Reset search
Costa Rica
  • Debra Kooy

Costa Rica

A 19-day adventure by Debra Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    January 15, 2024
  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    2
    23

    Good Morning Toronto on to Tamarindo

    January 15, 2024 in Canada ⋅ 🌬 -14 °C

    We were fortunate to be upgraded to Business Class. My first time in a sleeping pod!! Grateful for a few hours of sleep😴 We went from -14 to extremely hot and humid at 34 in Costa Rica. The traffic is slow going getting anywhere and motorcycles drive up either side of you and overtake. It's quite scary, especially at night, but now we know what to expect😬 A quick dip in the pool then much needed 😴 sleepRead more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    11222

    Tamarindo

    January 16, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We enjoyed a nice sleep in then made ourselves breakfast and sat out on our deck and drank our coffee. We saw a very colorful, large iguana climbing a nearby tree. There are two kinds on the propery; colorful and more neutral/black tones. We walked down to the main beach area, only 10 minutes away. This beach is known for surfing. We spent lots of time in the water body surfing. The temperature was 32 today and always with high humidity. Near the water, it is a bit cooler with a nice breeze. We walked through the town to get our bearings and find a restaurant for dinner. We walked back to our airbnb, which was a chore in the heat, and walked right into our pool to cool off. We sat and read and swam until dinner time. We discovered that the Italian Consulate has their office in our complex as we walked back down to eat. We ate at the "Ocean" restaurant on the water and had a really nice meal. The sunset was beautiful. A nice end to our first full day.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Our rental car with standard transmission
    2Tamarindo BeachShaun & TomDawn, Craig & Anthony4A snapshot of the landscapeSamara AirbnbHappy Birthday Shaun!🥳

    Tamarindo to Samara

    January 17, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌬 34 °C

    We packed up today and left our rental car locked in our complex while we walked to check out restaurants for Shaun's birthday. We sat in the shade reading while we waited for Shaun&Tom, Dawn&Craig to arrive. We had a great birthday lunch ( fish tacos)for Shaun at Hogui's. It was great to see them and hear of their adventures so far. After lunch we all headed out. They were driving to Saint Teresa and we drove a few hours to Samara. It was a nice drive and not too busy. Speed limits range from 25 km to 70km/hr.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    4Our gecko roomie!2The resident squirrel keeping an eye on us2Reminded us of beaches in Tofino. We walked up and down the bay122

    Samara

    January 17, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We arrived just after 4pm. The drive was nice and not too busy. We located our Airbnb where our host, Lucy, met us and toured us through the complex. We discovered a little visitor gecko in our bathroom and various birds that were so loud. In the morning we woke to see variegated squirrels in the trees. One inparticular was after the coconuts in the palm tree. After breakfast we walked downtown to look for a supermarket and potential restaurants. We had a short walk to the beach and then we took a long walk up and down the entire bay with some swim and body surf breaks. We read our books in the shade and then walked to get groceries. After an afternoon coffee we went to the pool for some swimming/exercise. For dinner we tried a restaurant right on the beach. The clouds moved in for a moody evening and, without much wind, the humidity was relentless. We haven't stopped sweating and this was the first day my hair stayed wet and damp from morning to bedtime!! Tomorrow we drive to Manuel Antonio.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Local bananas
    1Great restaurant & vibe. The owner appreciated me attempting Spanish and was very encouraging🫶Bridges are single lane so one side has to yieldBeautiful landscape2The start of the 156 stairs up to our airbnb with luggage and bags🤭🥵2Cinnamon tree3Coffee plant to the left11Sunset from the deck2

    Manuel Antonio

    January 19, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We woke up early and walked to breakfast at Bohemia Cafe. We had fantastic lattes, strawberry, lemon and mint crepes and banana Nutella crepes with pineapples and watermelon👌We walked back to our flat and packed the car and left on our
    5 1/2 hour drive. The roads were generally great and we had higher speed zones on our routes. We actually got up to 90km/hr but usually not for long. We hit traffic hot spots, just like home and unfortunately one of our stops was a fatal collision between a semi and two motorcycles. It was very emotional and sad. The drive was beautiful with lots of changes in agricultural, jungle, palm tree groves and smaller mountainous areas. We had trouble finding our Airbnb with our GPS sending us in circles around the main center which had lots of one way streets😜🤔 Our host, Stephane was patiently waiting for us. We parked and he asked us if he we wanted to take a bag up and we said no, we would wait. Then Anthony took a look at the stairs we had to climb and we went back and got most of our bags with Stephane's help. We carried everything up 156 steep stairs😅🥵 Then we did it all over again for the food bags!! What a workout and actually welcome since we had been sitting in the car. Stephane has a beautiful home overlooking the ocean. It is all concrete floors, & counters. He showed us his coffee plant and cinnamon tree right outside the main entrance and off the deck. He and his family stay right next door.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    1Such a beautiful butterfly3First monkey of the tour2Starting the Rainmaker Trail into the rainforestThe first of many suspension bridges up in the canopies3The longest and bounciest suspension bridge1Cold water finally! So refreshing1A white egretNew white mangroves with termite nests attached2giant termite nestA gray heron2Way up in the canopy of the rainforest24Tico Rico Jungle Grill RestaurantColorful frog on the Rainmaker Trail

