Costa Rica Blog

Costa Rica is an ideal destination for honeymoon trips. The wonderful natural attractions that exist in Costa Rica, hotels offering special charm along its nature reserves and beaches and an exotic unique, are reasons to opt for Costa Rica in a very special occasion that occurs once in the life.

The northern zone of Costa Rica is no exception and has places like La Fortuna, located next to the Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Once we arrived at this beautiful green area, you should prepare to visit the impressive Arenal, making a hike in the base of the volcano, passing rain forest and old lava flows. The entire hike takes about 2 hours. Later in the evening you can relax in hot springs in the vicinity of the volcano. During the night, the view of the Arenal Volcano can be truly spectacular and romantic with the volcanic cone in full swing hurling glowing lava. For this reason Arenal is one of the most famous tourist sites in Costa Rica and is just perfect for the enjoyment of your honeymoon. There is also the possibility to take a tour to the Lake Arenal by boat excursions.

Also the couple can take a tour to visit the waterfall of La Fortuna in Costa Rica, an incredible place filled with lush tropical jungle. Here you can swim in the clear and fresh water from this river. In the afternoon, you can make an excursion to the suspended bridges, an interesting attraction not far from the Arenal Volcano. Here you can see a diverse rain forest with spectacular views of the volcano and the surrounding area. A typical Costa Rica honeymoon in the area around Arenal may include accommodation in one of the many hotels located in the area that have all the amenities.

The couple can also make a visit to Caño Negro, this refuge is a wetland biological regarded as one of the richest bio-diversity places in Costa Rica. Also, can be extremely interesting for the couple to visit the hanging bridges of Arenal as we mention before. The suspended bridges are one of the most beautiful ecological projects in Costa Rica. They consist of a series of bridges and roads located near the Arenal Volcano. However the visit to the area would not be complete without touring the hot springs located at Tabacon. This site has natural pools with hot springs from the veins of the majesty Arenal Volcano. Explore the wonders of the tropical forest that surrounds this beautiful complex and enjoy the mineral water with different temperatures, surrounded by warm tropical gardens and waterfalls.

The Tabacon Hot Springs in Costa Rica are recognized worldwide, and certainly be immersed in them will make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated, because the minerals present in volcanic waters.

The village of Nosara is about 4 meters above sea level and is a valley irrigated by the river Nosara and surrounded by beautiful hills with excellent views of the valley and the sea (Pacific Ocean), which develops residential projects and private hotels luxurious. Located at 257 kilometers (160 miles) from San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica), there is bus service from there, with a bus that departs daily at 5:30 a.m. and arrives at approximately 11:30 a.m. This bus passes through Nicoya.

Nosara can also be reached by plane to. There are two airlines that fly from San Jose (SANSA) and Nature Air, represented in Nosara Office Center, with offices in Arenales of Nosara. The flight time is about 45 minutes. Nature Air also offers regular flights to the new Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, simplifying travel to an increasing number of tourists and residents.

The whole area of Nosara was well populated by various indigenous groups of Chorotegas, as evidenced by the large number of objects of mud, stone, crystal, jade and gold found in the past, especially in the higher hills, where they were buried the indigenous people of higher rank. All these tombs filled with all these beautiful objects that were buried with the ancestors of the costaricans were looted in the past and most of these treasures today are in the hands of private collectors. The beaches are the biggest attraction of Nosara, especially for those looking to be in touch with nature in an atmosphere of calm and surrounded by wildlife in abundance.

Nosara has three beautiful beaches: Nosara, Guiones and Pelada and is located 7 miles from Playa Ostional (which belongs to Santa Cruz (Canton), where almost every month arrives to spawn thousands of sea turtles, especially the Lora turtle ( Lepidochelys olivacea), which nesting habits are widely known and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Playa Guiones highlights as a ideal place for the practice of the Surf, however Playa Pelada highlights by its rock formations that, when left uncovered when the tide is low show great variety of life forms: snail, sea star, octopus, multicolored fish and corals, sea urchins and crabs among others. The fauna of Nosara is very varied and colorful as representatives of this diversity can be mentioned birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, as well as insects and amphibians of many kinds.

Both local and visitors quickly become familiar with the howler monkey – known as mono congo, the iguana, armadillo, the raccoon, the pizote and the squirrels, that can be watched in large quantities, although it can still be found, the paca, the ocelot and the panther. The heron, the pelicans and the lizards are the best representatives of the aquatic environment of the river and the coast of Nosara.

Located between Jaco and Quepos, Puntarenas province, in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica this town offers good conditions for surfers. Eastrillos Beach East is adjacent to the north with Eastrillos Center. These beaches are divided by a river and south to Playa Bejuco.

The village of East Eastrillos has an airstrip, which is in operation and runs parallel to the beach. To get there by car to East Eastrillos you have to cross the runway. It is advisable to look to the sky before doing that. Eastrillos is an excellent starting point for surfing also La Felicidad that is located in Eastrillos Center. It owes its name to the hotel which is located directly across the street. The waves here are not as round as in Playa Hermosa, but the beach is crowded.

You need to be careful of crocodiles near the mouth of the river. Sometimes in the rainy season they arrive to the mouth of the river because they are looking for a way to the Pacific Ocean. The hotels located in this area give discounts to surfers between the months of May to early December and also is possible to find teachers of this activity in Eastrillos Beach East.

