula in the Santa Elena cloud forest reserve and a "Jesus lizard" in Monteverde.

A pretty butterfly. Not a blue morpho.

It's a good thing I don't have arachnophobia

Jesus lizard

I didn't see the newly discovered "fairy" insect; or then again, maybe I did? Oh, and although Costa Rica is really a dog country, I did see a few cute cats, including this one, which lived in our hotel in Tamarindo.

In Search of the Perfect Beach

After an action-packed first week in Costa Rica, we have been spending our second week hopping from beach to beach. En route from our hotel to Playa Tamarindo, the heavens opened for the first time of the holiday and we were forced to seek refuge in one of the main restaurants that line the main drag of 'Tamagringo.' Luckily, we picked Longboards BBQ, which does a fine line in pulled pork sandwiches. Even more luckily, after we had eaten, the sun came out and produced one of the most spectacular sunsets of the holiday.

We spent the morning on Playa Tamarindo with about 10,000 would-be surfers. The surf was pretty strong, although with hindsight I didn't know how good I had it there, being able to bob up and down without being sucked into the current.

After a quick bite to eat, and in my case, some Italian conversation with the owner, at Buon Appetito, we went in search of prettier beaches. Playa Conchal, a few miles north of Tamarindo, certainly fit the bill: it's beautiful, has soft sand and relatively gentle waves—for the Pacific, anyway—plus, you have to drive across another beach, Brasilito, to get it to it. We spent a few hours in our own portion of paradise, before heading on to check out the competition.

After checking out the posh yachts and smart real estate in Playa Flamingo, which reminded me a lot of Cannes, we made it back to Playa Brasilito as the music stopped and the sun started to set. It wasn't quite as good as the previous one, but sipping an ice cool juice smoothie in a beach café was pretty cool.

Then it was time for our epic road trip from Tamarindo to Mal País, a tiny village and area in the southern tip of the Nicoya peninsula, known for its beaches and particularly its surfing. The distances involved are tiny, but we lost the paved highway soon after our first pit stop at Playa Samara and Playa Carrillo, and the rest of the journey involved over two hours of slow, winding dirt roads, which led us over hills, round tight bends and, eventually, through three rivers.

We knew that river crossings might be a possibility but were hoping that the fact that it is the very end of the dry season might mean we would escape. Alas. Luckily, our 4WD did the trick, although I still waded across each river first to check its depth and terrain. It was more than a little nerve-wracking but we made it in the end, in time for a much-needed swim in our hotel pool.

As all we had consumed at this point was a cappuccino at an American-run B and B and coffee house on the road from nowhere to nowhere (pictured above), we then hurried into town for some food, which we found in the form of burgers at Burger Rancho, near the beach. I had ordered my burger "à point" from the French waiter, but it came medium-well; it was still tasty and we managed our first pudding of the trip: a very good brownie.

Today was another beach day. The beach at Santa Teresa (part of the Mal País collective) is beautiful but not very good for swimming: even when I stood in knee-deep water, the waves were pounding in so vigorously that I couldn't even stay on my feet. Round the corner at Playa Hermosa, the current is less strong, although at high-tide, you have to be really careful not to hurt yourself on the submerged outcrops of rock, which form tide pools at low tide. Hermosa indeed, but tough for the boardless.

Tamarindo: Leaping in Paradise

We left the cloud forest today, journeying over rocky, unpaved roads down the mountain, until we finally reached the Pan-American highway, where things improved a little. Still it's hard to complain when we were in our hotel pool cooling off well before noon.

We're staying near at El Sabanero Eco Lodge, near Tamarindo, a little way away from the beach and the shops. It's pretty quiet out here, but we're expecting another dawn wake-up call from the monkeys. Later, though, we are going in search of food and waves, and a little bit more civilisation. Relatively speaking.

The Monteverde Caffeine Chronicles: The Common Cup

There isn't a huge amount to do in the towns of Monteverde and Santa Elena—the restaurants tend to be touristy and overpriced—but we did manage to find a few nice places to go. Top of my list was The Common Cup, an independent coffee shop serving espresso drinks made with Monteverde coffee roasted on site. Plus, they do a good line in latte art. Yesterday, I tried a cappuccino, which was too milky for me; this morning's macchiato was much better: rich and creamy.

At about 1500 colones or $3, the macchiato isn't particularly cheap, but where else are you going to find a good gourmet espresso drink in the Costa Rican cloud forest? I also bought a bag of beans to take home with me. They were roasted yesterday so hopefully they will still be fresh when I get home.

