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.

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

Take the 11:30 bus from Cariari to La Pavona  where a boat will be waiting for this bus.  It’s called the Clic boat.  This boat takes you to the village of Tortuguero.

I’d like to share a very nice story with you about a young man named Daryl Loth who along with his Costa Rican wife own and operate  Casa Marbella Bed and Breakfast Hotel in the village of Tortuguero.  Darly came to Tortuguero has a volunteer at a Canadian Biological station.  He loved it so much that he stayed.  He meet a young Costa Rican woman, feel in love, and married.  They now have two children ages 9 and 7.

The B&B is quaint, offers a full Caribbean style breakfast, comfortable rooms, and Daryl will be your personal guide during your stay.  Which is great for you because he knows the area, where the wildlife are located, and when the green sea turtles come upon shore to lay their eggs.  The room rates are very reasonable at around $40 for a double occupancy.

Daryl will show you around Tortuguero village, a small quaint village  right on the Tortuguero canals located on the northern Caribbean

Casa Marbella B&B Tortuguero Costa Rica

coastline of Costa Rica.   Life is slow and easy here, no cars since access is by boat or air.   Only a few hundred people live here because it is so remote.  Tourism and fishing are the two industries here.   There is a small airstrip where  Costa Rica carriers (Sansa Air  and Nature Air)  fly people in and out.

Rains a lot in Tortuguero Village all year round.  The beaches have a beige colored sand and are quite beautiful but are not suitable for swimming.  The surf is very very strong and undertow is dangerous.

Biggest tourist attraction here are the Tortuguero Canals, narrow inland paths of water filled with crocodiles,  small turtles, Jesus Christ Lizards, howler monkeys, Toucans, wild banana trees, and a gorgeous rain forest which grows all the way up to the banks of the canals.

To learn more about how to get to Tortuguero and what to see and do go to

www.tortuguerovillage.com

Map Las Baulas National Marine Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

SPEAK FOR THESE CREATURES WHICH CAN NOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

The leatherback sea turtle is the world’s largest sea turtle and is in danger of becoming extinct. In Costa Rica, it nests on the beaches of Tortuguero National Park during  the months of March through May.  One can go with a park ranger at night to see these turtles nesting but you may not take photos  because the light disturbs the turtles.    These turtles have survived for over one hundred million years but now are considered endangered and are under protection because their numbers are decreasing around the world.  The Leatherback sea turtle can be found in every ocean in the world except the Arctic Ocean and and Antarctic  Ocean.

If you are vacationing in Costa Rica during the months of February through May you have a great chance to see Leatherback sea turtle  nesting in the southern Caribbean coastlines of Costa Rica.  Especially in a protected area called Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve on the very southern tip of Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coastline.

Also the Leatherback sea turtle  nests on the Northwestern Pacific beaches of Costa Rica in large number in Las Baulas National Park during the months of November through April.
This area is especially popular with tourists because  it is near by the popular tourist town of Tamarindo where tourist from all over world come to enjoy the sunshine and the warm Pacific Ocean.

There are many reasons that the Leatherback sea turtle is endangered.  1.  Eggs are stolen from the nesting sites for consumption by the locals.  They claim the eggs are  aphrodisiacs.
Killed in fishing lines and struck by boats.  3. Coastal developments damage and destroy nesting sites.  Examples of this is homes and condos being built along the beach, bringing  large numbers of people who interfere with the turtles nesting rituals.
4. Global Warming which warms the temperatures of the oceans is affecting the food supply of the leatherback.  Also,  large amounts of plastics are  being dumped into  the oceans by boats and the leatherback sea turtle  thinks it is good to eat, but it is very harmful to the turtles digestive system.

It is estimated that only one in one thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood.

How can We  help Protect the Leatherback Sea Turtle? By joining the efforts of The World Wildlife Fund  which works with fisheries around the world to decrease the numbers being caught.  Also local communities ban together and protect critical nesting sites.  We see this in Tortuguero, Costa Rica on the Northwest Caribbean Coast and  also in the Northwestern Beaches of Guanacaste where the Costa Rica government has established the Las Baulas National Park to work with the locals to protect these turtles and also to give tourist an opportunity to learn about the world’s largest marine turtle.

Tourism to Costa Rica has brought a large number of dollars into the country and  part of this money  has been used wisely by the Costa Rican government to help develop these National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.    Costa Rica Learn strives to provide those of you thinking of a vacation in Costa Rica with on going helpful travel tips and other valuable information on travel to Costa Rica.  Our information  is categorized on page one of our web page.  so please check out these categories to find information on your  topic of interest.

