Costa Rica

General Info

Last visited

December 1993

Food

Latinamerican cuisine: rice, beans and meat. There's also quite some Asian food restaurants. Fish dishes are quite common and tasty.

Transport

You travel to the east-coast aswell as the to west-coast by bus. The roads are mostly in a cood condition. Costa Rica is a small country, so travelling times from San José to any other place in the country are not more than 8 hours.

People

'Pura vida' is the slogan of the Ticos citizens of Costa Rica. There's quite a population of Afro Americans at the Caribean coast. The rest are Latinos apart from a Asian minority.

Sports

You can do river rafting through the canyon of rio Pacuare. There's some grade 4 rapids. The water temperature is tropical not chilly as in the Alps, Himalaya or Andes. 4 hours raft cost approx. 80 USD.

Wildlife reserves

Tortuguero

An area of rain forest in the northern Caribean area. You get there by boat sailing through natural canals. Following animals can be seen: Poisonous frogs, crocs, toucans, sloths, turtles, bats, howler monkeys, iguanas and all kind of insects. A three-day package costs 170 USD per person.

Manuel Antonio

A national park at the Pacific coast. There's some phantastic beaches and rain forest. Beware of theft when staying on the beach. Monkeys might pinch your camera or any kind of food. A green mamba traveresed my way when walking through the jungle on the way to the beach.

San José

Busy. San José is fairly safe compared to other cities in Latinamerica. Cultural sites are rare. Good basis for excursions to the volcanos, river rafting. You can even do day excursions to the Caribean aswell as to the Pacific coast.

Quepos

Tropical town near national park Manuel Antonio. There's a bus every hour to the beaches of Manuel Antonio.

Low tide at Manuel Antonio

Orphan monkey

Banana Highway

Tortuguero National Park