Costa Rica's first woman president Laura Chinchilla
Congratulations to Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica’s first woman president, elected with 46% of the votes cast, sixty years after women were first allowed to vote in Costa Rica. Ms Chinchilla was Oscar Arias’ Vice President and Minister of Justice. She pledges to put security at the top of her agenda. She also pledged to support education and strengthen the National Health Care System in Costa Rica, and improve the protection and conservation of the environment.
Ms. Chinchilla is considered one of the most conservative Costa Rican politicians concerning many social issues. She is against abortion and against granting civil recognition for homosexual couples. She opposed any amendment to the constitution aimed at separation of church and state. The constitution currently defines Costa Rica as a Roman Catholic nation.
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Giant Fern Tree Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Monteverde Costa Rica is filled with tourist from all over the world from January through March which is the time it rains less. It is located high in the cloudy rain forest, atop the continental divide and about 110 miles from San Jose, the capital city. The only access is by road and the road (from the Interamerican highway (highway 1) is about 26 miles (43 km) of dirt, rocks and gravel taking over one hour to navigate. How to get to Monteverde? Take the Interamerican Highway north. 22 miles past the Puntarenas turnoff–on the Interamerican Highway are signs which are not easy to see so go slow and look carefully. If you get to the Lagarto River you have gone too far. It will be a right turn onto a dirt and gravel road going for 26 miles winding up into the Cordillera de Tiliran mountain range until you arrive to the small town of Santa Elena (Monteverde) Allow 4 hours drive from San Jose and do not do the drive at night.
A group of Quakers from Alabama came to settle here in the 1950s as a place free from militarism. They supported themselves by making cheese from the milk cows they raised. Today this cheese is famous all over Costa Rica and can be purchased in most of the local grocery stores.
The infrastructure in and around Monteverde is basic. Many of the roads remain unpaved. You feel very peaceful here because it does have feel over developed by large hotel chains. The accommodations are small and many of them are locally run. The more upscale is the Hotel Sapo Dorado, Pension Heliconia, and Hotel Belmar. Also you will find many smaller pension type accommodations run by the locals.
What are the big attractions here? 1. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve- This reserve is home to the Resplendent Quetzal, the most spectacular bird in the tropics. It is a large bird with long iridescent green tail feathers. The Mayan people of Guatemala believed the Quetzal to be the “Bird of Life” and symbolized supreme freedom. These birds are not easy to spot and one should hire a local guide if you want to see one.
2. And of course you will find tourist attractions such as zip line tours (Canopy Tours) and walks over swinging bridges, butterfly farms, hummingbird gallery, snake exhibits, orchid gardens, horseback riding, and the Quaker cheese factory tour. You should stay a minimum of three nights to experience this place.
The weather is very cool and humid since it is in a cloud forest so you need a rain jacket and warm clothes plus very comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots.
Many restaurants are scattered around town. And most hotels include a full breakfast in their room price. Unique is the homemade granola made fresh daily from 100% locally grown ingredients. If you are there on the weekend be sure to go to the Santa Elena local farmers market where you will find all the home grown vegetables and fruits. Many of them are organically grown, plus you can interact with the locals.
Monteverde has some very nice art galleries, feathering beautiful work by local artisans. Just ask at your hotel. This is a small community and the galleries are easy to locate.
Monteverde is also famous for the “Golden Toads” which are now believed to be extinct. Scientist do not know why but speculate that a fungus killed them.
If you are traveling to Costa Rica and are looking for a laid back destination to experience the rain forest and unspoiled natural beauty then put Monteverde on your itinerary. Tips: 1. Rains a lot here especially August, Sept, Oct. Best to visit January through April when it rains less. Also more tourist come in these months and there is more activity-restaurants etc. 2. You need a 4×4 if you are renting a vehicle to drive there. 3. public bus goes daily to Monteverde from San Jose and back to San Jose.
I would spend the money and hire a local guide who knows where all the birds and wildlife can be located.
Golden Frog, Gold Museum, San Jose Costa Rica
The National Theater located in the heart of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital city is an architectural gem. It is a copy of the famous Paris Opera House. If you are traveling to Costa Rica on vacation and are in San Jose be sure and go see it or even better attend a performance. Costa Rica’s symphony orchestra plays on Friday evenings during symphony season.
