Any one been to Costa Rica

Jeremy9

Jeremy9

Location
Rochester, NY
My Wife and I are traveling to Costa Rica this weekend. Were going to rent a car and just explore the country. Just wondering if anyone has been there before, and knew of any most see attractions.
 
I spent three months backpacking around Costa Rica a couple of years ago. It's a beautiful country. With the car you'll be able to get to some more remote spots that the bus does not go.

I did not make it to the Osa peninsula but was told that it is the wildest area left in the country. Lots of big animals roaming the forest.

My favorites that I saw:

favorite beach - Playa Junquillal in Guanacaste, 3 miles of almost deserted beach, clear water, and a few incongruous gourmet restaurants. careful of the riptides and the heavy surf

favorite waterfalls - Cataratas Escandidas and the other waterfall whose name I can't remember in Rincon de la Vieja national park (north of Guanacaste). this park also has some really cool bubbling mud pits and mini-volcanoes

favorite forest hike- there were a lot but one that sticks out in my head was a hike through some primary forest near Volcan Arenal. A different butterfly every two minutes, monkeys, anteaters, sloths, etc. also check out the hot springs in this area.

on the Caribbean side my favorite spots were Tortuguero and Cahuita, both a little touristy but still very sleepy and slow. Tortuguero can only be accessed by boat, but has the distinction of being one of the few places where you can see sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand, truly a beautiful thing.

I wouldn't bother spening much time in San Jose. Polluted, noisy, pickpockets, lots of cheap crap.

Oh, also make sure to check out some of the cloud forests. Monteverde is very popular and is home to many of the popular canopy tours. Braulio Caudillo national park is much less crowded but is also fantastically beautiful.

Mount Chirripo is supposed to be very beautiful, but as it was difficult to access by bus I never got there.

I could keep going, but I think wherever you go you'll have a good time. It's a beautiful country. Happy travels!
 
When you get up to Guanacaste, make sure you take pictures of the Arboles de Guanacaste...they are some cool trees!

See Volcan Poas. Awesome volcano. You can drive right up and see the green/blue pool inside it. Get there very early because the fog rolls in daily before noon!

Waste as little time as possible in San Jose. It's an ugly city. It'd be a shame to miss other things because you found a cool shop in the city.

Get ready for some rice and black beans. Enjoy los refrescos naturales! Tell my grandma hi!

love
nick araya, the 50% costa rican
 
Compared to the rest of central america, Costa Rica is a fairly safe country. Almost all the folks I met in the countryside were either friendly, or merely indifferent to my presence. No one gave me a hard time at all. Urban areas have a much higher crime rate.

Cities/towns to avoid: San Jose, Puerto Limon, Puntarenas

Those were the seediest places that I saw in the country. The Caribbean side in general has a higher crime rate, mostly theft. Keep your belongings secure wherever you travel.

Use common sense and you should be just fine. Have fun!
 
Yes, the country side is safe. There is, in a sense, a lot of crime in the city. Mostly you just have to worry about thieves. Keep an eye on your stuff. Wear your back pack on your front when you're in the city. Don't look like you have expensive things in your bag. Don't carry a lot of money with you if you don't need to. Don't be afraid to tell the beggars to beat it. They can be down right pushy sometimes. Some are novice con artists. Avoid them. If you heart can take it, offer to buy someone some beans and rice. Most of the times they'll decline because contrary to what they say, they DON'T want the money for a little bite to eat.

Once you get out of the city, you're safer because there are simply less people.

Leon, that's me. !Viva Saprissa!

love
nick
 
Thanks all for the info.
My wife and I just returned from are trip and it was great. Where all ready planning a return trip for next winter. 10 days was not nearly enough time to see all the things we wanted to see.
 
"See Volcan Poas. Awesome volcano."

really? I didn't really think so. Just a lake in the bottom of a crater. yes there was steam too, that was okay. Clear day when I was there too.

I guess I would have liked it if I could have gone down into the crater, I hate looking at stuff from a far.

Costa Rica is very nice though. I agree.

Just look out for the local bitches. (Can I say that on this forum? -they say it on regular TV.) One had me fooled for several years. hee, hee. Oh, and I don't mean dogs, even though there are lots of stray dogs.
 
Okay then, see Volcan Arenal. That was the only place in my life I saw red, hot lava. That is frickin' cool. I wish I coulda hiked up there and played around in it.

love
nick
 
There ya go.

I haven't seen it very close yet though.

I was walking down a road from Monte Verde(sp?)cloud forest at about 2 or 3 am and looked up and saw it in the distance, at that moment I thought I was seeing a forest fire on top of a mountain (hey it was very late and a rough night), then I realized it was in the direction of Arenal and my eyes focused better. Just the peek of Arenal was visible from another mountain that was closer to me.

That was really cool and the stars were so bright and soooo many.
 
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