Costa Rica: Sea Turtles, Canyoning, and Walking in the Clouds
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I don’t actually remember feeling extreme wanderlust before going to Costa Rica. I did not choose a career based on any reasonable factors, like income potential, and did not expect to be able to afford many adventures. But after a few years of full-time employment, I decided I could afford to give myself a great birthday present – a trip to Costa Rica!
As international destinations go, Costa Rica is pretty affordable. It’s a great country to dip your toes into a new culture without being overwhelmed. The country gets plenty of tourism, and the supporting infrastructure provides lots of options to a new traveler. And so a friend and I planned to meet in San Jose and spend 9 days exploring Tortuguero, La Fortuna (Arenal), and Monteverde.
Do you know how, when taking a first trip to Italy, almost everyone goes to Venice, Florence, and Rome? Well, we followed the Costa Rican version of that itinerary. If this isn’t the most popular triad of destinations in Costa Rica, I’d assume it’s only second to La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio.
We flew into San Jose, which is a great place for people-watching. Our hotel lobby was a busy place with interesting couples passing through. (Also, to make an observation that is in not in any way related to the preceding statement: prostitution is legal here.)
Tortuguero and the Riverboat Francesca
Early on our first morning, we were picked up by our shuttle from our chosen tour company, Riverboat Francesca. We rode to the docks in Moín, where a small boat awaited for our tiny group of only 5 people. A trip to Tortuguero National Park includes several hours of scenic boating through forested canals. Miles of marshy edges provide a fantastic opportunity for wildlife sightings.
The size of our group was a tremendous asset as we saw a great diversity of wildlife. This was my first time seeing any birds outside of the United States. We spotted herons, flycatchers, and kingfishers. I simply adored watching the jacana walking among water lilies. I even saw my first crocodile. Our driver/guide had a great eye for the local fauna, and we were excited to see a two-toed sloth hanging from the branches above us.
I spent much of the daylight hours birding. And since this was my first visit to Central America, I did a pretty good job of picking up lifers on my own! (Honestly, anyone could pick up lifers when they’re dramatic, loud birds like Oropendola.) We also were treated to another local boat ride through the canals, which was particularly memorable due to the sudden deluge leaving us all sopping wet and keeping most critters at bay.
We did wander to the town of Tortuguero to explore a bit. Most of the allure of Tortuguero, the “land of turtles”, comes from its importance as a nesting site for many sea turtle species – especially Atlantic Greens and Leatherbacks. It is a very small area, but it offers a nice information center about this history of sea turtle conservation in the area. We even spent an evening watching hatchling green sea turtles emerge from their nest and crawl toward the waves.
Arenal
Eventually, we departed Tortuguero to head toward La Fortuna – the town adjacent to Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal. This area provides many opportunities for relaxation and adventure, so we’d planned several activities for our time here. Our accommodations, at the Hotel Silencio del Campo, were adorable – little duplex cabins situated on beautiful gardens with a fantastic view of the nearby Arenal Volcano.
At the breakfast area, bare branches were staked upright in the ground with fruit impaled on each twig. As odd as it sounds, this was a fantastic feature. These clever feeders were a perfect draw for the fruit-loving birds in the area. We ate breakfast each morning surrounded by colorful tanagers and woodpeckers. A short walk around the property resulted in seeing more tanagers, and hummingbirds, and honeycreepers.
At Arenal Volcano National Park, we hiked up to the volcano through forests and along old lava fields. Bird Alert: We saw a keel-billed toucan as we turned to walk back down the path. This is basically Toucan Sam, y’all – it’s a very cool bird! This area is nice to explore with giant trees that you won’t see back home.
We spent an evening at a great hot spring facility near our hotel. There were staggered ponds, each increasing in temperature as we climbed higher along the pools. Natural forests surround the hot spring area and lend a secluded feeling despite a decent number of people. I had never been to a hot springs before, but it was a lot of fun. It’s a popular activity in the La Fortuna area and there are likely many close options for anyone, regardless of location.
The Best Day
I thought the most amusing way to celebrate my 30th birthday would be by throwing myself off a cliff, so we spent the day canyoning! We down-hiked through small falls and rappelled from high platforms, visiting waterfalls along the way. Yet again, I had never done anything like this before, but I loved it.
The guided tour, provided by Desafio Adventure Co. , lasted most of the morning and included lunch before being transported back to our lodge. The canyon was a beautiful setting for the day. And the guides were really entertaining and always made us feel safe, which is why I’d recommend this type of adventure for anyone who’s reasonably healthy and not terrified of heights.
A Little Birding, Too
My non-birder friend was willing to join me for a half-day of birding in the Arenal area. I know, I was surprised by this, too! We were picked up by a local company and whisked away for an exciting birdy adventure that ended about 30 minutes later, when we were deposited at our lodge with apologies for the downpour. Absolutely no birds were going to be seen in that weather. Birds ain’t crazy.
Just a few short moments later, the rain stopped. And the bird guides reappeared to insist we continue birding! It was bird magic! We saw quite a few fun species – some cuckoos, a double-toothed kite, and several new tanagers. No joke, even more tanagers – there are a ton of tanagers!
This activity was arranged through our hotel, which is another reason I’d recommend Hotel Silencio del Campo. It wasn’t the most glorious day to bird, but the company really went above and beyond to make sure we had a pleasant, productive birding experience. It’s difficult to recall that type of customer service experience with anything but fondness, regardless of the weather.
