My Trip to Costa Rica

[GoodSense]

Hi Everyone! I haven't posted much lately as I have little to say in the FIRE front. Just slowly plugging away small amounts of money every paycheck...still 25 years or so to FIRE.

Inspired by others' trip reports, I want to share pictures from my recent trip to Costa Rica, and would be glad to answer questions if I can.

I spent 10 days there, visiting San Jose, Volcano Poas in the Central Valley, Cahuita on the Caribbean Coast, Monteverde Cloud Forest up in the highlands, and Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific side.

Volcan Poas is an active volcano that still gives out smoke everyday. It doesn't have the flows of red lava like Volcan Arenal or Volcan Pacaya (Guatemala), but is pretty cool nonetheless.

Cahuita is a little fishing village on the Caribbean side. It has a white sand beach and a black sand beach (from volcanic ashes). Pretty laid back and great seafood.

Monteverde is what they call a "cloud forest." it is moist pretty much all year round and is extremely lush. Great hiking and lots of birds.

My favorite part was the Nicoya Peninsula. The ocean was absolutely beautiful. We went on a snorkeling tour to Isla Tortuga, an uninhabited island. It was a tropical paradise.

The whole trip was very affordable, too, as I only took public transportation and stayed in hostels. Excluding airfare, I would have spent almost as much at home just for food, discretionary expenses, etc.

I am definitely putting Costa Rica on my list of potential retirement places!

Photos:
1. Volcan Poas
2. Cahuita - beach
3. Monteverde
4. Sunset on ferry ride
5. Isla Tortuga

 

[GoodSense]

photos

I hope these show up!

 

[Moemg]

Great pictures , I have been looking at trips to Costa Rica . That snorkeling picture is so vivid. How was the weather when you were there ?

 

[Zoocat]

Great picture of the volcano! That is Arenal, right? Wow!

I went on this OAT trip last April, including Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. Fabulous! I want to go again and am saving pennies. I swam in the ocean at Manual Antonio beach. There were monkeys on the beach!
Costa Rica: Natural Parks & Tropical Forests (2009) : Trip at a Glance

Goodsense,I would love to snorkel at that island. Could you post a link to where you stayed, etc.?

Moemg, you should definitely go! If you like the OAT trip, pm me and I'll give you a reference so you can get a $100 discount!

 

[GoodSense]

Moemg, as of last week, the weather was wonderful on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. This week, I was told that the Caribbean side is starting to get into rainy season. I think rainy season officially starts in May.

I preferred the dry season as it makes hiking a lot easier. However, if you like whitewater rafting, etc., the rainy season may be better. All rivers are really low right now.

Oldbabe, the volcano is actually Poas, just a couple of hours north of San Jose. It was an easy hike. From what I gather, there is a lot more to do in Arenal than Poas.

I stayed in a beachside hostel called Hotel Lucy in the town of Montezuma. It's a tiny place with a handful of rooms. The location is wonderful but it's best suited for low-maintenance people. The state of the shared bathroom is hit-and-miss, and they don't take reservations or speak English. Most people who stay there are backpackers. On the other hand, it's extremely cheap. I think a single room was $15/day, and dorms were $9/bed. It has a fully functional kitchen and has it's own beach.

From Montezuma, Isla Tortuga is a 40-minute boat ride. Most people go there for a daytrip, including snorkeling, sometime to relax on the island, and lunch.

I'll try to post a couple more pictures of 1) hotel Lucy, 2) Isla Tortuga, and 3) Cabo Blanco Reserve, also near Montezuma.

 

[simple girl]

Awesome pics! Costa Rica is definitely high on my places of "wanna go someday"!

 

[wcv56]

I have some pics of costa rica and my condo on the pacific side ( Jaco Beach)if I can figure out how the image thing works.
Alos my house in Thailand with friend's family I sold it to last year...
Retirement has been fun but ready to go back to work now...