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Costa Rica
  • LeeAnna Shepherd
  • LeeAnna Shepherd

Costa Rica

June 2019 Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 2, 2016
    LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Juan santamaria

    December 2, 2016 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We landed in San Jose around 1:00 pm. There was a Sloth decked out in Christmas gear waiting there to greet us!

    I had a bit of trouble getting my phone into international mode but after turning it on & off again it finally came through. One of the only good things about switching to sprint is their international plans are quite good.

    We had booked a private shuttle through our trip planning service AnywhereCostaRica.com to take us from the airport to our first destination, the Arenal Volcano. Our driver was waiting for us right outside the door with a sign with my name on it (so fancy)    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Mi ranchito souvenir costa rica

    December 2, 2016 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Our driver was very friendly, spoke excellent English and was happy to point out sights along our drive.

    Halfway through our 2 ½ hour ride to Arenal we stopped at Souvenir Mi Ranchito, a little grocery store where we picked up some snacks for the rest of the trip.

    The van was equipped with Wifi so we were able to get a hold of family members let everyone know that we had made it top our destination.

    The driver continued to point out things, explain billboards and explained different Costa Rican sayings and bits of culture. Of course the most important saying was "Pura Vida" which literally translates to "Pure Life". You will hear people call this to you and each other almost as a greeting or a reminder to enjoy all the beauty that life has to offer.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Los lagos hotel

    December 2, 2016 in Costa Rica

    When we arrived to our hotel it was cloudy and the sun was starting to lower in the sky. Our hotel was right in front of the Arenal Volcano, but because of the clouds and darkening sky we were not able to see much of it.

    The check in process was painless. The front desk staff spoke English and were very courteous. My only complaint is that they make you wear one of those paper bracelets the entire time you are there to identify you as a guest. Probably not a big deal to most people but they gross me out. I hate wet paper.
    The room was very big, clean and bright. We had an amazing view of the Arenal Volcano right outside our door. Luckily our room (142) was not one of the ones WAY up the hill. We would discover what a pain that hill was before we left our hotel. Our room was close to the pool, hot springs, restaurant and front desk. The AC worked great in our room, they do ask you to turn it off when you leave though to help keep costs down but it cooled the room down quickly when we returned. The wifi was only available close to restaurant and office area, it was not available in our room, but it helped us unplug a bit.

    The grounds were beautiful to walk around. They had beautiful green landscaping dotted with orchids and other tropical flowers. The hot springs pools were very clean and there was a large selection of them to choose from. There was no problem to find a private one if you wanted to.

    They also had a butterfly house, an area with frogs, and a leaf cutter ant ""display"". There was lots to explore just at our hotel.

    We were pretty tired from traveling so we got dinner at the hotel restaurant, Las Palmas. My dinner was pretty typical Costa Rican Fair: chicken, rice, plantains and french fries.

    We were exhausted and cranky from our travels so we went to bed early and slept hard.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    la Fortuna waterfall

    December 3, 2016 in Costa Rica

    La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal Hike with Rainforest Explorers

    We were picked up at about 10 am by the driver for the tour. There were already 3 other people in the van who had done a morning boat tour as part of their package.

    First stop on our trip was the La Fortuna Waterfall.
    The walkway to the waterfall was much better than I remembered from 2012 when I had visited! I remember doing the hike in Tom’s shoes. They were the only extra shoes I had brought and by the end of the hike they had basically disintegrated. This time I was much more prepared and had actual hiking boots.

    Our tour guide, William was an amazing, stopping to show us different plants along the way and explaining what they could be used for.

    The flow of the waterfall was crazy. Costa Rica had a ton of rainfall recently and actually was hit by the first hurricane ever the week before we visited.

    When we got to the bottom he gave us plenty of time to take pictures and he assessed the danger of swimming in the lagoon below the waterfall and said it would be safe if we wanted to go in, but to not go out too far. The water was FREEZING but you we HAD to get in! We swam for about 30 minutes right underneath the waterfall while William watched our things. It was crazy, the current would try to suck you right in towards the waterfall. You had to actively try to keep yourself near the rocks.

