Certainly the world is a spectacular place but Costa Rica is a world in itself. Costa Rica is a stunning paradise, a perfect get-a-way destination for everyone. Majestically extended from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea in Central America with fauna, flora, landscape, geothermal features and everything that is breath-taking.
The rainforests, pristine beaches, undulating waterfalls, rolling mountains, flowing rivers, active volcanoes and adrenaline rushing adventures, it has all the components to make this midget country a great destination to travel.
I was 17 when I visited Costa Rica with my family in the month of December, a perfect time to visit. We landed at Juan Santamaria airport in San Jose, the capital. The bustling San Jose is home to six magnificent museums, umpteenth picturesque parks and plazas, open-air markets, myriads of restaurants and bars galore.
We took a Doka coffee tour and sipping freshly brewed coffee after a long strenuous walk through the city, was a refreshing feeling for all of us. San Jose is becoming a hotspot for all epicureans and shopaholics.
Costa Rica is a land-lover’s paradise, it’s home to twenty-eight national parks. It’s the only country on earth that has variations in their landscape and climate as well. We took a hike on Tenorio Volcano National Park through the off-beaten trails among howler monkeys and talking toucans, where we could see the stunning Rio Celeste, a turquoise waterfall with sandy bone-white beach around. This serene view was a soul-soothing pleasure for us.
In the national parks we undertook some thrilling activities like river rafting, canyoning, cave tubing, zip lining; as national parks here are just not jungles, but they also consist of coral reefs, swamps, and rainforests too. The Selvatura park known as the birthplace of ziplining, La Selvita, a National Park, in the heart of the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica has one kilometer long zip-lining, a memory none of us will ever forget, the view was scintillating and sipping chilled margaritas on the coast was truly blissful.
One of Costa Rica’s fascinating facts is that there is a volcano that is still alive near the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Arenal Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most popular attractions with an astounding sight to behold, the sight with the hot red lava still cascading in its crater. New mountains formed with this emanating lava was an incredulous sight for our disbelieving eyes that we will treasure for life.
Dipping in the soothing geothermal hot springs near the volcanoes elated us up to the hilt especially after the endless hike. We also visited the cloud forest, all the way to the crater of the neighboring volcano, Cerro Chato. Although it was a steep walk, the lush forest lushness kept us going. The vivid orange ginger lilies appeared intermittently and the reward for climbing to the top was the view of Cerro Chato’s lake, gem-blue sparkling water, babbling and burbling that energized us with their pleasant waft.
Along the Cerro Chato’s lake, there were groups of howler monkeys that hung around in trees producing an avalanche of noise and gangs of cuddly coatis, clicking selfies with them with the scenic backdrop, we got picturesque photos. The Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, an exorbitantly expensive place with throngs of people around, is a tourist hot spot. The Eco Thermals Hot Springs in La Fortuna has four large pools where we indulged in dipping again in the hot springs.
Costa Rica is a foodie destination. Evenings we usually savored lounging in the nearby restaurants that served lip-smacking Costa Rican national dish, ‘casado’ with palm heart salad, fresh fruit juice and arreglados, a type of sandwich. Some of the other most popular dishes include pejibayes,a peach palm fruits, vuelve a la vida, a dish similar to ceviche.
The breathtaking café in Mirador Cinchona with an overlooking garden that looked like a rainforest with talking toucans, chirruping hummingbirds and an undulating foamy white waterfall, makes it a must visit cafe. There are also pet spiders and tarantula there for the tourists who would like to frolic around these creepy and crawling exciting moments. Bird watching was momentous to catch a glimpse of hummingbirds, scarlet macaws, coppery-headed emerald and magenta-throated woodstar.
The country has more than many beaches pristine with a bewitching shoreline on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the country. Tamarindo, is a popular beach good for surfing and spotting sea turtles. My family learnt surfing here, a mind boggling experience that has left an indelible mark in our mind.
Boucher, a small region has myriads of adventurous outings and world renowned surfing. One of the must see in this location is Cocos Island. This captivating island which is a diver’s paradise offers an array of sea life. At the dive site in Dos Amigos Grande, we were delighted by nature’s beauty by diving underwater arches and beautiful reefs. I marveled with awe at the cosmic beauty of the underwater.
We also went snorkeling at one of the beach and saw a riot of color on the coral reef that looked like a landscaped garden manicured and mushroomed by an expert gardener. I was awestruck by this exceptional display of astonishing creation. The place also has scuba diving, whitewater rafting, kayaking, camping and many different activities making it an adventurous and thrill seeking place to travel .
Our last stop was at Manuel Antonio, it took us back to the exquisite nature of Costa Rica. Sadly our trip ended after ten days yet we couldn’t see the entire Costa Rica. In my dreams, I often see myself back on one of those beaches and the parks, overwhelmed with gratitude for my exhilarating experience.
The mesmerizing wonders of this country guarantees that every visitor would have a desire to visit it again. So for a euphoric and an enticing trip, a trip to Costa Rica is a must go. So book your tickets now and embark on your journey to Costa Rica’s scintillating mini wonders.
By: Maana Vora
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