Limon is a beautiful province of Costa Rica, located on the eastern tip of the country. It limits to the northeast with the Caribbean Sea to the west with Heredia, Cartago and San José with Puntarenas in the southwest and southeast with Panama. Limon is the pearl of the Costa Rican Caribbean. Is marked by great cultural diversity with a predominantly black population and with important roots of indigenous culture in Costa Rica, the Afro-Caribbean, white and Chinese, each group brings to the area its own style. It is the area where cultures converge more than in any other side of the Costa Rican territory. It has a warm climate, typical of the coast and humid, with an average annual temperature of 25.5 º C. The marks of historical temperature in Limon are 35C and 15C. It is located about 209 km from San Jose. Located south of the province in the Cordillera de Talamanca are the highest peaks in the country, most notably the Cerro Chirripo, highlight point of the geography of Costa Rica with 3819 meters above sea level and whose night temperature drops to below zero degrees in the dry season, with a historic mark of 9 ° C below zero. In 1973 it was reported as a brief snowfall at its summit.

Limon has located in its territory the oil refiner RECOPE and several state institutions as JAPDEVA. It has a little industrial area and is dedicated mostly to agriculture. It has the largest banana production in the country that makes Costa Rica the second largest exporter of the fruit. Also is the largest lemon producer in the world. This region suffered a devastating earthquake in 1991. Its port is the largest in Costa Rica and one of the largest container transit centers in Latin America. Christopher Columbus, Italian navigator who discovered America in 1492, arrived in this province, specifically to the Island Uvita, in September 18, in 1502.

The name of the province is because it was a lemon tree, in front of the governor’s office in the area, which was the only of its kind.
Lemon was a sparsely populated area because the attacks of mosquitoes and pirates during colonial period. During that time was inhabited by indigenous groups like the Huetar, Suerre, Pococí. Its development began with the leasing of land from U.S. companies seeking to establish their banana plantations. The first center of population began with the leak of Indians to high and inaccessible mountainous areas, exodus that lasted until independence. Focus of Indians as mentioned above, its first urban settlements began with the black slaves brought from the banana plantations, it was believed that they would not stay long in the territory for which their studies were conducted with the texts brought from Jamaica by which a variety of mix of English, Spanish and French is still preserved in the coastal area of Limon.

Limon offers 336 km of white sands, palm trees and beaches and lush national parks that protect tropical rain forests and coral reefs as well as hundreds of species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction. In this province is located all the Caribbean coast of the country.
Tortuguero National Park, located in this zone, contains the largest sample of protected tropical rainforest and here you can travel through their channels and rivers, to observe the flora and fauna, see the spawning of sea turtles and have the opportunity to observe more than 300 species of birds within which lies the beautiful green macaw, the Pavón and toucans. In this zone are carried out major scientific research and has become a special item for the scientific and ecological tourism. The place is also famous for the wide diversity of marine ecosystems, such as Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, Uvita Island, Punta Uva, Cocles and Gandoca-Manzanillo. The carnivals in the city of Limon is one of the most famous popular parties in the province, and is celebrate in October when it commemorates the arrival of the Spaniards to land in Costa Rica.

Considered by many as one of the best beaches in Costa Rica, Playa Zancudo is a glorious black sand beach located 20 kilometers south of Golfito in the province of Puntarenas. Is an ideal place to spend a holiday day relaxing, Playa Zancudo offers to backpackers, surfers and families, a beautiful place away from the bustle and the activity of other beaches of Costa Rica. With beautiful landscapes intact and totally natural surroundings, this beach is a heaven for those who want a relaxing environment.

Playa Zancudo is a beach relatively calm, is believed to be the best swimming beach in the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica. However, what people do not know is that this is an excellent beach for surfing and fishing. Located on the south bank of the Rio Coto Colorado, Playa Zancudo is also near a mangrove swamp which provides an excellent opportunity to see lots of wildlife on the site. The tourist can observe many birds, monkeys and crocodiles that live here.

With a strip of 6 kilometers of beach almost totally flat, the crystal waters of the Pacific Ocean fall quietly at the shore of the beaches of Playa Zancudo creating a gentle wave ideal for everyone to enjoy and relax. While the northern part of the beach is calmer, the south part is much more intense enough for surfing. For those who enjoy the boggie boarding or surfing, the central part of the beach at Playa Zancudo is ideal.

With its spectacular sunsets, this beach turns into the night in a magical kingdom full of stars, while the small marine life glow illuminating the waters of the beach to present a unique and beautiful spectacle. During the day Playa Zancudo has a great view over the Golfo Dulce within the bay. An ideal haven for backpacker and surfers because of its excellent surfing, Playa Zancurdo has very cheap accommodation, excellent food, a good number of bars, restaurants and discos and a casual atmosphere with friendly inhabitants making it the ultimate getaway for a holiday.

Here, the Pacific Ocean is your amusement park where you can give free rein to a variety of water sports including scuba diving, sport fishing, snorkeling, water skiing, horse riding and kayaking tours to the nearby Rio Coto Colorado. For those tourist who like to enjoy activities on the land, they can also visit the Botanical Gardens Orchid House or walk along the trails near the river.

Playa Zancudo can be reach by bus from Golfito or take a water taxi from the docks. If you choose to travel by boat, be sure to bring your camera because you will have countless opportunities to take fabulous pictures along this magnificent coastline.