Having already spent 3 weeks exploring the Caribbean and Central regions, we still had some more time to investigate the Pacific side of Costa Rica. This is partly because Jess’s parents, the 3^rd set of visitors that we received during our stay in the country, had just arrived. Of course parent-visitors are extra welcome as they can be exploited to the maximum for a free ride! 😉

We based ourselves in an apartment in the small seaside town of Playa Ocotal which is close to the more backpackery Playa del Coco. The nearest hub is the city of Liberia, but we did not visit it, choosing instead to make expeditions into some of the national parks nearby.

Playa Ocotal is a horseshoe-shaped beach of volcanic black sand with glorious sunsets. The swimming is OK, but as there was an annoying current, we spent most of our time in the pool at our apartment complex, enjoying the surroundings, the myriad of butterflies and a couple of BBQs.

Other than the butterflies, we had resident bats under our eaves, heard howler monkeys, saw many white-throated magpie jays, iguanas, squirrels, various birds and even a skunk slinking around at dusk.

The beach itself doesn’t have many facilities; in fact it just has one restaurant serving weak cocktails and decent American style bar food with some local twists. There is however a dive shop called Rocket Frog where Jess’s Dad was able to organise his dive excursions. For everything else, you have to drive to Playa del Coco where there is also a nice white sand beach and many more shops, restaurants and bars.

Other than swimming and lazing about in Playa Ocotal, we enjoyed some day trips to nearby reserves.

Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja.

This national park had just received funding for new paths and a visitor centre. The centre wasn’t open yet, but the paths were in place, making this park incredibly accessible. The looped trail took us through hot scrub land with lizards around the volcano where we were treated to fumaroles – that is smelly sulphurous gassy mud pools.

The path then took us back through the forest where we saw a troop of howler monkeys, a woodpecker, a currasaw, an agouti, a blue crowned motmot and a beautiful (but camera-shy) keel-billed toucan. Right at the end was a waterfall, but unfortunately it was just a trickle as the rainy season had been a bit late in coming.

Private Reserve Heliconias.

This reserve was made by a group of local people who clubbed together to preserve the area from development. The trail took us through forest and hanging bridges in the canopy.

We saw coatis munching an orange fruit up in a tree, a squirrel, nesting currasaws, lizards, a black throated trogon and a curious chestnut-mandibilled toucan who came to visit us whilst we were having a picnic in the middle of a hanging bridge.

Jess’s parents also visited Palo Verde and Santa Rosa national parks, but until they start a blog, you’ll have to do your own research!

Towards the end of our stay we noticed a marked change in the weather – the rainy season was upon us! Whilst very dramatic to watch the thunder, lightning and rain from the safety and comfort of indoors, it was not so much fun to have plans disrupted and get soaked. We suspect that there will be many drenching stories to come as we move northwards.

Our final thoughts on Costa Rica

Apart from the joy of having been joined by our friends and family during our travels in Costa Rica, these few weeks had been a real crescendo of extraordinary and fascinating experiences in one of the nature capitals of the world. Being so immersed in beauty and petty much unspoilt nature for a few weeks it’s easy to put a distance between the hustle and bustle of our lives at home and of places like San Jose and the perfect serenity (and at times dramatic view) of nature at its purest. These are things that one just cannot experience day-to-day, and made us all the more grateful and appreciative for the decision to undertake this long trip.

It is also comforting to see that Costa Rica is doing a really good job at preserving its natural treasures. It seems to have invested heavily in conserving and promoting the outstanding natural beauty and has rightfully become a top destination for travellers interested in nature and conservation. Also importantly, and possibly alone in the region, the country seems to manage quite well at making its attractions unthreatening and gringo-friendly, thus managing to attract the kind of tourism that neighbouring countries, although just as rich in beauty and attractions, have not succeeded in enticing yet. Let us hope they keep up the good work in a region that has historically had difficulties both socially and politically, but more on this as we move northwards towards more challenging countries.