Travelogue from Costa Rica: Popular destination with exceptional wildlife experiences

Do you also dream of visiting Costa Rica? Read below what Tom experienced when he visited Costa Rica in May 2016.

Costa Rica is one of our most popular destinations and I can now well understand why, after having been on a tour of Costa Rica in the May of 2016. The small country in Central America has so much variety to offer: tropical rainforests, white sandy beaches, smouldering volcanoes, wildlife second to none, hot springs, cloud forests, an exciting culinary culture, adventure activities, etc. etc. etc.

Your trip to Costa Rica will be characterized by great natural beauty with many national parks. To be precise, about 27% of the total area actually consists of national parks or nature reserves. Even around the capital, San José, there are several volcanoes. Luckily most of the volcanoes are dormant, but it does happen that they suddenly stir.

During a tour of Costa Rica one gets to experience its varied and colourful wildlife. Although the rainforests are overgrown, a wildlife experience at close quarters can be virtually guaranteed. There are the characteristic frogs in shades of green and red, the roaring monkeys, all kinds of birds, including the famous toucan, sea turtles, dolphins, colourful iguanas, crocodiles and many more to add. I luckily saw most of the animals, but I unfortunately didn’t catch a glimpse of the big cats this time around, like the puma and jaguar. It’s not impossible to come across a jaguar, as a week before we arrived, a group was actually fortunate enough, according to the guide on Mawamba Lodge. I saw the proof in the form of a photo on his mobile.

White sandy beaches, green palms and turquoise waters

In addition to the many green national parks Costa Rica also offers stunning beaches. Most beaches are on the Pacific side, and this was also where I chose to end my tour, at Playa Samara in the Nicoya Peninsula, followed by Manuel Antonio National Park further south. There is a lovely white sandy beach, green palm trees and turquoise waters. Most of the time the beaches lie in small bays, so the water is calm and child-friendly.

I chose to drive around on my own in a rented car (4×4). I certainly didn’t regret it, with me being independent of any pickup times and even being able to decide when I wanted to have a photo-stop, for example. It is safe to drive around in Costa Rica. The roads are fine, except just outside of Monte Verde, and the petrol is relatively cheap J GPS works fine and was included in our self-drive tours.

A sustainable vacation            

In conclusion, I would like to make mention our business partner in Costa Rica. They are very professional and have sustainability and eco-tourism as a matter of top priority. This means that they only cooperate with hotels that also have sustainability as one of their priorities too. Our business partner has just received the highest award in the field of sustainable tourism.

Costa Rica was a great experience and is highly recommended if you’d be up for their beautiful and diverse scenery, fascinating wildlife and good relaxation at the beautiful beaches.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller