In Costa Rica, you are at the mercy of the elements more so than in other places, I feel. We visited Costa Rica in mid June, which is the beginning of the rainy season. I imagined the rainy season means a quick shower every day in the afternoon, like other tropical places we’ve been. That may be true for other parts of the country, but the Caribbean side has its own microclimate – it’s rainy most of the year, with no predictable pattern, the only dry period being in September and October. And, when it rains, it pours.
The ubiquitous tuk-tuk (rickshaw) in Puerto Viejo
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
On our first day, while driving to Congo Bongo, we experienced some of this torrential rain during the last two hours of the ride. A quick check of the forecast almost spoiled our mood – it predicted stormy weather with rain and thunder for the rest of the week! Our driver, however, calmly advised against checking the forecast in Costa Rica, as it’s almost meaningless. The weather changes so quickly that it really can’t be accurately predicted. And it was true – we had a few dry days, followed by a full rainy day. The rain started at night and continued on and off during the day. It was not a rain, it was a deluge! We were planning to do snorkeling in Manzanillo that day, but quickly realized we have to come up with plan B. When it cleared a bit, we decided to take the local MEPE bus and go to Puerto Viejo.
Puerto Viejo is a vibrant little town just 15 kilometers north of Manzanillo, and is the heart and soul of the Caribbean coast. With its endless beaches, laid back atmosphere, and bohemian vibe, Puerto Viejo has a special charm and appeals to surfers and hipsters from all over the world. The town was a bit deserted after the rain, but as we sipped a cup of coffee from the balcony of a local cafe, we watched it spring to life. You can really see it all – from young backpackers, and wandering couples, to hippies, beatniks, surfers and everything in between – it was a great place to do some people watching, wander around, and experience the hodgepodge of cultural influences.
The small boutiques lining up the main street offered some of the best beach clothing I’ve seen. The sounds of reggae music, and the smells of food were enticing, and if it wasn’t for the dwindling light, we would’ve explored more of this little gem of a town. Unfortunately, days are short in Costa Rica. The sun sets at 5:45 pm and puts a quick end to beach and other activities, forcing you to think about dinner and bed sooner than you might normally.
We strolled the streets some more, checked out the beach, and bought fresh fruit from a street vendor. For our dinner meal, we decided to visit Soda Lidia, as it came highly recommended. It was more secluded, a few blocks from the main street. We ordered our usual Chicken Caribeño, and it was really delicious.
We came back to Puerto Viejo a few more times, mostly on rainy days. We did some souvenir and grocery shopping, and used the opportunity to try more of the local restaurants. Our driver Wilson mentioned about Soda Mirna, and how Gordon Ramsay himself has apparently visited it earlier this year, and sort of made it famous, so on our next visit we had lunch there. We ordered chicken caribeno of course (not sure if this is the same meal Gordon Ramsay had), and it was delish, as predicted. I decided to deviate from the group and had the shrimp coconut curry (anyone who knows me know I looove coconut), and that was also very good.
Shrimp coconut curry at Soda Mirna, Puerto Viejo
For drinks, one of the best things you can order in any restaurant in Costa Rica is a fresh smoothie – made of fresh fruit and water or fruit and milk. We tried the passion fruit, pineapple and mango versions, both with water and milk, and they were absolutely delicious. It makes such a profound difference when the fruit is fresh and real, and there are no artificial additives.
We returned to Puerto Viejo on our last day again – another rainy day. The rain did not stop for hours, and we lost power for awhile at the Congo Bongo lodge. We watched and listened to the sound of the rain from the hammocks, and even though we were stuck at home, it didn’t quite bother us until hunger set in some time in the later afternoon. So we put on our ponchos and caught a taxi to Puerto Viejo. By the time we got there, the rain had stopped, but another phenomenon happened. We noticed the annoying flying insects that were everywhere, and at first we simply ignored them, but quickly realized there were millions of them, and everywhere! They were in your face, hair, all around you, and there was no escape! When we returned to Congo Bongo, we were appalled to find out thousands of these creatures flying around in our rooms too!! We googled it then, and figured out that these were flying termites. The rain had forced them to come out, and start mating like crazy, shedding their wings in the process! We were about to start packing our luggage for our early departure the next day, and the last thing we wanted was to bring back home some new species of termites. So we went on a killing spree but, all of a sudden, after an hour or two, the termites simply disappeared! They were just gone!
Cahuita National Park
Cahuita National Park is another preserved rainforest area that is home to thousands of animal and plant species, and it was close to Puerto Viejo. When we discussed all sorts of activity ideas with our local tour guide Abel, he said that we don’t really need a guide for Cahuita, or rather – if we had to choose a guided tour between Gandoca-Manzanillo park and Cahuita, it’s better to do the guided tour in Gandoca-Manzanillo, and do your own tour in Cahuita. This checked out with what I’ve read online about Cahuita. People were saying that it’s almost like a zoo, and the animals are not shy at all. So our expectations were pretty high.
The day we decided to go, was probably the hottest day of our stay. We left early in the morning, dressed in long pants and long sleeves, prepared for a jungle walk not much different than what we experienced in Gandoca-Manzanillo reserve. When we got to the entrance, there was hardly anyone around. We started the walk on a wooden bridge above the swampy ground. The first animal we spotted, maybe in the first 10 minutes of walking were white faced monkeys. They were much closer than the howler monkeys we were used to seeing. Needless to say they were adorable, and we were able to watch them for awhile jump from tree to tree and eating berries. This early encounter seemed like a good sign, we thought.
Well, over the next two miles the bridge countinued to wind through the jungle, but the jungle seemed to be devoid of any life. Maybe because it was extremely hot that day, and the animals have retreated further up the trees, I don’t know but it certainly wasn’t the experience we had read about, and hoped for. When the wodden bridge ended, the path forked to multiple directions, along the beach. By that time, it was super hot, and we were getting cranky. There wasn’t a thick canopy of greens to keep us shade, so we left the kids on a bench, and decided to go along the beach path some more. The sun was relentless, and it didn’t help that every inch of our skin was covered in clothing. We decided then to call it a day. We only saw a pack of racoons on the way back, but they were so quick to disappear that it almost didn’t count as an animal encounter.
I wish we came on a cooler day, and I bet we didn’t see a fraction of what Cahuite could offer. Oh well…next time perhaps.
Pacuare River Whitewater Rafting
The Pacuare river whitewater rafting trip was one of the most memorable highlights of our Costa Rica vacation. Pacuare river is among the world’s top 5 whitewater rafting destinations. The 18-mile run has 52 rapids, mostly level 3 and 4, mixed in with some level 2 as well, which makes it the perfect blend of easy and adrenaline-pumping ride. The first third of the trip was easy – as the river snakes its way through the lush tropical rainforest, you alternate between feeling the slow rythm of the water underneath, observe the tranquil, beautiful scenery with the occasional waterfall cascading down into the river, beautiful lush greens all around, and then have a few action-packed rapids to jump over. We took a little break from the rafting, and stopped for a short hike to a small waterfall in the jungle. It was a cool little detour – we enjoyed swimming in the refreshingly cold pond sourrounding the waterfall, before we went back and continued our advenutre.
And adventure it was, as almost immediately after our stop, we experienced our first level 4 rapid. It would’ve helped if we actually heard what our guide said, instead of automatically starting to row. When our guide yelled “Down”, me and my daughter did exactly the opposite – leaned out and started rowing (this was what we’d been doing up until this point). Both of us popped out of the boat in a second, and found ourselves in the turbulent waters of the rapid, struggling for a few minutes to get back on the boat. We learned the hard way, that level 4 rapids can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. They can also be super fun, as we also learned and not hard to navigate if you stay inside, and let your guide weather the storm instead!
As storm clouds gathered overhead, we braced ourselves for the imminent downpour. Within moments, raindrops began pelting down, quickly soaking us to the bone. Not that it mattered much – we were already soaking wet. Although it spoiled our plans for lunch out in the jungle, the exhilaration of being caught in the midst of the storm was a thrill unlike any other. Despite the inconvenience, we couldn’t help but marvel at the raw power and beauty of nature in action.
Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall
We left Congo Bongo early in the morning of our last day, and headed for the long drive to San Jose. Normally this would take about 6 hours but we took a detour so we can visit two more attractions, Poas Volcano, and La Paz Waterfall. Wilson, our driver from Coati Tours and his wife Elsie organized and planned this last leg of our Costa Rican adventure for us. Wilson warned us that there is only a 25% chance we would see Poas Volcano, due to dense fog or rain, but we decided to take our chances.
Poas Volcano is one of 5 active volcanoes in Costa Rica. Situated in the midst of a lush tropical forest, it sits at almost 9000 feet elevation and allows visitor access to the top of the main crater. At almost a mile wide, it is considered the world’s second widest crater, and features a spectacular, highly acidic, turquoise lake that is bubbling and spewing sulphurous gases.
As we were approaching the entrance of the Poas Volcano National Park, stormy ominous looking clouds began to quickly gather overhead. We could feel the rain in the air. Nevertheles, after a quick stop at the Visitor Cetner to grab helmets, we hurried uphill for the half mile hike to the viewing point. As we got to the top, we were faced with a curtain of dense clouds, obscuring whatever view lied in front of us. But something we didn’t notice immediately was that the clouds moved pretty fast. They may disperse for a few seconds only, and if you so much as turn your head around, you might miss the view. After only a few minutes, the clouds did clear momentarily, and we were rewarded with a glimpse of the crater lake. It was a pretty milky blue, almost aquamarine color that day. In the next 15 minutes we we lucky to get a few more semi clear views of the volcano crater and the surrounding area. They weren’t the clearest but it was enough for us and we felt extremely lucky.
And just as we headed back, the rain started pouring! This time, we had neither ponchos, nor umbrellas and by the time we got to the Visitor Center, we were soaked to the bones. With nowhere to go for a change of clothes, we grabbed some hot chocolate at the cafe, and tried to warm ourselves while the rain kept going strong. Walking in wet shoes is no fun but as soon as the rain stopped, we were happy to move on to the next sight Wilson had in store for us – La Paz waterfall. It was only a short drive from Poas volcano, and we got there just before dusk.
The waterfall is right next to the main road, and you can get really close, even behind the waterfall curtain. Again, we felt lucky to catch the last rays of the day light, and see this beauty but we still had a flight to catch, and we were nowhere close, so we had to hurry up. This was a lovely ending to our trip, bringing excitement till the very end, thanks to our great guides Wilson, and Elsi who though of everything, and planned so well for us. Thank you so much Coati Tours – you guys rock!!