    Damas Island Mangrove Kayak Tour & Hike

    January 20, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    An exciting morning as we venture out to Damas for our Kayak tour of the mangroves. William is a Biologist and our guide. He grew up on this farm and has been touring and educating people about the Mangroves and the biodiversity and ecology of the area. Javier, a very nice guy from Los Angeles & Susan and Robert from New York were in our grouping. We saw monkeys right away, many birds, iguanas, crabs, & sardines. No crocs are in this type of Mangrove and the boas are nocturnal and tend to be in the fields. We had a relaxing paddle and saw a 600 year old White Mangrove tree. When the tree is 50-60 years old the roots start to grow above ground and the bottom roots feed from the water.
    We had a very nice meal provided afterward, chatted with our larger group and shared information and photos. Anthony and I learned about a Rainmaker hike from Susan and Robert so we decided to go take it in. It was fantastic. Not only was it great exercise with all the stairs, but being in the canopy of the rain forest and seeing the depth of the jungle around us, the waterfalls and swim holes was another highlight of the day. We drove back and hiked up to our airbnb, got ready and went out for a really nice meal and then on to meet up with Shaun & Tom, Dawn & Craig at their place. We got caught up on our travels and adventures. We are all heading to Manuel Antonio National Park tomorrow to spend the day together.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    11Grooming each other. The monkey on the left looks like he's been in a scrapMore grooming for each other2The whole family is now grooming the monkey laying down!2Espadilla Beach1Our first viewpoint on one trail1Our second viewpoint on the hikeA 3 toed sloth1The sloths were hard to find and tough to get a good photo as they are so high in the treesA giant termite nestA sloth just lazing around!1This was the monkey I got too close to😵2Me, Shaun & Dawn caught off guard by this wave!!22Pura Vida is the country's motto that means pure life, happiness and cheerful outlook1A great dinner to end a great day together ❤️

    Manuel Antonio National Park

    January 21, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    We had a really fun day today. We had a nice hoghurt, banana and granola breakfast with coffee at our airbnb and then walked to the main road where Dawn&Craig and Shaun&Tom picked us up and we drove to Manuel Antonio National Park which is know for its white sand beaches, walking trails and wildlife. We walked 12.5 km today through the trails in the park. We followed the groups with the guides so we had some idea what to look for. We could see sloths way high up in the trees, a raccoon-type animal, white faced monkeys, iguanas, two black squirrels, some hermit crabs and two small deer. I got too close to one monkey and he bared his teeth at me.....as I got out of his space very quickly!! We had some beach and swim time before heading to a Soda (this is where the locals eat and the food is typically much cheaper and a local flavor). We had a really great meal and some tasty margaritas for Happy Hour. After dinner we bought some pastries at a bakery for tomorrow, went to a grocery store to stock up and on to D&C, S&T's place for a swim in the pool and relax time. Anthony and I drive to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca tomorrow.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Several restaurants use recycled bottles in their signs
    4This hotel had a C-123 Fairchild Cargo plane incorporated into a pub and 2 level restaurant2Crocodile Bridge where you can look down on the crocs. This guy was massive.22Monkeys, deer and possibly raccoons crossing the road!1Our VRBO. Love the vibe. The hammock outside is calling111Our resident cat. We have asked the host for the cats name and if we can allow it to come inside1The host had a bottle of wine, 2 cold Imperial beer and 2 chocolate bars for our arrival. So kind.2The cat loves Anthony and just jumped up and got comfySome of the local transportationThe host had these flower arrangements throughout the home

    Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

    January 22, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Anthony and I drove 6 hours to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca today. We made a stop at Crocodile Bridge to see the crocs below. They were not too active, but there were lots of them. A bird landed near them and walked around them. Surprisingly and thankfully, the crocs were unphased. Everyone was tense thinking the bird was a goner🫣 The drive was spectacular through the National Park. The roads were very windy in that section. We had some double lane highways with 100km/hr speed zones. We drove on the outskirts of the city of San Jose. Then we had lots of double lanes that changed to single with barriers in the left lane. Directly after vehicles could get back in the left lane to turn left, then it was back to double lanes. There must have been 50 of these on the highway. The other hazard would be the constructure zones that popped up and directed you hard left or right and sometimes had us changing to two-way traffic and same on our side of the highway without warning. A bit dicey for sure. You have to be on your toes driving these roads and highways. We made a stop for fruit with a local farmer. We did a lot of sign language and we figured out how much to pay👍
    We found our VRBO just as the rain started, met our host and the resident cat whose name we are waiting to find out. We got settled and enjoyed the beer they left for us. The cat got comfy on Anthony's lap and kept nudging Anthony to pet it. Super cute. We then drove into the main center for groceries and dinner. It was a hub of activity. We found a local Soda and enjoyed a Caribbean meal. Back at our place we sat and listened to the rain start up again. They get rain regularly it sounds like. Tomorrow is showing 75% humidity and showers and sun👍👍 Tomorrow we will do some laundry then venture into Cahuita to look at doing a snorkelling tour.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    11122314

    Cahuita

    January 23, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Had a laid back morning of laundry and no dryer...we hang our clothes, but nothing dries because of the high humidity!! We had a lot of rain through the night and into this morning. I picked 2 ripe bananas from a tree in the yard🍌A nice addition to breakfast. Our cat is making itself at home. As soon as the door opens in the morning it meows and comes in!! The couch is a favorite😺We took the bikes they had for us out for a 5.5km spin to see the oceanside and the neighborhood.
    After our ride we had lunch and then drove to Cahuita to check it out and look into the snorkelling tour. Unfortunately the seas were too rough so they couldn't do the tours😒 After a quick drive around Cahuita we drove to Manzanilla to see the beaches there.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    1Cool graffiti1211Catching a ride for a few km11We got a nice view of the sloths face2Incredible to.see how they move. They leave pharamones on the branches; poor eyes!

    Manzanilla

    January 23, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    It was a very busy drive to Manzanilla. Lots of people riding bicycles, motorbikes, tut tuts and you have to watch so carefully to get around because the roads are so narrow. We arrived and the sea was just as rough as our area so we couldn't swim. The lifeguards were out and watching anyone that went into the water very carefully. We walked down the beach to take a look at the freighter ship that grounded there. Not sure how old it is. The graffiti was well done on it and the waves crashing into it was pretty cool. On the way back a guy showed us a young sloth right up close in a tree. We were treated to it moving around and looking down. It was a 3 toed sloth. We then found a local Soda and tried some Caribbean food. It was not as good as the previous night but still a treat. Their mango and pineapple ginger drinks were delicious.
    We drove back to our place and our cat (they still haven't told us the name) came in and jumped up on the couch with me just loving the attention😍 We are trying the wine our hosts left for us and relaxing. Another great day.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    2Loved this👌2Best breakfast yetIn true Rastafarian styleGreat messages123111

    Talamanca

    January 24, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I was up at 6:30am and watched a tailless large rat-like animal rummaging around the garden. We hear different birds each day around our place. It's very beautiful and melodic. Our clothes are still not dry from laundering yesterday!!😆 we ate the delicious bananas from the tree on the property then got ready and drove to Bread & Chocolate, a recommended restaurant. I had the avocado, egg and bacon on a grilled plantain and this was by far my favorite so far. Anthony had the Caribbean pancakes with chocolate sauce😋😋 we then drove to set up a tour at the Organic Chocolate and Coffee Farm. Our tour is at 2pm so we headed to a beautiful beach just down the road. The surf was pretty powerful again and the red flags were up. We watched a few surfers catch a few waves. It is so calming and meditative watching the waves crash and wash in. We read our books in the shade. It was 32 but feels like 36 with the humidity, but we had a nice breeze so it was comfortable. Our tour guide was Oscar and their farm has won awards with the best chocolatier in Costa Rica.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    1
    Cocoa beans11The beans inside were so sweet to suck on and if you chew down it's bitter260% chocolate with anise, milk, cane sugar and was still warm1We did the 3 s's: snap, smell( get taste Buds ready) and savour2These beans were almost readyBeans dryingFermentation process of the beans which were very warm2You can see the progression of the look of the beans as they dry and become closer to chocolate4The beans closest to you are incredible tastingFrankie ( after Frankenstein) the roaster3100% cacao shots. It was incredible.4We tasted all of these...amazing1We have a new appreciation for chocolate, how it's made, especially organically and how to enjoy it3Oscar was our guide, loved his pura vida vibe, sense of humor & excellent animal spotting2The Owl logo was chosen b/c owls eat the critters that go after the cocoa beans