    There was another calmer area that you could swim in also, that had some small fish swimming around in it. We went over there for a bit, took some more pictures and then it was time to go.

    We dried off and changed then we were taken to lunch at Rio Lounge.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Arenal Hike

    December 3, 2016 in Costa Rica

    After lunch we started our hike around the Arenal Volcano. It was not too strenuous, but did have some gigantic steps you had to climb up.

    William, again was amazing in telling us the history of the area and how the volcano had erupted and he was part of the rescue team.
    We had an amazing view. We could see craters and lakes and new land that was formed by previous eruptions of the volcano.

    We then hiked the trail down into the jungle where we saw spider monkeys playing in the trees, played on swinging vines (not me - just kevin)

    We were dropped back off at our resort and got showered and changed and decided where to go for dinner.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Que rico

    December 3, 2016 in Costa Rica

    At another resort just down the road was a Pizzeria called Que Rico. On the map it looked a very short walk, so we started walking down the road. The thing is – there are no streets lights and there was a giant ditch right next to the road.

    We walked for a minute but then felt a little unsafe so we decided to go back to the hotel and call a taxi. The taxi had to come from La Fortuna which was about 10 minutes away. The drive literally took about 1-2 minutes. We were a little embarrassed about it. We decided we could probably make the walk home. And we did, but with flashlights on so cars could see us. Even though it was only 6 or 7 pm, the sun had already gone down and it was very dark.

    The food at Que Rico was pretty good and the staff was very friendly. I love pizza so I was excited to try Costa Rican pizza. The crust was pretty thin and the toppings were good but overall it wasn’t outstanding but definitely worth trying! Especially if you are in the mood for pizza.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Los Lagos Hotel Costa Rica

    December 3, 2016 in Costa Rica

    When we returned to the hotel, it had started to rain. We thought this would be a perfect time to check out the hot springs, so we put on our suits and checked out several of the pools and did some relaxing.Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Los chiles

    December 4, 2016 in Costa Rica

    Daily Adventure: Cano Negro Tour with Aventuras Arenal
    We had booked a boat trip on the Rio Frio near the Nicaraguan Border. This river is known for their wildlife so we were very excited. We were picked up right at our hotel and were driven about 1.5 – 2 hours to where our boat would depart.

    Our boat was big and spacious, comfortable and looked very safe. Our tour guide, Oscar spoke excellent English. The boat trip was relaxing and we saw SO many animals. We saw sloths (with a baby!), anhingas, bats, cormorants, basilisks, iguanas, howler monkeys and spider monkeys are just some of what we saw. Oscar was amazing at spotting these things that otherwise there is no WAY we would have seen. He even did his best howler monkey impression to get them to talk to us. We saw probably 4 or 5 different howler monkey families. It was incredible The boat trip lasted a few hours and they passed out cookies and drinks while we were on the boat.

    Afterwards we were taken to lunch and driven back to our hotel.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Rio Celeste

    December 5, 2016 in Costa Rica

    Daily Adventure: Rio Celeste tour with Ecoterra

    We had gotten an email the previous day that the park trails may be closed because of the heavy rain that had gone on the previous day. We followed up and the park trails we open but we were warned that the river may not have it’s beautiful blue color if the rain had stirred up too much dirt. We kept our expectations low, but secretly hoped for the best.

    We were picked up and as luck would have it we were the only 2 people on this tour. It was a bumpy ride to the park, and again, maybe between 1 and 2 hour drive. Our tour guide, Andre was fantastic.
    The hike was strenuous for sure, but he let us set the pace. The trails were a bit muddy but we were prepared with hiking boots so it was no problem. He did an amazing job of not making us feel rushed but at the same time making sure we were able to fit everything in before the rain came. We hiked and came to a beautiful blue lagoon with a waterfall. Further on down the hike we saw the confluence of the 2 rivers where it magically changes into the bright blue color.
    What makes Rio Celeste this bright blue? Well, the simplest explanation is that it is an optical illusion.