It is difficult to realize just how large the leatherback sea turtle is by looking at the photo below.  They can grow to a shell length  of 1.7 meters and weight up to 900 kg (approx 2,000 lb). Indeed the largest sea turtle on earth!

Learn more about Las Baulas National Marine Park at  www.costarica-nationalparks.com/lasbaulasnational marinepark.html

Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle, Costa Rica

While working many years  as a travel agent specializing in Costa Rica, I have had the opportunity to explore most of this small unique country , now on the forefront of  “World Ecotourism”

I have my special places which I feel are the most Unique  ecotourism destinations for the nature lover  traveling to Costa Rica , and I highly recommend them to every ecotourist.

Nature Lover’s Paradise:  Unique ecotourism Destinations

1. Tortuguero national park on the Caribbean (Atlanta) side of Costa Rica.   Please read my extensive article ( with photos) on Mawamba Lodge and the Tortuguero Canals.  Go to page one of  www.costaricalearn.com  go to the search box and type in tortuguero canals.

Or find them on the web  www.grupomawamba.com

2. Poas Volcano National Park, approximately 15 miles north of Alajuela in the “central valley”  Poas is inactive at the moment.  It is a very large geyser.  You can look down into the geyser which is spectacular.  It is a large blue-green gurgling pool of hot steam.  Please read my extensive article with photos about Poas Volcano.  Go the page 1 of costaricalearn  to the search box, upper right hand side,   Type in Poas Volcano.   OR on the web  www.costa-rica-guide.com/parks/poas.htm

3. Doka Plantation Four Generations Coffee Tour,  Costa Rica , on the road to Poas Volcano, five miles outside of Alajuela.  A must do tour.  Learn all about coffee, how it is hand picked, processed, and packaged up according to its quality.  Taste several varieties and make your own decision and take some  home with  you. Check them out on the web www.dokaestate.com

4. Arenal Volcano National Park and Arenal Lake, Costa Rica.  Most popular tourist destination in Costa Rica.  Read all about it by going to page 1 and in the search box at top of page on right- type Arenal Volcano National Park or find them on the

web   www.costa-rica-guide.com/Natural/Arenal.html

5. Rincon de la Vieja National Park, in north central Costa Rica    A very unique destination!  Please go to page 1 of costaricalearn.  Go to the search box at the top of the page and type in rincon de la vieja.  There you will see my extensive article on this volcano along with photos.

OR find it on the web   www.costarica-nationalparks.com/rincondelaviejanationalpark.html

6. Corcovado National Park and Cano Island  south western Pacific.  One of the most remote national park in Costa Rica.  Filled with wildlife and birds.  Here you will experience a primary   rain forest with unusual trees,  some with buttress of 4 meters in diameter.  It is recommended to explore this park with a guide.  Do not go in alone.  It is dense and unforgiving.  Cano Island can be reached by boat thru a tour company-located out of the jungle lodges around Corcovado.  Uninhabited , Cano Island is a reminder of Robinson Crusoe.  With beautiful long stretches of unspoiled beaches to stroll upon. It is a day trip from the mainland.  One cannot sleep on the island.   Read more about Corcovado on the web     www.costarica-nationalparks.com/corcovadonationalpark.html

Special Interest tours- can be done in 1/2 day or 1 day

1. Rancho Margot- Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal  This is a self sustaining ranch  (learning center) where all the food is grown organically, electricity is by water powered generator,  setting  is a unique rain forest with views to Lake Arenal and a mighty river runs  through the middle of the property.  This is a nature lovers paradise. Take a guided tour of the ranch or  horseback ride to the summit with magnificent views of Lake Arenal.    The ranch has several very nice bungalows to house their guest and an excellent restaurant.  It also has a yoga center situated on the banks of the river.  You can learn all about this unique place on the web  www.ranchomargot.org please read my in depth article  (with photos)   Go to page one of costaricalearn , top right is the search box.  Type in Rancho Margot

2. Sloth refuge, Aviarios  del Caribe located  approx. 19  miles south of Limon on the Caribbean  coast.  Here injured sloths are nursed back  to health  and released into their natural habitat in the Costa Rica jungle.  Judy and her husband Larry, creators of this refuge, offer a tour for around $14 per person.  You see the baby sloths and learn first hand about the strange creature’s life style.   Buttercup, a mature sloth rescued from the middle of the highway when she was only a few months old,  is the star of the refuge. This is indeed a unique place.  Please read my more detailed article (with photos) on Aviarios del Caribe.  Go to the first page of costaricalearn , the search box  at top of page type in Aviarios del Caribe sloth refuge costa rica.

Or find them on the web www.slothrescue.org