    Caribbean Organic Cocao Farm Tour

    January 24, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had such a fun tour with Oscar and 2 young women. He spotted and pointed out 6-8 sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, red poison mini frogs, agouti( rat-like rodent with no tail), big spiders, & macaw birds on the walk up to the farm. He said he was early arriving for the tour so he was slow vibing!!
    He shared so much information about the process. This is a smaller farm so they make enough chocolate to sell in their store. They have several small farms in the area that grow cacao beans and the bars are named after the farm that grew the beans. They do don't export because it's too small of an organic operation. They check for a particular fungus on the beans that turns the bean black with airborne white spores on the outside that can spread. They create other products using the cocoa butter portion of the beans. We tasted so much chocolate, all that you see in the pictures and all were 😋 delicious.
    After the tour and purchases, including the t-shirts. The shirts have a sloth wrapped around a tree with the words "slow good" which is the vibe of the 3 -toed sloths who sleep 18+ hours a day and consume the THC in the type of tree they prefer, as well as eating the cocao beans....he said they are high and can't remember what happened a few hours prior, so they keep sleeping! After the tour we headed for dinner back at Soda Mirna's and had the Cribbean chicken, plantains and coconut milk rice 😋😋 We are checking out in the morning and heading to tour an organic fruit & cacao farm and then more beach time before staying the night together with T&S, C&D. We are going to miss this very affectionate resident cat when we leave🥰    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Playaya Punta Uva BeachSomeone is talented1Later in the day,vyhia was the sloth that was trying to get back into a treeSlowly climbing away from people o to a roof of a hutIt made it up I to the trees....success🥰A remnant from Christmas!!Our shared VRBOCarrying potsThis was the most active we had seen a sloth so far, eating leaves1Poor young sloth, trying to get back to a tree

    Playa Punta Uva

    January 25, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had a very rainy night with extreme downpours. We woke to sunshine. We got up and packed up then had our yoghurt, granola and fresh on-site bananas. We enjoyed our coffee and final cuddles with the cat. We drove to a new beach called Playa Punta Uva. We had about 45 minutes
    to check it out before heading to the Jaguar Rescue Center. We walked along and someone had done some beautiful mermaid sandart. Following the Jaguar Rescue Center Tour, we returned and had some serious sloth action. A sloth may have fallen out of a tree or perhaps came down for its weekly poop. Whatever the case, it was so sad. It was all wet and crawled along the beach to get back to a tree. We had just learned that they do not like to be around humans. Some can die of heart failure if they are too close to humans. Well, this poor sloth was surrounded by people taking selfies, etc ( which is illegal to do because people used to exploit the animals by charging for photos with these wild animals). The sloth eventually made it back into the trees🥰. We sat and read for a bit and decided to go back to the beach area from yesterday. We sat, reading our books and watched as the rain clouds moved in. At about 4pm, the shower lit hard. We had already made it to the car while everyone scrambled off the beach. We headed towards the main center and drove around the streets we had not yet driven down while the rain stopped. We then drove to meet Tom & Shaun, Craig& Dawn at their VRBO and stayed one night with them. I made fresh guacamole and Shaun and I cut up watermelon, mango and pineapple for snacks. We hot caught up on our adventures and shared some tours to do, watched a Netflix climbing movie then went to sleep.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Lizzy, our tour guide. She came for a month and now 5 years later she is still a volunteer
    2An Agouti rodent. They can jump up to 2 meters2This monkey was held in a cage and let out only when someone paid for a pic with it4K.D. Lang graciously had a picture taken with us.A Cayman and he loves the turtles, never tries to eat them1He is peeking. He was playing a game and kept dropping his bowl and the volunteer would pick it up!

