These categories are listed on the right hand side of the home page of costaricalearn.com.

Best time of the year to witness this is August through December when the rainy season is heaviest in that region.   The Arribada occurs at the start of the last quarter moon during the months of August through December.  One could notice hundreds of turtles gathering close to shore several days before they begin to rush upon the sandy shores to lay their eggs.  They come out of the water all at once,  onto the sandy beach,  sometimes running over one another.  They begin in the very late afternoon and  continue coming  all night, until day light.  “Quite a sight to see”!  There they dig into the sand and lay their eggs.

road map for Ostional wildlife refuge located on Pacific side Costa Rica

Where is Ostional Wildlife Refuge located and how do I get there?   It is located on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. See map.  It can be reached by 4×4 vehicle from Nosara or from San Juanillo.   This is the province of Guanacaste, in the northwestern pacific coast of Costa Rica.   Drive from Liberia International airport in northern Costa Rica  around 1 hour and a half.  Drive from San Jose around four hours.

However in a very very heavy rainfall, the beach area may not be accessible.

If you are planning a vacation to Costa Rica and want to see first hand many of the most beautiful beaches,  rain forests, and wildlife refuges to help better plan your vacation then go to the home page of costaricalearn.com   At top of page click on buy our  costa rica travel video. You can view  the 2 min trailer of the full length  58 minute video  “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular” filmed by my husband Ken Creed whose travel adventure film credits include “Alaska” which was chosen by the National Geographic Society to be shown at  its travel adventure film series at Constitutional Hall in Washington DC.

adult sloth at Puerto Viejo on Southern Caribbean coastline

If you are thinking of traveling to Costa Rica to the Southern Caribbean Coast then you need to read all the valuable information about  this web site that I am going to tell you about.

It’s called greencoast.com and was designed and managed by a network of small hotels and locally owned tour companies of this area.  From Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo. This web site includes only community owned businesses that adhere to responsible and green minded ecotourism policies.

It’s all about:  1.  The southern Caribbean’s palm fringed beaches   2. It’s  rain forest  filled with sloths, toucans, and howler monkeys.  3. The Indigenous community of the people of Talamanca. 4. Locally owned and operated small hotels  5.  Locally owned and operated tour operators with knowledgeable local guides.

costaricalearn.com  organizes it’s information into categories which you can find on page one.  Please take a look at these categories to help you find valuable information on many topics related to Costa Rica tourism and also All About Living and Retiring in Costa Rica.

If you want to learn more about Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast  go to  www.greencoast.com

I highly recommend you reserve your car from your home country.  Don’t wait until you get to Costa Rica.   If you are planning to drive outside the central valley of San Jose and Alajuela I recommend that you rent a 4×4 vehicle.  Because some of the roads in the outlying areas are not in great shape.  You may encounter potholes and unpaved roads.

If you want to rent a minivan I recommend Toyota Rental Agency.

For all other types of vehicles there are many agencies located near the two international airports of Costa Rica.  Juan Santa Maria International near San Jose, the capital city and also Liberia International located in the northern part of Costa Rica  (in Guanacaste).

Car rental prices are quite high in Costa Rica  ( you can compare prices on the Internet) and gasoline is expensive, around $3.50 a gallon.  (In Costa Rica it is sold by the liter).  You can save a lot of money by getting the collision part of the insurance before you leave your home country through you major credit card.  I write extensively about this on my blog article under the category “Rent a Car In Costa Rica”   Please refer to that article.

People often ask me.  Should I rent a car on my vacation in Costa Rica?  And I say yes.  It is a very good way to travel at your own pace and see a lot of countryside you would not see otherwise.

The major tourist destinations in Costa Rica are easily accessible by car and most of the roads are good  (some few sections in the outlying areas have potholes).  The care rental company should provide you with a road map which is easy to follow  If you get confused in the small towns which do not have good road signs-just stop and ask.  Costa Ricans are very friendly and helpful and usually speak enough English to help you out.

