Costa Rica - Travel guide from the enlightened one

The Arizona Daily Star has a column that includes a great travel overview of Costa Rica. The column was written by the enlightened one himself (or so we are led to believe)…Arthur Frommer. But I trust the AZ Star, and the article is a good read. So I’ll attempt to give a rough summar of a trip to Costa Rica, based on the article.

You WILL fly into San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. I’m pretty sure about this because it’s the only international airport in the area. Then you’ll spend the night at a hotel there, probably close by.

After spending a night in San Jose, most travellers leave the city to spend the majority of their trip somewhere else. The article states that the four most common places to stay at (in order of Frommer’s personal preference) are

1. Monteverde
2. The Arenal Volcano
3. Manuel Antonio
4. Limon

(Here is a map) Those probably do not mean anything to you now, but I’ll give you more info below (with pictures!)

1. Monteverde, for those “slower” in Spanish, this means the Green Mountain. This place is an ecotourism destination that has a lush, misty jungle and wildlife. He says that a guide is needed to see the wildlife, so admission+guide=$28.

The green mountain also has a canopy tour on steel cables which costs up to $40. For hotels, there are 60 spread out the area which can cost up to $80 for a double. Kind of spendy…

The cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

2. The Arenal Volcano - Supposedly more accessible than Monteverde, which is good. It is known for its nighttime shows credited to its volcanic activity. Near the volcano is Lake Arenal, which is a host to all the usual tourist activities . Down the hill from the volcano is La fortuna, which offers accommodations starting from $35 a night. That sounds better.

Waterfall near the Arenal Volcano.

3. Manuel Antonio - A Pacific Ocean beach town 3 hours from San Jose. It is suppose to be a lot less “touristy” than the nearby, commercialized city of Guanacaste, which is good. Manuel Antonio features a national park and nice sandy beaches. The best budget accommodations are suppose to be in Quepos, a town nearby.

Quepos, Costa Rica ocean view picture. From adventuremanuelantonio.com

4. Limon - This is the Gulf Coast side of Costa Rica, which is less popular than the Pacific side. The sands are unspoiled, and the surfing is good. The region is anchored by the city Puerto Viejo, which is cheaper and more relaxed than the other tourist areas in Costa Rica. This place gets my vote.

Puerto Viejo beach picture. From puertoviejoweb.com
Personally, the Gulf Coast side of the country is the most appealing to me, as it is suppose to be the least commercialized of all the destinations. Perhaps the beaches around Limon have an interesting culture to experience. So there it is, Costa Rica in a nut shell.

[tags] budget travel, costa rica [/tags]