Costa Rica: Remote Fun In Central America

 Originally published October 10, 2009

I've never really given much thought to visiting any countries between the United States and South America.  For some reason, Mexico and Central America just haven't appealed to me.  So when we planned our trip to Costa Rica, I had to do a great deal of research to ensure we had a wonderful time...and we did!

Children performing traditional dance
in downtown Puntarenas

We stayed in a remote area called El Roble.  This farming town is located on the west coast of the country.  It's 90 minutes from the San Jose Airport, and close to two hours from the capital city of San Jose, itself.  The closest city to El Roble is Puntarenas, which is relatively small, with no tourist attractions to speak of.  Here, you experience life through the eyes of the locals.



Enjoying fresh sugar cane and orange juice served in plastic bags




A pier stretches out beyond the beach and over the
shores of the Pacific Ocean

Costa Rica's west coast stretches along the Pacific Ocean, while the east coast is on the Gulf of Mexico.  The weather on both sides of the small country varies quite a bit, as do the water temperatures.  While the beaches on the west coast aren't as pristine as those on the eastern side, they are still enjoyable, and the sunsets can be amazing.

Even with clouds, a Costa Rican sunset can be beautiful




Arenal Volcano outside of La Fortuna is always active

There are many forms of recreation to be enjoyed in this region of Costa Rica.  We chose a day trip from our resort to the small town of La Fortuna.  The main draw here is the Arenal Volcano.  La Fortuna sits at the base of this cone-shaped mountain. The volcano itself is active, and when conditions are right, you can view the lava as it flows down the mountain.

Baldi Hot Springs at the base of the volcano offers
many different pools to enjoy

Waterfalls and stone lounge chairs are highlights

We dined at a popular local eatery, with this amazing view of
Arenal Volcano





A five-mile horseback ride took us to
the top of the zip line course

On another day we took a horseback ride and zip line tour that featured a repel down the side of a waterfall.  The tour featured some twelve zip lines, and was supposed to take a full day.  But since we were the only two people on the tour, we finished zip lines before our lunch, which was included on the patio of their main guest area, with sweeping views of the jungles below.  It was nice to not have to wait for the rest of our group the finish their rides, but moving so quickly from line to line was exhausting.  

The views from Adventure Park are amazing

Zip lines glide beneath the canopy of trees
and above many waterfalls



Giant Crocodiles live along and inside the rivers. 

We had many opportunities to

see all kinds of wildlife, including crocodiles, monkeys, birds and iguanas of all types.  On one of our day trips we visited a small store and cafe next to a river, where giant iguanas hung-out in the aisles.  These beasts measured to five feet long.  our guide would pet them, and invited me to do the same.  My other half quickly put a stop to that. 




Here's one of the "smaller" iguanas

Giant iguanas like these take over a local store

This toucan must think I'm inside the cage

Monkeys (lots of them) can be seen lounging in the trees near
El Fortuna

While I may have had my reservations about visiting Central America, I'm so happy we got to vacation in Costa Rica.  It was a wonderful experience that I would probably do again in the future.  We skipped a few areas like the rainforests, National Park and the East Coast, which will leave the door open for a possible return visit.  One thing is for sure. After my second trip outside of the United States, I could definitely get used to international travel.