...and Ni Sa Bula Vinaka... or Aloha... If there were just one phrase to evoke Costa Rica it would be ¡Pura Vida! “What does it mean?” you ask. Well, it’s roughly the equivalent of bula bula! (pronounced mboola mboola) – or more formally – ni sa bula vinaka! (pronounced … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2015
Rental Car & Driving Tips
Driving a rental car in Costa Rica has distinct advantages and disadvantages, but if you do get behind the wheel you'll be happier and safer if you heed the driving tips below. Slow down and be careful. You are in an unfamiliar environment, and the unexpected is the rule rather than the … [Read more...]
The Ant Dance
There's wildlife everywhere in Costa Rica and not all of it is your friend If you're standing watching a pair of toucans hopping though the treetops and suddenly you feel a sharp burning pain on your feet, ankles or calves you're probably standing in an ant hill. Tip to Avoid Multiple Painful … [Read more...]
Best Places to See Wildlife in Costa Rica
The Big Three - monkeys, sloths and macaws - are easy to find. Put yourself in the right place - Manuel Antonio and Corcovado are two of the best places to see wildlife, at the right time - early morning. Listen carefully, pay attention to signs and use the rest of these tips and techniques and … [Read more...]
Seasons in Costa Rica
Note: contrary to predictions from the Costa Rican weather services that El Niño would delay or mitigate the onset, the 2019 rainy season is right on time and more intense than normal. Costa Rica's two seasons are the dry "summer" (verano) - January through April and rainy "winter" … [Read more...]
Public Drinking is Illegal
Don't cross that line. As long as you stay on the patio you're fine but if you step off into the public sand you could be facing a fine of almost $400. Looking forward to relaxing with a beer on the beach? A few years ago Costa Rica passed legislation making it illegal to drink in public … [Read more...]
Custom Vacation Planning Request
Select what you want to see and do on your trip. We will recommend lodges and tours in a detailed day-by-day plan with a no-nonsense price quote (no hidden costs ever). -or- call toll free 866-816-0197 to get started quickly We are 5 star TripAdvisor & … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Weather
This is a lot of information about weather in Costa Rica. To skip the meteorological details go to "The Best Time to Visit" or "Make Your Own Accurate Forecast" or use the menu to read one of the other more generic posts in the weather category. If you really want to know about weather in … [Read more...]
Unpacking List
There are a few things that you should make a point of leaving at home. Copies of your documents - Minimally a Xerox or digital photo of your passport, drivers license, credit cards, airline tickets, and any reservations that you've prepaid. Having someone fax or e-mail these things to you in a … [Read more...]
Turtle Hatching
Sometime things don’t turn out the way you planned, but fortunately in Costa Rica that often means that they turn out better. We particularly anticipated the last couple of days of one trip to Costa Rica because they coincided with the waning moon and an Arribada (mass nesting) of sea turtles. We … [Read more...]
Fast Food in Costa Rica
“Fast food” has been in Costa Rica for decades in the form of Pollo Frito which as the name implies will fry you part of a chicken and Sodas which offer quick traditional meals. The quality varies a lot. The soda El Río on the southern edge of La Fortuna near Arenal volcano has excellent, hot … [Read more...]
Eating Cheap?
Supermarkets, Produce Stands and Local Mercados Buying food in stores is cheaper than going to restaurants but it's still relatively expensive in Costa Rica. Comparing the untouristed rural area where we work in Costa Rica with our hometown in Colorado, shopping in the local produce markets, … [Read more...]
Budgeting with Children
We often talk to families who are surprised that other than the bar tab the cost for Mom & Dad plus a 16, 13, 11 and 9 year old to travel will most likely be about the same as three adult couples. Airfare, Transfers & Rental Cars On airplanes anyone older than one year may require a seat … [Read more...]
Round Rock Roads
There is a gravel shortage in Costa Rica. At least what you might usually think of as gravel. To make gravel, large rocks are normally crushed into fairly uniform pieces somewhere between the size of a grape and a golf ball then filtered through a screen to eliminate any softball, bowling ball or … [Read more...]
Ask the Right Questions
Adventure is the most common word we hear when we ask travelers to describe navigating around Costa Rica and it's no surprise. Street names have only been introduced in the past couple of years and signs and addresses still only exist in about one out of ten communities. GPS users frequently … [Read more...]
History of Canopy Tours
Modern canopy tours were invented in the 1970's when the rain and cloud forest canopies were the last remaining frontiers of botany, zoology, entomology and ecology. Ph.D. students Donald Perry and John Williams first strapped on their rock climbing harnesses, clicked their carabineers on to a … [Read more...]
Killer Cashew
Sue and I are both biochemists, so we felt right at home talking with the scientists, and getting a perspective on some of their studies while visiting the biological research station in Santa Rosa National Park. I also got an explanation for the blister that had persisted on my upper lip for … [Read more...]
Missed by Miles
Our longest bicycle tour was three months from June through August and had a lot to do with our decision to try to make a good map of Costa Rica. We were lost more often than not and the detour we took the first time we tried to visit Bijagua and the Tenorio, Miravalles, Celeste Region was a … [Read more...]
Traffic Frog
Anyone who’s spent any time on the road in Costa Rica has spent time sitting in traffic waiting for something to break loose down the road. Whether it’s a one lane bridge, accident, washout or construction it’s nearly impossible to drive for more than half an hour without something bringing traffic … [Read more...]
Mountain Bike Palo Verde
The washboard frequency was perfectly inharmonious at any but a breakneck pace and we knew we had a full day of riding across Palo Verde National Park ahead of us so we jolted down the dusty road relaxing as best we could on our way from Cañas to Bebedero. Bebedero is a typical Costa Rican … [Read more...]