    Jaguar Rescue Center

    January 25, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The Jaguar Rescue Center began when 2 biologists moved to Puerta Viejo. The locals got wi d and brought what they thought was an injured jaguar to them to help it. It turned out not to be a jaguar ( but an Ocelot). Word got around though that they were the jaguar people and soon locals kept dropping off wounded wildlife. They started the center to help these animals and now it houses many varieties. The entry fee helps pay for the rescues, food and maintenance of structures, etc. They are so passionate about helping these animals despite no ho ornament support. They are even reinsulating power lines so the animals don't get electrocuted trying to cross the wires along the roads. They also take in animals that humans have tried to keep as pets or who have abused or injured these beautiful animals. So.e may have diseases or broken bones. As we were getting set up.for the tours, I recognized K. D. Lang, the singer, right away. I made sure we got into her group!! We did not bother her or approach until the tour was over. I asked if we could have a photo with her and she was so kind and said yes. Anthony chatted with her about a friend of a friend of hers who he was aware of that just passed away. We had a bit of a conversation about our Cocoa Farm Tour as we walked back to.our vehicles. We really enjoyed the information and passionate support from this tour and the many volunteers who keep it going❤️ PS..check out Lizzie's jaguar earrings👌Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Puerto Viejo area grows a lot of bananas.
    So many single lane bridges hereWe had been hearing trees being felled near our airbnb....the proofA graveyard in LimonRich agricultural landArenol Volcano from a distance2Getting closerSunset2My jalapeño margaritas and they had a beautiful pink rose on top. A fresh burrata cheese w pesto2Our group Breakfast🥰😋😋An older buildingOur entertainment at breakfast

    Group Breakfast then on to La Fortuna

    January 26, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We woke by 7:30 am and had coffee together and then got packed and ready to go for breakfast with T&S, C& D to our favorite breakfast place, Bread and Chocolate. We had musical accompaniment again and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast. We said parted ways and will keep in touch to information share as we head to the areas they will go to towards the end of their trip. We had a great day of travel. We stopped to see Limon, which is a bigger center. We stopped to buy fruit and then carried on for a 5 hour drive total. The Arenol Volcano had some clouds cover near the top as we approached. We drove around and got our bearings then parked our car at the airbnb and walked through town to find a dinner spot. We did some research for tomorrow ( hikes near the volcano, the La
    Fortuna Waterfall trek down and back up 500 stairs and then on to the Relax Thermalitas ( natural hot springs).    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    We walked the Orchid Trail with the varieties growing from the trees21

    La Fortuna

    January 27, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today we woke up early to go explore the amazing sites. Our weather is overcast and we have had 3 downpours before we have started. This will be a hiking kind of day. This post will show the beautiful orchids and flowering plants of this area. We posted each site we visited separately.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler

    Fortuna Waterfall - 500 stairs

    January 27, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    This was our first stop of the day. We walked down the 500 stairs to the 70 m waterfall. It was so powerful. We both took turns swimming in the cold water. The power of water movement pushed you to one side and it was hard to get back to the rocks because the movement pushes the water off the rocks. It was a fun experience and then we trekked the 500 stairs back to the top. We then walked around the Orchid Trail. They have so many different types of orchids growing. Their many flowering plants were beautiful.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    The orchids grow in amongst the old lava rock and vegetationThe yellow trail was the Lava Flow and then we continued to the red Forest Hike

    Arenal1968 Lava and Forest Hikes

    January 27, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    This was the site of the 1968 Arenal Volcano eruption. We hiked the Lava Trails and the Forest Trail which has a lake made by the volcanic eruption. We hiked approx 12 km. We saw some birds and lots of busy ants carrying leaves to their nest. The orchids grow in amongst the rocks and vegetation. They are so beautiful. We had rain off and on so this was the first day we wore our rain jackets. The viewpoint of Arenal Volcano was cool, but today was overcast so we were not seeing the full Volcano. At the end of the trails they have planted medicinal plants, fruit trees and Coffee plants. We really enjoyed the exercise today.Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    1111

    Relax Termalitas ( natural hot springs)

    January 27, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Following our hike we drove into La Fortuna to eat at the recommended Soda Ara right up the street from our airbnb. We arrived just in time as another downpour started. The food was delicious ( grilled chicken, salad, fried sweet plantains, rice and beans and small potatoes). Afterwards we drove to the natural hot springs called Relax Termalitas. Our host provided 2 tickets as part of our stay. The pools were 39 degrees. It was so nice after our hike and the 500 stairs climb👌 We stayed for an hour and a half. We were quite relaxed and on the way home stopped to look through a huge souvenir shop and then my favorite, we found "Chocolate Fusion" and enjoyed a fantastic hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. The perfect way to end a day😋🥰Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    The Nest: 156 steps up to overlook the tree canopy
    4The muddy and slippery River Trail. The most challenging trail of all we hikedOur one and only frog sighting from two frog ponds!! They all took cover today21Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree. Each tree was like a painting. So beautiful1Kwati. It was very curious and came right up to the car. Their tails look like monkey tails12Gee, just like hiking back home in the rain😂Danta Waterfall. We could have swam in it but we were wet enough!

    Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa Trails

    January 28, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Anthony and I were up early in hopes of clearer skies to hike in before the worst rain at 1pm. No such luck. It was socked in and raining hard on the drive to the Observatory and hiking trails. We hiked almost 10km of trails. We saw some birds, one 🐸 frog, a monkey waaay up high in a tree and a pack of Kwata Mundi or Kwati's for short. They are pretty friendly and walked right up to our car in hopes of us giving them some food.
    The most beautiful parts were the flowering plants and my favorite, the "Rainbow Eucaluptus" tree.
    We climbed what is called "The Nest" which is 146 steps up to a platform overlooking the tree canopies. We couldn't see the volcano with the cloud cover today. We had an interesting time on the River Trail which was very muddy and slippery. We got to a point where we had to turn back because the steep trail looked like an accident waiting to happen!!
    We saw a beautiful waterfall, a few hanging bridges and a museum with the timelines and history of the Arenal and Cerro Chado Volcanoes, and the wildlife, birds, frogs, snakes and plant throughout the park. We were absolutely drenched walking through the museum!! We drove back to our airbnb and had a hot shower then headed back to Chocolate Fusion for another hot chocolate😋😋. We ate at a different Soda this evening and then it was back to pack for our last leg of the trip to Monteverde.
    Though we did not have sunshine here to see the volcano, it did not stop us from exploring the beautiful sites. What's a little rain in the midst of a rainforest and cloud forest!!😂 All the wildlife, majority of birds and frogs were under cover today in this rain.    Read more

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Pom Pom shrubHot Lips!The orchids grow right at the top of the bambooI named this the cheerleader tree!! Looks like the pom poms cheerleaders useLooks like giant dill

    Arenal Observatory Flowering Plants

    January 28, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    I cannot stop taking pictures of the beautiful and unique flowering plants. So this is dedicated to this one lodge area and Trails we visited today.

  • Debra KooyCosta RicaTraveler
    Our Authentic La Fortuna AirbnbOur smoothie bowl22No luck seeing the aqua blue today, but we made it to the end of the trail👍12The yellow eyelash viper. Check out those eyelashes😱1

    Breakfast in LaFortuna, next Rio Celeste

    January 29, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Anthony and I packed up this morning. We had brighter skies so took a look at Arenal Volcano this morning and we could see the cone at the top. It didn't last long before the clouds moved in. We ate at Jungle Bowls and shared the best, huge smoothie bowl. Once fueled up, we drove to Rio Celeste, the site of the Blue Lagoon ( water is a beautiful aqua blue). It is supposed to rain and in that case the water will not be aqua blue, but brown. We prepaid to go into the park so we are committed rain or shine. We had some really rough roads going in with lots of potholes. It was slow going, then just 3 km from the park the roads were good again!
    It was pouring rain by the time.e we started the hike. We decided to trek in our Teva's because our runners got so wet yesterday. We hiked to the site of the Blue Lagoon over rocks, mud, streams, bridges to see the brown muddy water and Sulphur bubbles percolating. We hiked to the end of the trail then headed back to the waterfall. We walked down and back up 253 stairs. 8 km today. Lots of great exercise this week!! On the way back out of the trail, a guide was stopped with 2 people. We asked what they were seeing and there was the snake I was hoping to see before we leave Costa Rica, the yellow eyelash viper. Highly venomous. It was curled up on a low branch. You could see it's eyelashes clearly. I never thought I would say this, but it made my day.
    We got back to the car and drove to our next stop, Monteverde. The roads were winding, mountainous roads coming out of the Volcano Tonorio National Park. We had some nice highway driving with some different landscape from our previous area. It was very open with the mountains in the distance. Once we turned off the main highway following the Monteverde signs, we were in for a shock. The roads were so bad and rough. We had to drive so slow for 20km. The view once we got to the top of the climb were spectacular. We were treated to a few rainbows on the way into our Ecofarm where we are staying. This farm is an ecolodge, sustainable and family run. We are in a basic Cabana. So far the food for dinner was fabulous.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice