COSTA RICA - A JOURNEY INTO PARADISE

Hello - Anne H here.

I feel so lucky that I am able to travel to amazing places, meet fabulous people and learn about different cultures.  This was never more so than on my trip to Costa Rica in February. I went with one of my closest friends (not the other Anne this time!) and we chose Riviera Travels' "Caribbean to the Pacific" 13 day escorted tour for our first visit to this beautiful country. We have travelled with Riviera before and were more than confident that they would do us proud and they did not disappoint. On meeting our tour manager, Karen, at Gatwick we knew we were going to have a great time and be well looked after.

Our first stop was San Jose, literally to sleep prior to setting off on our adventure early the next morning. We met our tour guide Josue and coach driver Jose, who were to be with us for the whole holiday, and our fellow travellers who made up our intrepid gang of 25.

Our first day was spent heading to Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast, with a hearty Costa Rican breakfast on the way and our first introduction to the staple diet of rice and beans (gallo pinto) which we got a real taste for. Our transfer to Tortuguero was by boat (see above) a mode of transport that is typical in this area and something we made plenty of use of during our stay - perfect for water-borne safaris as the rainforest touches the water and you can see caimans, crocodiles, monkeys, sloths and a stunning array of birdlife at every turn. Our home for the next two nights was Mawamba Lodge  an eco-lodge set in the heart of the rainforest flanked by the Caribbean on one side and the waterways of Tortuguero on the other.

The village of Tortuguero was just a 10 minute walk away either along the beach or pathway from the hotel. Colourful, with a lively Affro-Caribbean air and plenty of souvenir shops, street vendors and quirky bars and cafes overlooking the waterway, it is most famous for the hordes of turtles that nest on its beaches between July and August. Sadly not something we saw, however by visiting the Sea Turtle Conservancy visitor centre and museum we learnt a lot about these amazing creatures.

More than 1300 people live in this waterway community where there are no roads and the only access is via water or air, making it a truly exceptional experience. I was really impressed by this, my first, experience of eco-tourism and the eco-lodges at Mawamba were comfortable with lovely hammock-adorned verandas and every amenity you could require.
 

Renowned for its navigable waterways, this area has been nicknamed 'Costa Rica's Amazon' and is an abundant bio-diverse wilderness with 100s of species of birds including herons, toucans, kingfishers, macaw and three species of monkey, all off which we spotted on our time there -  the white faced Capuchin, Spider Monkey and the Howler Monkey which has the most haunting cry.

After two nights at Mawamba we set off, initially by boat, in a westerly direction towards Arenal and the Arenal Volcano. We had experienced the extremes of the rainforest's climate in Tortuguero from brilliant sunshine on our first day to rain showers and rainbows on our second morning, followed by a serious downpour. We all thought we had come prepared, but to a man were all drenched! All par for the course in the rainforest and a real immersion in every sense of the word.

Normally you wouldn't see me rocking a 'Dora the Explorer' look but the outfit below was the best buying decision ever. This became my daily outfit whilst in Tortugeuro and Arenal (with key items clean each day I hasten to add).  I purchased the trousers and a number of T shirts from Craghoppers and focussed particularly on their Nosi-Life insect repellent range.  I am a mosquito magnet and apart from taking some serious Deet soaked insect repellent wipe, I credit this clothing with saving my skin. So much so that I only had one bite on the top of my foot. The cotton twill hat is from White Rock and includes bug off, hydro cool crystals and all round sun protection.  I purchased mine from Cotswolds outdoor for under £30 and a very good investment it was too.  The Terradora walking shoes are from Keen and were purchased from Go Outdoors in their sale, another good buy and one I had researched beforehand.  For my time in the rainforest I had a packable rain jacket which was lightweight but provided no meaningful protection, but given the amount of rain I think just a simple rain poncho would have been better and only a heavy rubberised material would have made the necessary impact, which would have been far too heavy with which to travel.

Our home for three nights in Arenal was the beautiful Tabacon Thermal Springs and Spa a 4 star hotel at the base of the majestic Arenal Volcano.

Set in more than 900 acres of tropical grounds it was an incredible hotel with naturally flowing hot springs cascading through the grounds.  This is a split site with accommodations, bar and the a la carte restaurant on one part and the pool, springs, buffet restaurant and pool bar an easy to walk away.

It was a beautiful location to use as our base for the next few days and we had plenty of time to explore the grounds, soak in the springs and relax by the pool.  Our second day there included a guided Rio Frio boat tour through the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge with a traditional lunch at a local restaurant.  We were privileged to see a rare albino monkey, many species of birds and other mammals on this beautiful stretch of the Rio Frio.

There were optional excursions which included early morning bird-watching and a natural night experience with dinner. We opted for the night experience and in retrospect wished we had gone with the other, although we did see Costa Rica's famous Red Eyed Tree Frog.

Part Two of our Costa Rican journey continues next week where we visit the volcano, the cloud forest and end our journey on the Pacific coast.