Natural Beauty in Costa Rica

My mother and I visited my sister in Costa Rica in the summer of 2000 (5/27-6/1/00). She had been studying in the UCR in San Jose and loved her experiences there. We got to do a lot of great activities and see so much beautiful wildlife and animals. My sister had been studying biology at the university and was able to explain a lot of the local species of plants and animals to us. Even the tiniest frogs seemed interesting after she explained which ones were poisonous and how the colors were affected by their habitat, etc.

We started at the National Museum in San Jose, where we learned a lot of background on the history of the area. The next day, we took a short trip to a town called Fortuna, where there are some amazingly relaxing thermal hot springs warmed by the nearby Arenal volcano (which I hiked and watched the lava flow at night, see review), Arenal botanical gardens (fantastic, what beautiful birds and plants!), then visited a coffee plantation, Poas volcano, La Paz waterfall, and finished off by taking a boat ride down the Sarapiqui River, which is near the Nicaraguan border. This boat ride leaves from Selva Verde Lodge in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. This was all part of the "Costa Rica Highlights Tour", which included breakfast at a mountain lodge, Poas Volcano crater visit, walk through a cloud forest, stop at La Paz waterfalls, and hummingbird gallery at Braulio Carrillo National Park (there are 70 varieties of hummingbirds in Costa Rica!), lunch at a rainforest lodge, and then the 1.5-hour jungle river boat cruise (see review of boat ride).

Quick Tips:

I highly recommend the "Costa Rica Highlights Tour"; it is a fantastic way to see a lot of different things in a short amount of time. It is run by Ecoscape Natural Tours: 506/240-5106.

Best Way To Get Around:

Buses are cheap and convenient.

This place is amazing! There are several adjoining pools you can sit in that are heated naturally by the nearby Arenal volcano, and the surroundings are full of waterfalls and plants and so much natural beauty! There is also an area where you can buy food. It doesn't seem to get too crowded either. My sister was studying biology at the university (UCR) and was able to explain to us all the different varieties of plants, insects, and things. This is a relaxing and beautiful place! It's a wonderful stop along the way to Arenal Volcano and Arenal Botanical Gardens!

This is an amazing active volcano to visit. There are guide-led hikes that take you up the mountain (intense hikes not for the tired or weary. My mom couldn't make it, so I went alone and my sister stayed with her at the bottom of the volcano.) and wait until sundown so that you can see and hear the lava flowing and popping in the night. The hike was a little demanding and dangerous. There were plenty of times that I felt like I might fall, and it was dark and treacherous, but we were all okay. It is exciting, scary, and truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

There is a lovely crystal-blue sulphur lagoon in the crater of this volcano. The pH is the lagoon is about 0.5 to 1.0, which is highly acidic! It is a beautiful and interesting sight! It was part of the "Costa Rica Highlights Tour," which included breakfast at a mountain lodge, a Poas Volcano crater visit, a walk through a cloud forest, a stop at La Paz waterfalls and hummingbird gallery at Braulio Carrillo National Park, lunch at a rainforest lodge, and a jungle river boat cruise. I highly recommend it!

This boat ride leaves from Selva Verde Lodge in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, and there is a neat suspension bridge you can walk across and a lunch offered. Then you get into little passenger boats and head through the jungle down the river (which is right near the Nicaraguan border), with guides who explain all the cool wildlife you see along the way. It is relaxing and exciting to wonder what types of wildlife may be around the corner. I remember seeing toucans and sloths, and perhaps a croc (scary!)

This was all part of the "Costa Rica Highlights Tour," which included breakfast at a mountain lodge, a Poas Volcano crater visit, a walk through a cloud forest, a stop at La Paz waterfalls and hummingbird gallery at Braulio Carrillo National Park, lunch at a rainforest lodge, and then this 1.5-hour jungle river boat cruise, where we saw monkeys, iguanas, crocs, and various birds and sloths. It was run by Ecoscape Natural Tours, 506/240-5106. I highly recommend it if you are short on time and want to see everything you can!