Getting to Monteverde
Our next, and final, destination was Monteverde. We used a national transportation system to get to/from each area, so in this particular transition we’d be taking a taxi-boat-taxi option to get us across Lake Arenal then up into the mountains. It’s a nice option, because it includes a boat ride.
But it also includes a shuttle transport along a two-lane dirt road that looks very much like a one-lane dirt road. The way you can tell it’s a two-lane dirt road is that other large passenger shuttles will suddenly pass by you going in the opposite direction, and it will almost feel as though those passengers are actually sitting in your lap. They’re close. Very close. Too close. Close your eyes and hope you survive, that’s what I’m trying to say.
Moving on…
Monteverde
What to say about Monteverde? The reason everyone goes to Monteverde is that everyone should go to Monteverde. It’s lovely.
There are several multi-activity venues that are likely to appeal to tourists and families. There are hummingbird gardens, ziplines, canopy walks, and night hikes. And the actual little community of Monteverde offers local coffee and cheese production tours. But the real treasure of Monteverde is, of course, the green mountainous cloud forests dominating the landscape.
We started our time in the area with a rainy trip to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, which is north of the small town of Santa Elena. The Reserve provides some trails and has a small entrance center with hummingbird gardens. While we were at this forest, hardly any other visitors were there at all. It was pouring rain most of the time, but we explored the trails and tried not to fall on our faces.
It was beautifully lush and peaceful, although we were admittedly a couple of drowned rats by the end of our visit. The weather did not dampen our moods, though. We watched all sorts of hummingbirds perform some sort of glorious and entertaining intimidation games at the feeders. The biggest ones always won, in case anyone is wondering.
We followed our time at the Reserve with ziplining at Selvature Adventure Park. There are multiple zipline options in Costa Rica, many of the facilities trying to race to become the biggest, tallest, or fastest. Most of the facilities were fairly similar in price, so I picked this one due to its convenient location near the Santa Elena Reserve.
The weather did start to clear. We weren’t ziplining in the rain, although we did start the adventure with clouds beneath us! The cables are long/fast here, fast enough that it requires wearing thick plastic parkas to protect clothing from the oil on the cables. And since it is so fast, it’s hard to really enjoy any great views. The guides were pretty good though, and we did have a good time – especially once the sun made its debut for the day. This wasn’t my favorite activity of the trip, though. If I did it again, I’d probably be less interested in speed and more interested in scenery.
Natural Highlights
The next day, we headed to the end of the road, to explore the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. There was a line of people waiting for entry, but admission includes a naturalist guide. Small groups are taken around the property to hear about the cloud forest ecosystem and see native flora and fauna.
This was an exciting destination for me, as the Costa Rica Golden Toad is the stuff of legend – but a legend in most of our lifetimes.
It was a beautiful toad, found only in a very small area of this very cloud forest. During breeding periods, scientists documented thousands. And then they simply disappeared, basically within two years. It’s not entirely clear the cause (I’d encourage anyone reading to google chytrid fungus if you’re at all curious). They were finally designated as “extinct” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004 – after 25 years of fruitless searches.
This toad (along with the intact habitat of the cloud forest and other wildlife like the Resplendent Quetzal) lent to the lasting legacy of this reserve. Here we marvel at the natural world – and acknowledge the wonders we’ve lost.
When the first bird your naturalist identifies is an Emerald Toucanet (it’s on the cover of my bird guide to Costa Rica), it’s a positive sign. We saw many birds – a mixed flock of warblers, more tanagers, and woodcreepers. The absolute highlight of the day was a male Respledent Quetzal, sporting a ruby breast and belly and a vivid emerald back. We watched it foraging in the branches. Its brilliant colors flashed as it moved between the branches. His breeding tail feathers would be almost absurdly long, yet slender and delicate. It’s just a stunning bird – one of those that has inspired cultures (Aztec and Maya, in this case) and nations (the currency in Guatemala? the quetzal).
I feel bad for any guide who sees that bird mid-walk and then has to pretend that there’s something else that will in any way be exciting again, ever. Luckily, people like me generally do have short attention spans and are fairly easy to entertain. Squirrel! So our guide found a roosting Mottled Owl. Everyone was able to appreciate the owl, hidden just overhead, using a spotting scope.
And once the walk ended, we wandered to the entrance to the hummingbird gardens. Here were saw even more hummingbirds than at Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and some seemingly confused bananaquit camped on the feeders. They’re very cute, despite not at all being hummingbirds.
Más Pura Vida
Costa Rica is a great destination for people who aren’t as comfortable with international travel. Lots of travelers visit, so use of English is common. The infrastructure for tourism means comfortable lodging and approachable meal options for anyone. And the Interbus shuttle system, although maybe a little pricier, allows anyone to hop from town to town without driving a rental car on unfamiliar roads.
Every location we visited in Costa Rica was worth the visit. I’d love to return to Tortuguero. I’d go another time of the year – perhaps to see leatherbacks during nesting? And there are several other locations that I’d like to explore, like the Osa Peninsula (in the south) or Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. As much as I always want to experience new destinations, it’s very likely I’ll go back to Costa Rica someday. If I don’t make it there for another outdoor adventure, I suspect a genuine birding trip will be needed.
My photographic skills, while still amateur, have improved a little bit in recent years, too. If nothing else, I need better photos of the birds and sea turtles of Costa Rica. They certainly are worthy of the attention!
