Costa
Rica : The Vacation that Will Change You by Danna Schneider
My recent vacation in Costa
Rica was the first time I had ever traveled internationally, so naturally
I was a little nervous about all of the "unknown" factors, like visiting
a foreign country whose primary language was Spanish, getting through customs,
finding my way around, and all those other "what if's" that tend to go
through your mind when you're doing anything for the first time.
 Little
did I know that this would be by far the best place I'd ever visited as
far as visually stunning nature, but also the most hands-on when it came
to seeing and sometimes interacting with nature.
 My
sister and I started on our adventure when we met from adjoining flights
at the small airport in San Jose, which is the capital of Costa Rica.
We didn't stay though, as we had reservations at a resort in Arenal, which
was about three hours from San Jose.
If you want to travel somewhere
but you don't want to drive, it is very easy to arrange either public or
private transportation anywhere you need to go, however, there are not
many roads, so if you rented a vehicle with a GPS included, it could easily
be navigated.
The only drawback we found
with public transportation was that, although it was less expensive than
private transport, you did need to set aside a few more hours to get to
your destination, as they had many other pickups to make which added more
time to the trip. However, when you consider that gasoline cost five
dollars a gallon throughout pretty much the whole country, public transportation
still seemed a genuine bargain.
As I stated earlier, we stayed
first in Arenal, which is an area famous for the Arenal volcano.
Arenal is a unique volcano because it actually erupts every night, and
although you need to be close to the mountain to actually see it well,
you may still see a bit of the bright eruption from a distance. Arenal
was a beautiful area. Not only that, there were a ton of activities
that you could sign up for within about one hour of the mountain, such
as horseback riding, ziplining, hot springs tours, rainforest canopy tours
and more.
We chose first to go horseback
riding to La Fortuna Falls, which was a visual spectacle unlike any I've
seen. La Fortuna Falls was a magnificently huge waterfall that required
you walk down several hundred steps just to see the whole waterfall from
the bottom up. There was also a lookout point about halfway through
where you could gaze at the magnitude of the fall's size, but also take
in the lush tropical surroundings and watch for exotic birds and animals
along the way.
Then came the canopy ziplining
tour, which was not for the faint of heart, but by far the most exhilarating
and rewarding experience during our stay. We travelled about one
hour from our Arenal resort to the rainforest canopy, and from the drop
off point, hiked about a half mile to the zipline platforms after we were
suited up in our gear and had signed release forms.
 Ziplining
through the canopy of the forest at up to 40 miles per hour, and several
hundred feet off the ground was unquestionably scary, but after we completed
the first platform, everyone on the tour couldn't get enough of it.
There were 11 platforms in all, and the scenery from above was breathtaking.
It is an experience I will never forget, and I'd recommend that anyone
who fancies this sort of sport to do it while in Costa RIca.
From Arenal, we headed up
the coast to Jaco. Jaco was probably our least favorite stop of the
trip. It's short on scenery, and the blatant prostitution is definitely
intimidating, not to mention unsavory, especially for women travelling
alone or families. The overall feel there was also not as friendly
and open as our previous stay at Arenal, so we only stayed for two days
and moved on to another small hotel in a tiny surf community called
Playa Hermosa.
The stay there was really
nice, laid back and relaxing. You could sit at little restaurants
and bars right on the beach and watch the whales blowing and the surfers
catching waves and the feel was just very casual. There were tons
of beach areas to surf at too, if that's what you're into.
From Playa Hermosa, we moved
on to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio was, by far, the richest in
up-close and personal encounters with wildlife, since it harbors a huge
national park that is a haven for wildlife.
Not only is there an abundance
of wildlife, but the animals there are so used to humans that they will
not hesitate to cross directly in your path on one of the many hiking trails,
or even snatch your lunch from your backpack as you're basking on one of
the inlet beaches along the trails. Yes we actually had small white-faced
monkeys steal our lunch, they are notorious for their kleptomania!
In Manuel Antonio, you can
choose from several reputable hotels, and there is also some great eating
at one of their many laid back outdoor restaurants which feature the national
dish of rice and beans, fish, beef and breakfast served all day.
In addition to seeing more
monkeys than I can remember, we also got to see a sloth right outside of
our hotel hanging out in a tree, parrots, miniature raccoons, lizards large
and small, and several other unidentifiable wildlife scurrying through
our path in the park or enjoying themselves in nearby trees.
As you can probably tell,
Costa Rica was the trip of a lifetime - for me. I suspect that most
others who take a trip there would think the same. It's richness
in beauty, wildlife, friendly culture and diversity in activities will
please even the most discriminating travelers and thrill seekers.
And oh, you can also just be a beach bum if you want, too!
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Volunteer
abroad for a great travel experience 
You
may be surprised to know that the best time to visit Costa Rica is during
the early parts of the rainy season of May to July. Some towns in the country
even experience an elevation in terms of visitors, making the tourist officials
regard it as a 'mini-high season'. During this period, traveling might
a bit more challenging due to the slight downpours and rain showers. Pack
your raingear and bit more patience for the ultimate Costa Rican wild adventure.
The mountains and high plateau also offer cooler temperatures to the visitor.