Read my article on safety tips when renting a car which is located also under the category “Renting a Car in Costa Rica”

I hope this is very helpful information for you.  Please go to contact us if you are in need of further help with your efforts to rent a car on your vacation to Costa Rica.  We have organized costaricalearn so that you can search by category. So you can read about the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica simply by clicking on the category you are interested in.  Plus read about the history, culture, food, and many other aspects of Costa Rica by selecting the category.

Happy reading!  From costaricalearn.com

costa rica coffee, green beans turn to red in November

Are you planning to travel  to Costa Rica, a vacation in Costa Rica? Don’t miss the coffee!

The Ticos call the coffee white snow when in the month of May the white coffee blossoms blanket the fields of the Central Valley and it’d  sweet  jasmine fragrance  fills the air. Coffee grows best at around 4,000 feet above sea level at the cooler temperatures so the central valley slopes of the Poas and Irazu Volcanoes provide a perfect environment.

The Spanish immigrants brought coffee beans to Costa Rica from Ethiopia and Arabia.  When these seeds were first planted the plants were for ornamental use, grown to decorate patios and courtyards with their glossy green leaves, white flowers, and bright red berries.

Then the Costa Rican government seeing how well the coffee plants grew,  awarded free coffee plants and land grants to anyone willing to grow coffee.  Since the climate was perfect and the soil conditions excellent, coffee flourished and by 1840 coffee had become big business, creating an oligarchy of coffee barons who rose to positions of power and wealth.

Now coffee is Costa Rica’s number one export.  And in just about every cup of Starbuck’s coffee , you will find it contains a percentage of Costa Rica coffee beans.  If you are vacationing in Costa Rica and taste the coffee, you will taste the freshness of it.  The bean is harvested from the coffee plant, processed, and sold right here in Costa Rica..so it does not have a long shelf life.

I was lucky to be able to stay in Costa Rica for the month of July and of course drank the coffee daily.  When I returned to the US I was so disappointed at the taste of the coffee,  even the more expensive brands.  Guess it has to do with the shelf life and how old the coffee bean is when we actually buy it in US.  Best bet is to purchase the coffee beans and grind them just before putting them in the coffee maker.  And keep the bean in your freezer tightly sealed in a bag.

I have been asked, well what brand of coffee should I buy in to take home with me?   Quite honestly the bags of coffee you see on the shelves of Costa Rica grocery stores are all good.  Because they are fresh.

Recommendation:  Ask for a  plain cup of coffee with frothed milk or cream….just delicious!   Of course the capuchino is special in Costa Rica.

If time permits on your vacation to Costa Rica take one of the coffee tours located in the central valley near Alajuela and Heredia.

Learn about the Doka Estate Coffee tour located 6 miles north of Alajuela on the road to the Poas Volcano   www.dokaestate.com

Learn more about the Britt coffee tour located near the town of Heredia in the central valley     www.cafebritt.com

Here at costaricalearn.com we would love to hear you comments or questions so please at the end of this article click on comments or reply and let us hear from you about that  great cup of Costa Rican coffee!

Pilgrim in prayer on Feast Day of Virgin of Los Angeles

August 2nd each year Costa Rica celebrates it’s third  most important religious holiday, The Feast Day of the Virgin de los Angeles (Christmas and Easter being the two other most important religious holidays)

The banks  and other government buildings are closed, as well as many businesses.

This holiday is celebrated August 2nd with a pilgrimage to Cartago to  the country’s principal cathedral, the enormous Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, on the Feast Day of the Virgin of the Angeles.  (the black virgin or La Negrita).   Hundreds of thousands of people-old, young,  well and sick,  walk  to this holy place from even the most remote areas  of Costa Rica.   Many walk for more than a week. When they get to the Basilica they crawl on their knees into the church where they pray for miracles.  To heal their bodies and cleanse their souls.

According to legend, a statue of the black virgin, the Black Madonna, known as La Negrita, was found by an indigenous girl around the year 1635.  She took it home but it mysteriously reappeared on the same rock where she found it.

The rock is revered as a sacred relic and object of inspiration.  This rock was placed  in the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles in Cartago.  It is common for pilgrims to touch the rock in reverence. And the famed holy Black Virgin Statue sits on a golden alter beset with precious stones.

This year on August 2nd the Health Ministry of Costa Rica prohibited the pilgrimage because the Swine flu epidemic.

