PURA VIDA in Costa Rica
Pura Vida – the best family holiday in Costa RicaBefore travelling to Costa Rica, my contact in San Jose had emailed “Pura Vida Karen!” I wondered what this phrase meant exactly and on arriving, after taking the direct British Airways flight from Gatwick, we were met by our driver “Pura Vida – welcome to Costa Rica” This phrase apparently was adopted from Mexico but it sums up the good life, everything pure, wholesome and good which is what Costa Rica is and these days well wishers say it as a greeting to each other too, thankful for the life they have. Costa Rica is a country with just 5 million inhabitants and over 25% of the land is protected by national parks and forests, it’s no wonder the landscape and the locals are content with their lot.
My trip started in the volcano territory of Arenal. In fact, most of Costa Rica is volcano country – there are over 200 of them in total but not all active. Arenal is an active one and last erupted in 2010 – there has been a fair amount of volcanic activity between 1968 and 2010. It’s a beautifully symmetrical cone and has the remnants of the black lava down one side of it. We took a couple of hours to hike around the volcano base and up to the lava field. As we walked, our guide pointed out the rather frightening calls of the distant howler monkey who was being rather territorial that afternoon.
On route we spotted a poisonous yellow viper and we passed several colonies of leaf cutter ants which were fascinating – we were amazed to learn that they can carry up to 50 times their body weight in a beautifully formed procession. There appeared to be some lazy ants hitching a ride, but were informed that those ants were in fact quality controllers and if certain leaves did not make the grade, it was the controllers’ job to dump the wasted leaf at the entrance to the colony.
Our stay in Arenal was at the Arenal Springs Resort. The hotel has wonderful hot springs in the grounds, 100% natural waters, rich in mineral salts as the pools are fed from underground sources of the volcano. There is nothing better than relaxing in these waters after a long hike around the volcano. Utter heaven!
Highlight of our trip has to be the white water rafting. We organised this courtesy of Travel Excellence who helped us throughout the holiday. What a treat! The Rio Balsa rapids are ideal for those first-time white water rafters and those with some experience, as it is gentle enough for those inexperienced rafters but enough of a challenge to make it exciting.
The Rio Balsa is dam controlled, so the water levels are good generally all the time.
As well as being challenged through about 20 or so rapids, you get to enjoy the river banks wildlife and nature – monkeys, sloths, birds, frogs, iguanas to name a few. There is plenty to do around here – zip lining, hanging bridges through the forests, a visit to the waterfall to name a few ideas.
Leaving Arenal we travelled around lake Arenal - man made, it is the country’s largest landlocked body of water, with a surface that covers nearly 33 square miles. Again, there is plenty to do; water activities on offer here including windsurfing, fishing, boat tours and kayaking.
Our last stop on this trip was the fun characterful surfing town of Tamarindo. On the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, it used to be a fishing village but has grown to be quite a mecca for surfers. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastline, surrounded by National Parks. Don’t be surprised to see more howler monkeys swinging in the trees and look out for large iguanas coming up the tables expecting leftovers!
Guanacaste, the west of Costa Rica has the feel of the wild west. When driving to the river for our river safari we saw a few “sabaneros “(cowboys) who still raise horses and bulls in this particular region of Costa Rica.
A river safari up the Tempisque River, Costa Rica’s largest river, was a great opportunity to see crocodiles in the wild. As the boat gently chugs up river, the crocodiles slip into the water. Not sure if it was the season but we saw many baby crocodiles along the way, monkeys, tropical birds and more iguanas!
If I had more time, we would have stayed at the Osa Peninsula, one of the most untouched places on earth with mountainous terrain and isolated beaches. Other areas to look out for are Tortuguero National Park. That is an area of canals, lagoons and dense rainforests where you can see the turtles hatching along the Caribbean coast line.
Rain forest, cloud forest, dry forest and even mangroves (they can be called forest too, can’t they!) Costa Rica has it all. Its rich in diversity and surely offers the Pura Vida – good life for all who care to visit.
Karen Simmonds would like to thank Travel Excellence who assisted her & her family. Travel Matters offer bespoke travel arrangements to Costa Rica. Contact them 0208 675 7878 Email info@travelmatters.co.uk