The theater was built in 1897 when the wealthy coffee barons of Costa Rica decided they needed an appropriate stage for operas coming from Europe. The first opera performed was a magnificent performance of Faust and was attended by the President and a select, finely dressed audience.
In the rear of the National Theater is the Gold Museum, which houses hundreds of pre Colombian gold artifacts, some of which date back to 500 years B.C. Definitely this is one of the best museums in San Jose so make time to visit. Takes about one hour to see it all. There is an admission fee.
Outside the National Theater is the Plaza de Cultura and is a great place just to sit and watch the people walking by. Mid-day is good when the people are on their lunch break and the streets are bustling with activity.
San Jose is not a particularly pretty city. It’s noisy with lots of buses and cars and seems unorganized. It’s hard to find your way because the streets and avenues are not well marked. Best to take a taxi which is relatively inexpensive.
Private garden on Caribbean coast of Costa Rica
I have heard many travelers to Costa Rica talk about traveling to Limon and saying, “My it is not at all an attractive town and located in such a beautiful coastline on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica with palm trees and warm Caribbean winds which blow each day. Limon is a port city and this is one reason it is so unattractive. Filled will big trucks and large containers filled with all sorts of things coming into Costa Rica and leaving Costa Rica. And the weather is hot and steamy here and rains a lot..all year round. Takes around 3.5 hours to drive to Limon from the capital city of San Jose. The road is good and very scenic winding through Braulio Carrillo National Park with its dense forests and tall mountains. You dont’ want to drive this road after dark due to the dense fog that sets in as you pass thru Braulio Carrillo National park. Then you arrive to the Atlantic lowland forest where you can immediately feel the temperatures warming and feel hot and steamy.
In the 17th century there were cocoa plantations in these Atlantic lowland areas which were worked by slaves from Africa. But in the early 1800s the cocoa production was halted. There was constant trouble from raids by pirates, English pirates from Jamaica, along with the local Miskitos (indigenous people inhabiting this area of Costa Rica.)
Today this area is planted in Bananas which is the second largest product of export for Costa Rica. Coffee is first.
Around 1871 the Costa Rican government, because of the growth of the coffee export market, decided that it needed a port of the Atlantic side to facilitae getting the coffee to Europe, so the port of Limon was established in a place that was little more than a migrant black fisherman’s village consisting of five huts. And in the same year the Atlantic Railroad was constructed which went from San Jose to Limon. Workers were brought to work on the railroad from China, Jamaica, and Italy. Today we see many Chinese, Italians, and Black people who remained in the area and made it their home.
So Limon became a banana town and a railroad town, populated mostly by blacks from Jamaica and Chinese. These people who worked on the Banana plantations were no given any rights of citizenship by the Costa Rica government. They were not allowed to move from this area and go to work in San Jose or any other towns of Costa Rica. However, today the story is quite different and they are full fledged citizens of Costa Rica and work where ever they can find work.
“SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY”
Tourism is a big thing if you travel south of Limon on the coastal road. Most of these roads are in great need of repair but the landscape along the beaches is beautiful with palm trees swaying in the tropical wind. You don’t see large fancy hotel complexes here, just small hotels. The weather is not really suitable to draw the big crowds of tourist to the sun because it rains here all year round. Life seems very laid back , no one in a hurry. Lots of people of all ages riding bicycles. “Just summer time and the living is easy” There is lots of wildlife here such as sloths, howler monkeys, and so many colorful tropical birds! The flowers and shrubs are so unique…no seen in any other parts of Costa Rica.
Costaricalearn.com filmed the Tortuguero Canals and Tortuguero National Park and the inhabitants there. This National Park is located a few miles north of Limon. You can see it on our video “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular Video.” Just go to home page and there see the 2 minute trailor and if you would like your own full length copy, you can order it there.
Costa Rica is not a Caribbean Island but the center of the Central American Isthmus. Traveling around in Costa Rica you would think that you are in a large country and you think it might take months to explore it all. But it reality it’s land mass is only 20,000 square miles and one of the smallest countries in Latin America. Costa Rica is bordered to the east by the Caribbean Sea and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. To the north by Nicaragua and to the south by Panama. Costa Rica is more diverse than any place it’s size on the face of the earth. It is divided into several distinct regions and each of these regions looks and feels as an entirely different place.