So the  pilgrims, instead of walking to Cartago, walked from the countryside to the Catholic churches in their home towns.  Here they erected  flower adorned alters with a statue of the virgin.  And  pilgrims crawled on their knees to the alter to pray for miracles.

It is common for Costa Rican mothers to name their children after the Virgin de Los Angeles.  For example a friend of mine named her little girl Xinia de los Angeles.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.  To share with our readers. And thanks for choosing costaricalearn.com

The owners are Ezequiel Ruiz and Cristina Gutierrez Sori. Ezequiel was born in Argentina and immigrated to Costa Rica where he met Cristina.   She was born in Columbia and also immigrated to Costa Rica.    They fell in love, married, and opened a small cafe  near Alajuela’s  Cathedral Agonia.  There was seating for only 10 people and  the popularity of Ezequiel and Cristina’s food spread far and wide.   Time passed, they worked hard and were able to move to a larger space.
Then came the opportunity for a new and upscale restaurant which they named Como En Casa.  In English the literal translation is “like in your own home.”   Making the decision to specialize in Argentine cuisine especially beef,  was just the right niche for Ezequiel and Cristina.

Argentine cuisine  is famous all over the world, especially the beef,  for its “all natural” fantastic flavor.  The cows are grass fed in a region known as the Pampas, a few hours outside Buenos Aires. Once populated by gauchos (the wild-living handsome Argentine cowboy) it is still the center for cattle ranches. In the small towns of this region the word for restaurant is synonymous with parrilla or parrillada.

strawberry and chocolate crepes with vanilla ice cream and a capuchino

This means that the restaurant specializes  in beef,  and the name is taken from the deep waist high grills used to cook the meat.

Como En Casa’s  architectural design is modern. All exterior walls are glass.   Exotic dark wood, mixed with earth tone colors grace the interior.   Adoring the walls are Cristina’s oil paintings reflecting life in the barrios of Buenos Aires with it’s music and melancholy lyrics of the Tango.

The menu is extensive.  And the specialty is  the grilled  steaks.  The menu is divided into the following categories:  appetizers,  salads,  grilled meats,  pasta,  and sea food, deserts,

Deserts are to die for!  I stopped in one  afternoon for coffee and choose the crepes filled with strawberries and chocolate served with vanilla ice cream.  (pictured above)  and a cup of Costa Rican capuchino.  Wow, what a delight!

The wine list is extensive in both white and red- covering many regions of Spain, Argentina, and Chile.

The wine can be purchased by the glass.

The  chef is from Alajuela and works  under the direction of Ezequiel and Cristina.  The recipes are their own, having evolved from  many years of experience and perfection.

Service is excellent with professional waiters dressed traditionally in the Argentine style black trousers and black shirt.

Prices: The head waiter states that among the best cuts is the filet mignon for $27.00. And the sirloin butt for $21.00.  These prices include all taxes and 10% tip.   The menus also offers chicken and sea food specialties.  The fabulous deserts are around $4 to $6.  And house wine is from $4-$6 a glass.

www.restaurantecomoencasa.com click here to view the full menu

Hours: Seven days a week from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.

Location: 250 meters ( 2 1/2 blocks) east of the Gas Station La Tropicana.  For those people not familiar with Alajuela:   Coming from San Jose, just before the San Jose international airport, at the big intersection take a right and then a sharp left-following  the route into Alajuela central.   Don’t make  any turns until you see McDonalds on your left and a big gas station on your right. Here is where you make a right turn- then go 2  1/2 blocks and you will see the shopping center -Plaza Real Alajuela.   Como En Casa is easily seen when you make a right turn into the shopping center.     

www.restaurantecomoencasa.com Click here for in depth information regarding the menu,  the private dining  room, and more…..

Highly recommended!!  We would love to hear your comments if you visit this unique restaurant .  Please click on no comments at the end of this post, tell us about your experience and  we will share your thoughts with our readers.  Thanks for choosing costaricalearn.com

Costa Rica's famous Sardimar tuna

“Costa Rica’s Tuna is some of the best in the world.”

