Costa Rica
Facts about Costa Rica:
-> Costa Rica is located in Central America.
-> It is bordered by Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south.
-> The Pacific Ocean is on the left side and the Caribbean Sea on the right side.
-> Costa Rica has about 1.234km of coasts.
-> There more than 121 volcanic formations. Seven of them are active.
-> The landmass only takes up 0,3% of the planet surface.
However, Costa Rica hosts >5% of the world's biodiversity.
-> About 27% of the country is protected.
-> The capital is San José.
-> The population in Costa Rica is about 4,1 million.
-> Favorite food: Gallo Pinto.
Highlights of Costa Rica
Uvita
Our first destination in Costa Rica was Uvita. A perfect place to start gently to explore.
The little town Uvita is located in southern Costa Rica and has a very famous coast line where it's possible to observe dolphins and wales.
The famous Whale's Tail is described as one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.
Unfortunately, it was still rainy season when we visited this place. Hence, it was only possible to explore this beautiful beach some hours in the morning. High waves and a misty view made wale watching from the beach impossible.
The big advantage to visit this place in the rainy season?
There are almost no travelers or locals around and you can enjoy the whole beauty alone. The kilometer long beach is empty!
Volcano Arenal
Our second destination was La Fortuna which is located next to the huge volcano Arenal in northern Costa Rica.
For many travelers it is a top destination due to the volcano, the national park, the waterfalls and the hot springs.
The volcano is about 1 633m high and has a perfect conically shape with a crater of 140m. The volcano was asleep for hundreds of years but started to be active again in 1968.
Therefore, hiking up or to close was not an option.
However, next to the volcano Arenal is a smaller one, named Chato.
This volcano has been inactive for some 3 500 years and has a crater filled with aqua-green water.
Furthermore, there is a nice waterfall next to the volcano and plenty of hot springs. The waterfall is called "La Fortuna Waterfall" and drops about
70-75m.
The national park around the volcano covers four different life zones. A consequence of that is a big variety of flora and fauna. Nearly 75% of Costa Rica wildlife can be found there.
The biodiversity and landscape scenery was truly impressive at this place!
Unfortunately, I do not have all pictures anymore...
Somehow some disappeared on the journey.
Only screenshots from my mobile phone remained..
Manuel Antonio
The smallest national park in Costa Rica is Manuel Antonio and lies next to the pacific ocean.
However, the park is very popular and well known for its beautiful white beaches, hiking trails and wildlife.
The small park contains about 109 mammal species and 184 bird species.
It is forbidden to bring food with you, as monkeys, raccoons and other animals have started t o get cheeky and steal from the tourist.
They group together in gangs and can even open backpacks without problems.
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is located in the west of Costa Rica, next to the pacific ocean. It is a small remote fishing village and today known as a popular surfing spot.
In comparison to the Caribbean side, the climate is milder. This results in less rain and more dry broad-leaf forest with different species. And indeed Santa Teresa has turned out to be a wonderful place for bird watching with many birds roosting there during their migration
In order to explore the peninsula we booked a quad bike . It was fun to drive even if we were chased by dogs. Thereby, we discovered Cabuya Island, which is known as Cemetery Island. It has the particularity of being accessible by foot at low tide.
During our stay, we also made a trip to the wildlife refuge center Curú in the east of the peninsula. The area contains 1,5 ha with semi-deciduous forests, mangroves, beaches, marine habitats, pastures, and plantations.
Definitely worth to visit!
Santa Teresa was our last destination in Costa Rica.
After that, we spent another week in the capital San José before we started our travel to Puerto Viejo to cross the border to Panamá.