The Land Of Pura Vida
Between Panama and Nicaragua is a tiny tropical country the size of approximately 19,700 square miles called Costa Rica. This is not an island, although many may confuse it as such.
A little known fact is that the movie Jurassic Park was filmed on an island in Costa Rica called Isla del Coco, which is also a national park. The first scene of this movie takes place at a beach city whose address in the film is located in San Jose. The funny part about this is that San Jose is the capital of the country and is nowhere near a beach.
Costa Rica consists of seven provinces, Puntarenas: San Jose, Guanacaste, Limon, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. The provinces most recommended to visit are Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limon because this is where the beaches are located.
The other provinces are beautiful; however, they have a downside to them, they consist only of city life. The weather is also slightly chillier compared to the tropical weather most people expect when visiting Costa Rica. So if you are looking for the rainforest and the beach, I do not recommend the city.
While visiting the city, there are also plenty of museums, such as the National Museum of Costa Rica and the Pre- Columbian Gold Museum.
The city is usually much cheaper than the beach areas, so for souvenir shopping this is your best option. A great place for this will be a “ mercado.” This place consists of several stores that carry a variety of items, from clothing to food and “sodas”.Which are buffet-style restaurants called soda. It is spelled the same as the soft drink, but with a different meaning. This restaurant has the typical, traditional Costa Rican food that consists of rice, beans, salad, meat, hash and a beverage, which will cost around $8.
If I had to list three things Costa Rica is most known for they would be coffee, surf and the ecosystem.
When it comes to drinks, coffee is a must. Please don’t go to Starbucks. Instead, try the local coffee shops. What separates Costa Rican coffee from the rest of the world is the location. The temperature and the elevation in the mountains are the leading reasons for the great flavors people have come to love. This is because the altitude of mountains helps the grain to develop more frequently than in other places. Coffee plantations, many of which are open for tours, are found in the city because of the high altitude not found on the beach.
The ecosystem it’s a top part of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is moving towards a green future of. The country will be fossil fuel-free by 2021. A law passed this year to ban styrofoam but will be officially implemented by 2021.
Costa Rica is big in maintaining the environment as tourism is one of the biggest sources of the country’s economy. Costa Rica has a variety of tours for every type of person so it’s good to research activities you might be interested in prior to traveling.
If you are like me, and would rather be closer to nature than in a busy city, one way to enjoy the ecosystem is by taking part in adrenaline tours. Some of which will allow patrons to be in a canopy of trees flying from one tree to another while attached to a zipline. These tours can be found all around the country.
If being on the ground is more your thing, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or horseback riding is an excellent way to go through the mountain.
However, if the land is not really your style, water rafting and surfing are very well known past-times in the country. Costa Rica is as a surfing paradise, but both water rafting and surfing come with their own risks. Incidents in which people have been harmed while doing these sports are very common and have been known to lead to death because of strong currents and in the case of surfing, crocodiles sometimes swim in salty water so be cautious.
Costa Rica has plenty of great beaches all around the country to learn how to surf and the warm water of the ocean makes for an even better experience. The country has hosted many surf tournaments.
The province of Puntarenas is way more developed as beach towns in comparison to Guanacaste and Limon. If you are looking to go off the grid, Guanacaste and Limon will be perfect for that. Celebrities are known to go to Guanacaste because of how isolated the province is.
My two favorite beaches are Manuel Antonio National Park and the beach at Isla Tortuga. Both are located in the province of Puntarenas where I am from.
What makes the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park so unique is how the rainforest is so protected and well maintained to conserve the environment. As it is a national park, there is a charge for admission. The entrance fee is $16 for adults and free for kids under 12.
When you first enter the national park, you will be surrounded by nature and to make to the beach it will be a walk through the trails. What makes this beach so special is that there is no stores our restaurants near the beach it is just pure nature.
