Secret Costa Rica Vacation Destinations
Five regions you cannot miss on your next trip
Costa Rica vacation specialists often produce cookie cutter itineraries for travelers, which trap them in the tourist circuit from San Jose to Arenal Volcano or Jaco to Manuel Antonio. Or if your unlucky you are sent to Guanacaste where there are many nice all inclusive resorts but that is not Costa Rica, what you experience is customer service. Each of these tourist circuits owes its popularity to the natural beauty, tourist infrastructure but there are many other Costa Rican hideouts that are overlooked. The following destinations are suggestions if you want to experience the real Costa Rica. Even if you add one of them to your cookie cutter itinerary, you will not be disappointed.
Southern Costa Rica
This is a destination for the true adventurer, surrounded by the only remaining primary rain forest in Central America, untouched wildlife and verdant nature. From the La Amistad national park, which runs along the border with Panama, to the numerous indigenous Indian populations and bio-reserves, this area, is as wild as it gets in Costa Rica.
Talamanca, on the Caribbean side, you can experience Costa Rica’s pre-Colombian past. The Bribri indigenous Indian tribe has its reserve here, as well as two other native tribes. For the Boruca Indians they can be visited closer to the southern Pacific coast. Visits to both tribes can be reserved.
South Caribbean
The Costa Rica I idealized was a tropical paradise where the jungle overflowing with monkeys meets white sand beaches. If you thought the same then the Caribbean side of Costa Rica is for you. With a local culture more reflective of Jamaica than that of Costa Rica, locals are laid back and grow up speaking English. Towns like Cahuita and Puerto Viejo cater to the budget minded surfers; there are some boutique hotels that offer nicer accommodations. One unique experience is the Tree House Lodge where paying to sleep in a tree sounds crazy, but after your visit you will see if was well worth it.
The Cahuita National Park and Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge are home to turtles, monkeys, snakes, beautiful marine life and even large cats.
Mountains of the Central Valley
When most people think of Costa Rica, they think of hot steamy jungles from the Jurassic Park movie. Many travel here to get out of the cold and into the warmth but Costa Rica can be as cold as back home. High up in the mountains you can find yourself sitting in front of a warming fireplace inside the cloud cover. While these areas are not the typical advertised image of Costa Rica, it is something everyone should experience. There is a wonderful peace up in the mountains amidst misty drizzle and lush green trees.
Destinations like Cartago, Bajos del Toro and Poas, which offer views of volcanoes and access to beautiful waterfalls and cloud forests. Luxurious boutique hotels have opened to meet a specific clientele such as the El Silencio Eco-Lodge or the Peace Lodge, each promise a relaxing stay with a breath of fresh air. Being one of the tourist roads less traveled, you will get to see and experience the ‘real’ Costa Rica as you pass through the small towns, street side fruit stands, oxcarts and men on horseback.
Tortuguero
Tortuguero is one of those amazing destinations that get overlooked due to its difficult access. However, coming to Costa Rica and the journey to the destination is in and of itself part of the experience. First, you need to take a bus to the region, then a local shuttle, and finally to a boat which is the main transportation in this area. During the ride from San Jose, there are plenty of stops where you can experience beautiful tropical gardens that are home to monkeys, sloths, and toucans. In addition, if the bus you use has a tour guide you will mostly likely here about Costa Rica’s banana history, which put this region on the map. Many of the tour guides themselves have worked the banana plantations and are very happy to be able to server as guides. The work on a plantation is grueling and difficult. Rain or shine, workers labor 10 hours a day in the intense heat.
Upon arriving in Tortuguero, you can find almost every tourist activity offered such as boat tours, turtle tours, jungle hikes, and bird tours. Most tours are a combination of boats and walking since the rivers work their way through the heavy jungle. When you think of steamy jungle riverboats with the tree canopy encroaching your skyward view Tortuguero promises to be an unforgettable experience.
Southern Nicoya Peninsula
There are two ways to get to this isolated region; fly to Tambor and then take a taxi or a bus to Puntarenas to catch the ferry and then the local buses. The final destination is the towns of Santa Teresa and Mal Pais. These towns have beautiful white sands beaches, hidden waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. If you should decide to visit this area and you are in Jaco, there is a high-speed boat shuttle that runs twice a day that will bypass the ferry and land journey and take you directly to the small artist town of Montezuma. From there you can taxi your way to a number of places.
The tip of the Nicoya Peninsula has features that range from hidden waterfalls to iguanas and monkeys galore, these secluded beach towns make for an unforgettable adventure. Besides the dusty dirt roads, this area is an utter paradise. Surfers love the breaks in this region and national surfing contests are held in this area each year. For those not on a budget, beautiful boutique hotels like Florblanca or Latitude 10 provide complete privacy and unbeatable proximity to nature.
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