Costa Rica attracts an international community of visitors: Conservationist, biologist, birdwatchers, environmentalists, naturalists, and tourists who are ecologically minded.
Three mountain ranges transverse Costa Rica from the northwest to the southeast: the Guanacaste range, the Central, and then the Talamanca. And the highest peak is Chirripo at 12,500 feet in altitude.
Then there is the network of rivers which rise from the mountains and flow to the sea on both coasts. And provide a seemingly endless supply of fresh water and hydraulic power.
The soil in the Central Valley is very rich due to the volcanic ash falling over the centuries, and is ideal for the production of coffee, which is Costa Rica’s number one export.
Although Costa Rica has several extinct volcanoes several remain active such as the Poas, the Arenal, the Turrialba, and the Irazu. The most active is the Arenal which spurts a daily fireworks show from it’s might summit.
Most of the people of Costa Rica live in the Central Valley in the two largest cities of San Jose, the capital, and Alajuela where the international airport is located. The elevation here ranges from 1500 feet to 4,500 feet which makes the climate very nice and relatively pleasant and cool.
Near the coastlines the temperatures are much warmer, averaging around eighty degrees. But there seems to always be an ocean breeze to help cool things off.
Costa Rica gets a lot of rainfall and that is why it has such gorgeous rain forest. The rain comes around mid May and lasts until the end of November although very often you will get sunny mornings with the rain coming around 2 pm. The dry season is December through April when most of the days are sunny and cooler. However there are different ecosystems in Costa Rica. The Caribbean coastlines gets a lot more rain all year round. And Guanacaste on the northwestern part of the country gets a lot less rainfall year round. That is way the large mega hotels for beach lovers are located on this NW Pacific coastlines of Guanacaste.
So the unique thing about Costa Rica’s climate is that you can be in a very cool place at a higher altitude with a fireplace and then a day later be at the beach in the warm sunshine where the temperature is around 80 degrees F.
Costa Rica’s government has been very wise in setting aside over twenty percent of it’s land in National Parks and Wildlife Reserves which to date are more than thirty. No other country in the world comes close to such a statistic. Other astounding statistics: Almost a million different species of flora and fauna, fifty thousand species of insects, eighty hundred and fifty species birds, two thousand species of orchids.
Of the the first naturalists to help protect Costa Rica’s rain forest was Swedish couple named Nils and Olaf Wessberg who came to Costa Rica in 1955 and settled on a farm near Montezuma on the Nicoya peninsula. The built a home of paln leaves, determined to live in harmony with nature. They watched all around them with dismay as the virgin rain forest was cut down, so they became activists and raised money to purchase the land ($30,000) 2,930 acres which today constitutes Cabo Blanco Strict Nature Reserve.
A student of Costa Rica forestry named Mario Boza was effective in movement to establish Santa Rosa National park which is located in the Northwestern province of Guanacaste. This was Costa Rica’s first National Park, created in 1969.
Rodrigo Carazo, president of Costa Rica from 1978-1982 said, “The National parks are splendid natural laboratories which we offer to the international scientific community and also to young children and to adults, young and old, to visit these parks and enjoy direst contact with nature in it’s pristine state.”
Giant fern tree in Costa Rica's Rain forest
850 different species of birds in Costa Rica
If you would like to see Costa Rica up close please go to the home page of costaricalearn.com and there you may order our full length 58 minute travel adventure video on Costa Rica’s natural wonders and vast biodiversity. Listen to the interviews of three couples who have made Costa Rica their new home and why they love it so much. It is filmed by Ken and Ann Creed. It is named “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular Video”Ken is a professional videographer and has worked done travel adventure films which have been presented for National Geographic.
Can't Believe. It's a Blue Tarantula!!
Yes there are Tarantulas in Costa Rica! But are they dangerous? I have always been told, when inquiring, that Tarantulas found in Costa Rica are not deadly but if they happen to bite you, “0uch!” The experience results in a great deal of pain. Also if they urinate on you, it will cause extreme irritatioin of the skin.
Tarantulas of different sizes live in Costa Rica, some live in banana plants, others live in holes in the earth. I saw one in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve which was around 3 inches in diameter, and it lived in a large black hole in the earth. And you can bet I did not get close to it!