Just want to share with you one of Costa Rica’s best kept secrets.  It’s the Sardimar canned tuna found in all of Costa Rica’s grocery stores .  The yellow fin tuna and black fin tuna  is caught in the Pacific waters from the northern Pacific all the way down to the Southern Pacific.

Sardimar  S.A. is the name of the company located in Puntarenas on the western central Pacific coast.  I recommend   lomo in trocitos en aceite.  Translated into English this means hunks of tuna cut up into little bite pieces and mixed in soya oil.

It makes a great tuna salad.  Finely chopped fresh onion, mixed with Lizano mayonnaise and chopped jalapeno peppers from a can , simple but delicious!  I serve it on a bed of lettuce or make  a sandwich with my favorite bread-Bimbo multigrano.  This bread has five different grains.  1. Centeno, a rice grain 2. ajonjoli which is sesame seed 3.avena which is  oats  4. trigo which is wheat  5. cebada-a white grain larger than a grain of rice.  Bimbo muligrano bread is found in the larger grocery stores in Costa Rica such as Mas Por Menos or Auto Mercado.  I have found Bimbo integral in the smaller neighborhood grocery stores  know in Costa Rica as pulperias.

If you have a great tuna recipe  please share it with our readers.  click on no comments at the bottom of this post.  Thanks for choosing costaricalearn.com

Monteverde Cloud Forest's Extinct Golden Toad

“Since 1989 not a single golden toad has been found anywhere in the world.”

A small, shiny bright orange colored toad, about two inches in diameter was once abundant in a 3.9 square mile radius  (1o square km) in the high altitudes of the wet Monteverde Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, thus given the name the Monteverde Golden Toad.  It was last seen twenty years ago and is now declared an extinct species.  The reason for it’s extinction is not known but scientist speculate that it is from the world’s climate change due to global warming, causing disruptions in weather patterns.   Or possibly a fungal which adheres to the toad’s skin.   The female is slightly larger than the male and has a color of dark olive to black with scarlet spots encircled in yellow.

These toads burrow deep into the earth and can be seen only when they come out at night. The golden toad’s breeding season is April through June , when there is very heavy rainfall forming small pools of water where the toads gather in enormous numbers.  The males out number the females by 8:1.  Successful mating produces about 200-400 eggs, taking around five weeks to metamorphose.

In 1987 there was much lesser rainfall due to a phenomenon called “el Nino”.  This caused these small pools of water to dry up before the larvae had time to mature.  Out of a possible 30,000 toads only 29 toads were found to have survived.

Today this area where the toads once reproduced is protected, and there are hopes that one day the golden toad will return.

Recently a group of British scientist from Manchester University and Manchester Zoo came to the Monteverde Cloud Reserve to again look for the infamous golden toad.  They spent two weeks but were not able to locate a single golden toad.

Ann welcomes your comments.  If you have a story about the golden toad, please share it with us.   Click on no comments at bottom of this post.  Thanks for choosing costaricalearn.com

Costa Rica Spotlight:  Yes, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens is open for visitors!   A few days ago I was lucky to be able to spend a few hours. One of the exhibits which impressed me most was the frog exhibit.  The colorful tropical frogs climbing  freely in a natural setting amid tropical plants and small rocky water falls.   My knowledgeable guide , Carlos explained all about each frog. The poison dart frog, the tiny red one with black feet is prevalent in the tropical lowland of Costa Rica’s rain forest.  So watch where you step when you are out there hiking.   This poisonous frog comes in many different colors and sizes.  One of the most beautiful is the orange and black spotted poison  dart frog.

Under  a hugh banana tree leaf I spotted a large green transparent frog with its baby on its back.  In all my travels into the Costa Rica jungle I had never seen anything like this one.  You could actually see the tiny veins and organs inside the frog.

Of course the red eyed tree frog (the poster frog of Costa Rica) is more beautiful than any photo. I was so excited to actually see one close up.

I highly recommend this exhibit for adults as well as children, a fun as well as educational experience. Please go to the web for more information about La Paz Waterfall Gardens   www.waterfallgardens.com

You may contact Ann, the Costa Rica Travel Expert  for further information or travel advice by going to top of page and clicking on contact us.

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