When you finally arrive, there is a high chance raccoons will go through your things, so keep an eye on your bags and hide your food
The experience of watching animals in their natural habitat is a real possibility in the park. Monkeys will jump over you to move to their next branch, families of deer walk the same trails to the beach, and there always a sloth coming down a tree which is the slowest and most amusing action.
My second favorite beach is Isla Tortuga is an island located in the northern part of Puntarenas.
The main method of transportation here is by boat. The easiest way to make it to the island is by booking a day tour, though the price ranges around $100.
The reason why Isla Tortuga is one of my favorites beaches is the crystal clear blue water.
The island has several water activities available for the adrenaline junkies from: jet skies, paddle boards, kayaking and a banana tours. Most tours here will offer snorkeling in their package as well. It is an amazing and colorful experience to swim with several types of fish.
If relaxation is more on your mind, this beach is great to just do anything at all. The beach is full of lounge chairs to lay down on with umbrellas to shade you from the sun. Most tours to the island offer free drinks all day, the boat ride to, from and back again included. This beach is also not strong with waves so it is perfect for swimming.
Most tours to the island will offer food, snorkeling and an open bar. If you are booking a tour to the island and if snorkeling or open bar is not included, I recommend to look for more options as there are plenty of tour companies to choose from. Lunch is usually included in the tour but that’s something to double check.
Although all Spanish- speaking countries share the same language, each country has their different forms of slang.
The language barrier for non Spanish speakers will not be a major issue. The country’s economy is powered by tourism, so the locals do their best to accommodate the tourists; for example, if someone is unfamiliar with Spanish, locals will speak English or attempt to speak English.
These are some of the more common slang phrases in a native Costa Rican’s vocabulary.
If you hear the phrase “pura vida,” it means “pure life” and could be used as an informal greeting when someone asks you, “how are you?” It is a phrase you will hear and see often around the country. Costa Rica is known by this phrase it could be viewed as there life motto.
Another word you might hear often is “mae,” which means “dude.” If you want to say “cool” or “dope” the word to use would be “tuanis.” It could also be a form of saying “okay” as a means of confirmation. The words “ que chiva” it could be used to say “how cool is that.”
In the Spanish language, many words are defined by feminine or masculine. The words “tico” and “tica” mean Costa Rican in local slang.” Tico” is for males and “tica” is for females, these phrases are not offensive to use.
The language barrier for non spanish speakers it will not be a major issue. As mentioned before, the country’s economy is powered by tourism, so the locals do their best to accommodate the tourists, for example if someone is unfamiliar with spanish, locals will speak english or attempt to speak english.
As getting around from place to place on vacation is extremely important, it is good to be informed on a few different methods available.
Public transportation is always an option while on a budget; it is not much different from the public transportation system in the United States.
There are cheap taxis, called “pirates”; however, they are not legal and if an accident were to happen, there is no insurance to cover the passengers. I also found Uber to be cheaper than regular taxis but not by much.
The main taxis of the country will be painted in strong red with the word taxi in yellow written in the door. It won’t be hard to find.
As a Costa Rican, I consider the country safe, but if in an unfamiliar part of the country, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings. This goes for anyone traveling to a new place.
Danger comes in many forms. For example, if you are at the beach, do not go swimming if you see signs of high tide or go walking around alone late at night in sketchy places.
However, Costa Rica is an incredibly peaceful country. Based on the World Happiness Report, Costa Rica is the twelfth happiest country in the world.
If you are wondering what to pack, Costa Rica is a humid tropical country; it’s going to be hot! So besides packing many swimsuits for the beach, also bring along shorts, and fresh T-shirts and flip-flops. If exploring is on your agenda, some comfortable tennis shoes would be a good idea to walk through the jungle.
The seasons in Costa Rica are opposite of that in California. For example, when it is summer in California, it will be winter in Costa Rica. However, Costa Rica only really has two seasons: dry and rainy. The difference in heat between California and Costa Rica is that in Costa Rica the weather is very humid, while in California it is dry desert weather.
Last tip don’t forget sunblock and mosquito repellent in your trip if you are sweet.