I lived in Cariari neighborhood near the international airport in Costa Rica and a tarantula, about one inches in diameter, lived in a hole in the grasses in my backyard. The Tarantula crept into my kitchen around 8 pm to munch of the crumbs I had dropped on the floor. I scooped him up and returned him to the grass but he kept coming back each night. My young son was visiting and offered advice as to how to remedy the Tarantula visits such as keeping the kitchen floor spotless. But this did not stop the visits. Finally I put him in my dust pan, then walked two blocks from my house and put him in the grasses there. No more Tarantula visits.
I am very afraid of spiders, especially Tarantulas. Guess it’s because they are big and hairy. As a child I had nightmares about spiders. So living in the land of Tarantulas was to say the least a little frightening.
I read a story in the NY Times Travel section about a guy who had a pet Tarantula, which he thought was fun and not the least bit aggressive. Well, he was cleaning the spider’s cage one day and I suppose the Tarantula had rather been left to rest. The Tarantula scratched his stomach and hundreds of tiny hairs sprayed all around, some going into the owners eye. And to the hospital he went, requiring surgery to cleanse the eye of these tiny hairs.
I have never heard of a cobalt blue Tarantula in Costa Rica, but that does not mean that there is not one in Costa Rica!! After all isn’t everything in the tropics is very colorful?
Tarantula!!
Papayas in Arenal Region
“My Best Acquaintances are Those With with Whom I Speak No Words”
I never tire of visiting The Arenal Volcano National park in Costa Rica. This is truly a place to reach out and touch nature, peaceful and quiet with only the sounds of the mighty Arenal huffing and puffing it’s hot lava from it’s giant mouth. Each time I visit I learn something new and different and extremely interesting about the park and the ecosystem surrounding it. A big question is : why is there a cloud cover over the summit of the volcano–most of the time? First, there is a lot of rain-all year round- in the San Carlos Valley where the volcano is located. And also scientist say that the volcano creates it’s own ecosystem. Constantly puffing not steam and hot lava rocks into the atmosphere.
So it is a lucky visitor who gets to see the entire volcano without the cloud cover. The best time to see it is to get up at sunrise to see it when the cloud cover has not yet moved over it’s summit. up until around 10 a.m. you may have a good chance of seeing it. Also the north face of the volcano (from Lake Arenal) is a better chance of a better view.
People ask me, what month should I visit to be able to see Arenal Volcano. March is a drier month, with less rainfall. Although there is no dry or rainy season around the volcano. The lush rain forests give testimony to the abundant rainfall…all year round.
This rainfall brings the beautiful tropical flowers and abundant crops this region is so famous for. There are papayas, pineapple, coconuts, bananas, and platanos. Plants grow so fast here that farms have been established to grow and export ornamental plants, many of them to the United States and Europe.
And there is the hot mineral springs that flow from deep inside the base of Arenal. Such soothing waters! A sure cure for the aching muscles after a long hike.
One of my favorite activities is to get up a 5:30 am as the sun is rising and go birdwatching. Early in the morning the birds are singing and flying through the trees. I saw tow different species of Toucans. I was hoping for a scarlet macaw but was informed that the scarlets are not normally found in this region.
And my other favorite activity is to take my digital camera and capture the Volcano, which is not an easy task. My best photograph is from a boat on the Arenal Lake taken about 8:30 am. Lots of dark brown marine birds flew over and the volcano was in the back drop..with no clouds covering! I got lucky.
When I visit Arenal Volcano National park, I like to stay a least four nights or longer. I always find interesting things to see and do. From taking a hike inside the National park to a horseback ride on a farm near by.
Traveling to Costa Rica? I highly recommend the area of La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park, a unique place to visit!
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Ostional Costa Rica
“The Phases of the Moon, Rainfall, and Black Volcanic Sand of the Beaches at Ostional” “Arribada”
Traveling to Costa Rica and want to see the nesting rituals of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle? Then come in the months of August through December when there is more rainfall on the central Pacific Nicoya Peninsula at a place called Ostional Beach. It is located near the town of Nosara.
A phenomenon called “arribada” occurs. This is a Spanish word meaning arrival. Hundreds or even thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive upon these dark sandy beaches to nest and lay their eggs.
The largest arribada recorded was in 1995 when 500,000 turtles came onto this fifteen km stretch of beach and laid up to ten million eggs.
The Costa Rican gov has established a protected area for these sea turtles called The Ostional Wildlife Refuge.