Meanwhile, we had dinner at Morpho's, where the food was a little pricey but very tasty—especially the milk shakes made with local ice cream—and the décor is lovely, with the walls adorned with the titular blue morpho butterflies. I then trekked up the hill to a lovely little jewellery shop called Luna Azul, where I bought a pretty stone necklace and some glass earrings for my mum.

During the rest of our time in Monteverde, we have spent a lot of time in the cloud forest. Last night we went on a night hike, where we saw a tarantula, a blurry porcupine and lots of pretty birds. Ironically, the best wildlife close-up of the trip was the pair of emerald toucanets I spotted in our hotel garden.

This morning we took a guided hike in the Santa Elena cloud forest reserve. It cost $29 to get in and for our guide, but there was only one other person in our group, and although we mainly saw birds and spiders today, our guide was very knowledgeable and much better than most of the other guides we have had so far, who are too busy trying to be funny. The other cloud forest reserve—is a lot bigger, but slightly more expensive and much busier, so I would recommend the Santa Elena reserve.

Monteverde: I've Looked at Clouds from Both Sides Now

When you're staying in Monteverde, most of the activities are in or near one of the cloud forests. The two largest are the Monteverde reserve and the Santa Elena reserve, but I still haven't worked out which is which, especially given the two 'towns' of Monteverde and Santa Elena are next-door neighbours, and neither consists of anything more than a few unpaved roads on the hilltop, with a handful of sodas, touristy shops and hotels.

This morning, we did the adventure portion of the cloud forest exploration: a zipline tour over and through the forest canopy, followed by a hike, partly on a series of bridges that hang over the canopy, in the forest. 

Several companies offer numerous variations on an adventurous theme, but we decided to go with Selvatura Adventure Park. Although they don't offer a 'fly like Superman' zipline, online reviews seemed to suggest this was a bit gimmicky and that the better experience overall was with Selvatura. At $70 for both activities, it isn't exactly cheap, but it's one of those must-do experiences when in this area.

The zipline tour consisted of lines between 13 platforms, of various lengths and inclines. The most fun ones were those that allow you to soar over the canopy. The grand finale is 1 km long and takes you right through the middle of a thick white cloud. I couldn't take photos on the actual ziplines, but that's probably for the best because it's a breathtaking experience, and definitely one to be savoured.

Between the last two lines is an optional Tarzan swing, where you jump from a platform and swing between the trees clutching onto a rope (held in place via various harnesses, of course). The swing wasn't as high as at some of the other companies, but more than high enough to get a hell of an adrenaline rush.

After the ziplining, the walk through the forest and the hanging bridges was a bit of an anticlimax. It was still a beautiful, peaceful place to walk, though, and the views across the canopy were very impressive. We managed to spot a few critters, including some monkeys, assorted butterflies (including a see-through one) and various birds, including hummingbirds and the guan. We are hoping our night hike this evening will give us a better chance of spotting some more furry creatures.

Monteverde: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

We left our lovely little cabin at the foot of the Volcán Arenal early this morning (we were staying at Hotel Campo Verde and I would highly recommended it).

We were picked up for the first stage of our jeep-boat-jeep transfer to Monteverde. Although the "jeeps" are really minibuses, the journey is convenient and not too pricey at $25. Plus, the views as you cross Lake Arenal are amazing.

The roads to La Fortuna are rough, rocky and hilly, but we still reached our hotel in Monteverde by lunchtime. The town is tiny and very hilly, with the main focus being on touristy eateries and tour providers. We split a burrito at Taco Taco, and planned our activities for the next few days.

As it was too late to visit the cloud forests or to do a full day at one of the adventure parks, we toured a coffee plantation instead. El Trapiche is a few miles out of town and tells you everything you've ever wanted to know about making coffee and chocolate, and processing sugar cane. The cocoa processing here is just for show but they do really make coffee and farm sugar cane—neither of which is a native Costa Rican crop, unlike cocoa.

We got to sample saca de guaro, a very strong cane liquor, as well as various stages of the cocoa-to-chocolate process. Then we got to make a toffee from the sugar cane, although it was too sweet to eat very much of it.

And at the end, we got to sample a cup of coffee. It was one of the nicest coffees I've had on this trip so far, although I'm not sure that is saying a lot. I bought a bag of beans to take home anyway. The tour was $32, including transportation from our hotel, which is a little pricey but it lasted several hours, and most of the coffee farms charge similar prices for tours.