Costa Rica Road Trip

What a road trip!

We planned our itinerary in advance and stopped in places for three or four nights as we explored the area. My hope was to find a place along the route we would return again and again for longer stays.

Rob drove our rental car, and we mostly used Waze to navigate. 

We travelled from the Central Valley to the Northern Lowlands, on to the Nicoya Peninsula, back up the mountain to the Cloudforest, down again to the Central Pacific and then on to the Osa Peninsula. 

That's a lot of different terrain. Over 850 kilometers of scenic road. Through jungle, cloud forest, central plains, mountains; past rolling surf, rocky shores, white sand beaches. For someone who had just travelled from a flat, urban, snowbound city the vistas often seemed surreal.

Most travel days we were in the car only for about four hours. We made sure to gas up the vehicle before setting out. Road signage was virtually non-existent, and speed limits were rarely posted. Meeting a car going in the opposite direction often called for careful navigation as you negotiated crossing a bridge or gaged extra space around a horse or pothole. 

Overall the roads were well maintained. Except mountain roads, where some were so steep they seemed to incline straight up and down, or zig-zag to disappear around the corner. Many of the vehicles had engine snorkels to cross waterways, but our rental agreement forbade that kind of travel. 

After our road trip down the coast and a stay in Drake Bay, we caught a Sansa flight back to San Jose, with a stunning view of the shoreline and mountain forests.

With such diverse flora and fauna, I'm so glad we hired personal guides. Although we could have gone into the parks unescorted, having someone to explain the flora and fauna made a tremendous difference to understanding and appreciating our surroundings. La Fortuna was our first destination, and having a personal guide meant we could explore the national parks at a pace that was comfortable for us and tailored to our interests. In Monteverde there is no way we would have sighted as many birds (over 40 species in 4 hours) without the eye of an experienced guide. After, you could explore on your own with better insight.

Setting up our new mobile SIM cards set up was a bit frustrating. There was nothing offered at the airport, and although the nearby Walmart had Claro cards, when we tried to set up the service there was no English option on the menu, so we went to the front desk of the hotel to translate, and it then turned out we had to go to a bank to authorize the purchase. We finally met with success two days later in La Fortuna, at Kolbi office, where an agent set us up. 

In general, food and drink in Costa Rica was on the pricier side. Roadside Sodas offered the best value. My favourite breakfast was gallo pinto with coffee; and for lunch, grilled meat with fresh vegetables and a batido (smoothie). Restaurants were only slightly cheaper than dining out in Toronto, but the food  was delicious. In more touristy areas, you could order your meals and cocktails under a beach umbrella with table service. We didn't often prepare meals at 'home,' but markets and supermarkets were easily available, and I wondered if residents had better prices at the check-out than gringos passing through.

The tours usually numbered ten people or so. That is how we learned about cloud forest orchids, farming coffee*sugar cane*chocolate, saw night time jungle creatures, watched dolphins playing in the ocean, and hiked through Sirena Ranger Station in Corcovado National Park. Guides spoke excellent English, were highly knowledgable, and very engaging.

Between the travel days and guided tours, this was a very active vacation, but it wasn't hard to relax and chill on the beaches. And what gorgeous beaches! On Nicoya, in Manuel Antonio, on the Osa Peninsula. Just sitting by the water and enjoying the sound of the surf, watching the changing tides and awaiting stunning sunsets.