After 45-55 days the eggs hatch and the small turtles race to the ocean. After approx 15 years these same turtles return to this place of their birth and lay their eggs into the black volcanic sands of Ostional.
Read more about this phenomenon at www. nicoyapenninsula.com
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Early morning kayaking,Tortuguero Canals Costa Rica
“A Simple Place in A Natural Setting”
Casa Marbella Bed and Breakfast is in the heart of Tortuguero village, Costa Rica. Owner Daryl Loth can provide extensive directions on how to get to the inn via a combination of public buses and water taxis. Visitors can ask boats to drop them off on Casa Marbella’s back dock, right on the canal. Local airlines Nature Air and Sansa also serve Tortuguero.
Casa Marbella Bed and Breakfast hotel in Tortuguero Costa Rica offers reasonable room rates. The best rooms are upstairs where you feel the tropical breeze and hear the ocean surf. From July 1 to Oct. 30 and Dec. 1 to April 30, singles are $35, doubles are $40 and triples are $50; the rest of the year, subtract $5. There are also two superior rooms with a canal view on the first and second floor for $50 and $60, respectively, year-round. Contact the inn to inquire about rates for a family room with a double bed and three single beds. Rates include taxes and full breakfast served between 7 and 10 a.m. There are no ATMs in Tortuguero and the inn does not accept credit cards, so plan accordingly.
Loth leads morning boat tours of the canals for $20 (plus $10 admission to Tortuguero National Park) and can arrange evening turtle-spotting tours for $20.
“We run the kind of place we’d want to stay in – clean and laid back,” Loth said.
Loth is being modest. Casa Marbella is an immaculate, relaxing and affordable jewel, run by an owner renowned for his local knowledge. Guests at more expensive lodges might consider whether their pricier accommodations buy them the personal attention or wildlife expertise that a stay at Casa Marbella provides – and that make a visit to Tortuguero such a special experience.
The location of the inn is excellent. It sits right on Tortuguero’s signature canals, at the edge of Tortuguero National Park. The brightly painted green and yellow inn has a kitchen area where guests can conveniently store food and drinks in the refrigerator, use the microwave and borrow from the hotel’s stash of guidebooks.
Overlooking the canal is a covered breakfast area, where guests enjoy hearty breakfast following morning rain forest tours. The kitchen turns out scrambled eggs, pancakes or French toast, juicy mango, guava, watermelon and pineapple slices, toast, orange juice, coffee and tea. Loth said he might add hammocks to this area so guests can relax , read a book or watch the local everyday life of Tortuguero.
The inn is located on Tortuguero’s main road, across the street from the town’s church and within easy walking distance of a number of excellent Caribbean restaurants. Just a few hundred meters away is the beach, where, at night, giant sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. However, the beach is not suitable for swimming. The undertow is too great.
The rooms on the inn’s second level are bright and airy, yellow-and-white curtains framing windows that let in ample sunshine and the sound of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The downstairs rooms aren’t quite as open but boast high ceilings and can sleep two to three people. Everything is very clean. The rooms have hardwood floors, fans. Some rooms have private baths so you need to be specific when booking.
Internet access is offered in the hotel’s internet cafe.
Loth offers extensive advice and tips – including detailed instructions on traveling to Tortuguero on local buses and boats – and recommending mouthwateringly good restaurants.
Visitors don’t have to stay at Casa Marbella to take Loth’s tours. If he is not available to give a tour, he knows a number of local guides who can.
Loth is up at 4:30 a.m. most mornings to start coffee and prepare his boat for rain forest tours – his favorite kind.
Loth knows where to locate the wildlife and brings guests in close contact with howler, spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys, toucans, caimans, several varieties of heron and more. His enthusiasm is infectious, as he shares stories about the animals’ migration patterns, hunting habits and history in the region – all with a sense of humor and appreciation of the natural surroundings.
Travel tips: Rains a lot here year round…no wet or dry season…so pack a small folding umbrella and a lightweight rain jacket. Good tennis shoes which are comfortable to walk. Mosquito repellent and apply it around 4:30 pm. Do not try to go swimming in ocean, strong rip tides.
Backpack with a bottle of water, bird binoculars, camera, etc.
To learn more about Casa Marbella Tortuguero Costa Rica go to www.casamarbella.tripod.com