    If you look along the rocks at Rio Celeste AND one of the rivers that converge to form it - the “Good View River” you’ll see a whitish substance on them. This substance was found to be a mineral that is made up of aluminum, silicon and oxygen that is found in the water. This is responsible for reflecting light from the sun and reflects that bright blue color.

    This particle is found in both rivers so why is the Celeste River blue and the Good View River and the other rover that forms it (Sour Creek) not? Something magical happens when the Good River meets Sour Creek. The acidity level of Sour Creek is much much higher than in the Good View River, which makes the particles of that special mineral grow larger, therefore reflecting much more of that blue color when you look at it.
    Another answer that you may get that is much shorter, is that god dipped his paintbrush in the Rio Celeste after painting the sky.

    After our hike we were taken to lunch with Andre and our driver, Edgar which was typical Tico food, but again was very well done.

    We got to know Andre a little better and it’s always one of my favorite parts of traveling outside the country is to hear about their culture. We were planning to go into the town of La Fortuna that evening to explore and they gave us many suggestions for dinner including a nice restaurant that he said would be great for a “date” called Nene’s.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Nene's la fortuna

    December 5, 2016 in Costa Rica

    We walked the streets of La Fortuna for a bit and bought some souvernirs.

    Then we headed to find Nenes

    You could tell this was one of the nicer restaurants around. My boyfriend got an iced tea which was unlike any iced tea we’ve ever had! It tasted like an orange creamsicle! We enjoyed our dinner and caught a taxi back up to our hotel afterwards.Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Mirador

    December 6, 2016 in Costa Rica

    We were checking out of the hotel on this day and transferring to the other half of our trip. We got up and helped ourselves to the breakfast again and we had a bit of time to kill before our ride came so we decided to check out the trail behind the hotel that was supposed to go to a lookout. It was cloudy but we didn’t get to see much. It took about 40 minutes to climb up and about the same coming back. It was pretty steep.

    All in all we were pretty lucky. Most of tour guides told us that only about 10% of people who visit Arenal actually get to see the top of the volcano, because of the clouds and we saw it almost every day.    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Kahala Cabinas

    December 6, 2016 in Costa Rica

    This driver from anywhere.com did not speak a lot of English and it was about a 5 hour drive to Nosara where we were spending the last few days of our trip. There had been a little mix up in the booking because the hotel we had originally booked through anywhere.com had been sold and bought and they did not seem to honor previous reservations so we had to pick a new place before we came.

    Everywhere was booked by then so we decided to do an Airbnb instead. There aren’t really any addresses in costa rica so it was a struggle to find where we were actually going. But we eventually made it there.

    "We stayed in a little “compound” that was on this guy Tyler’s property. He was an American that had moved there, and he was very friendly and helpful. Our cabina was a tiny little thing but it was perfectly big enough for us.

    We checked in and then headed out to check out the town. Our cabina was on the north side of Guiones beach and there is a small trail through the jungle that connects it to south Guiones beach."    Read more

  • LeeAnna ShepherdCosta RicaTraveler

    Sibu Sanctuary

    December 8, 2016 in Costa Rica

    We had heard back from the Sibu Sanctuary and they said we could come visit on Thrusday so we got directions and headed there for a tour on this day.

    We were greeted by one of the owners Steve when we arrived with a HUG!!! That's my favorite way to be greeted!

    Vicki and Steve are seriously 2 of the warmest people I have ever met.

    We were shown around their property where they rehab injured and orphaned animals. They really do amazing work!

    We got to see baby howler monkeys and some of the regulars that roam the property, like Noel the one armed howler monkey who came to visit us while we were eating some DELICIOUS bananas at the end of our tour.

    Steve was so knowledgeable and told us so many interesting facts about the flora and fauna in the area. And told us about their work to help insulate the power line sin Costa Rica. Uninsulated power lines are one of the major killers of howler monkeys in the area
    It was definitely a highlight and was a fun tour and a great way to donate money.    Read more

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