Ever since we started traveling, we’ve been on the lookout for lush jungles, eco-lodges, stunning beaches, untouched coral reefs, welcoming people, and tasty food. From what we’ve heard, Costa Rica has all of that in abundance! However, we’ve also heard mixed reviews about this green paradise in Latin America. Though we’re excited to visit, we do have some reservations.
A good friend of ours recently zipped through Costa Rica and mentioned that it was quite expensive and the locals seemed a bit cold. We’ve nicknamed it “Costly Rica” to brace ourselves for potential travel costs, but we’re hoping for better interactions with people than our friend had.
Despite the mixed reviews, we’re still super excited to see Costa Rica for ourselves! Here are five reasons why:
You can’t visit Costa Rica without diving into its tropical rainforests. We love jungle hikes, and exploring the Costa Rican jungle to check out the unique plants and animals is high on our list.
Our friends, Dan and Casey from ACruisingCouple.com, raved about the incredible Cristalino Lodge in the Amazon Jungle. They described it as the perfect blend of eco and luxury. After reading their review, we’ve been itching to visit this paradise ourselves. The lodge also offers tower lookouts, jungle treks, and nighttime campfires. We can’t wait to check out some of Costa Rica’s many eco-lodges!
We haven’t climbed a steamy, geothermal mountain since our trip to Indonesia in 2009, and it remains one of the highlights of our travels in Southeast Asia. We missed seeing live lava back then, which is still on our bucket list. The Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica is famous for its occasional glowing lava flows. While we don’t need to get too close, we definitely want to climb Arenal and get a good look at its molten core.
Who doesn’t love a beautiful beach? CNN named Costa Rica’s Dominical Beach as one of the top 100 nicest beaches in the world! But Costa Rica’s coastline offers more than swimming. Dariece and I are eager to give surfing another try, and Playa Cocles is supposed to be perfect for beginners. Our first surfing attempt was in Lombok, Indonesia, and we’ve been waiting to hit the waves again ever since.
As a scuba diving enthusiast, I can’t wait to explore Costa Rica’s reefs. Despite being a relatively new dive destination, there are plenty of great spots around the Osa Peninsula and Caño Island. So far, I’ve only dived in Tulum and Isla Mujeres in Mexico, and Ambergris Caye in Belize. I’ve yet to dive on the Pacific Coast, and the Osa Peninsula on the west side of the country seems like the perfect opportunity to do so.
We haven’t nailed down exactly when we’ll be visiting Costa Rica, but it’ll probably be sometime in the next five months. My friend Jeff from Middle Class Dad has some great suggestions for Guanacaste, Costa Rica, that I’ll be checking out.
We’re currently making our way south through Mexico and into Guatemala. We figure that we might reach Costa Rica by July this year. However, as our followers know, our plans often change, so we’re not entirely sure when we’ll arrive. What we do know is that we’ll spend about a month in the country, taking it all in slowly while exploring as much as possible.