Northwest Costa Rica & the Nicoya Peninsula

By Bruce Conord

This is based on our full Adventure Guide to Costa Rica. It zeroes in on the Northwest and Nicoya Peninsula, including the Arenal area, Monteverde and its Cloud Forest, Liberia & Guanacaste, plus all the many beaches and national parks. It contains all th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Oct 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9781588438171

Book preview

Northwest Costa Rica & the Nicoya Peninsula

Bruce & June Conord

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

4176 Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec

Canada H2W 2M5; 514-843-9882, ext. 2232

Roundhouse Group

Millstone, Limers Lane, Northam

Devon, EX39 2RG, England; 01237-474474

© Hunter Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Author Profiles

The Conords have been traveling and writing about their journeys for years. They enjoy adventure and ecological travel, as well as historical and cultural forays in foreign lands. Their other Hunter titles, Adventure Guide to the Yucatán, Adventure Guide to Costa Rica, Cancún, Cozumel & The Riviera Maya Alive!, andPocket Adventures Yucatán garnered critical acclaim and won several prestigious travel writing and photography awards from the North American Travel Journalists' Assoc.

Bruce went to Rutgers University and has written biographies of John Lennon, Bill Cosby and Cesar Chavez. He has worked as an import manager, teacher, advertising executive, copywriter and publisher's representative. Writing, photography, soccer and travel are his passions.

June grew up in southwest England and went to Plymouth Art College. Whenever she gets near the ocean, she feels happy. Her professional credits include numerous newspaper and magazine articles and stock photography. She has edited, photographed and worked alongside Bruce in many of their joint efforts to eke out a living and travel more. For relaxation, she could happily spend all day on a pebble beach, poking a stick in rock pools and collecting shells.

Their individual work is represented by a stock photography agency and together their photographs of Mexico have been featured at an exhibit in the prestigious New York Arts Club.

Visit their website at www.adventureguides.com.

Introduction

How to Use this Book

Costa Rica At A Glance

Top 20 Spots

Suggested Destinations

Surfing Safaris

Wild Windsurfing

Fantastic Fishing

Gay & Lesbian Travel

Travel Essentials

Entry Requirements

Measurements, Dates & Time

What to Take

Customs & Immigration

Way to Go

Coming & Going

The Land Between the Oceans

Geography

Environment

Flora

Fauna

The People, Their History

History

Modern Times

Being There

Culture & Customs

Holidays & Fiestas

Food & Drink

Alternative Accommodations

Down on the Farm

Bed & Breakfasts

Hostels

Camping

Getting Around

Learning Spanish

Sports

Money Matters

Safety & Crime

Health, Special Concerns

Communications

Phone Calls

Getting On-Line

Just in Case

Credit Card Issues

Costa Rica Tourist Board

Emergencies

Embassies

Handy Hints

North by Northwest

Arenal Area

Arenal Volcano

La Fortuna

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge

Lake Arenal

Tilarán

Monteverde

Monteverde Cloud Forest

Adventures on Foot

Bosque Nuboso de Los Niños

Santa Elena Rainforest Reserve

Santa Elena Pueblo

Shopping

Adventures

Places to Stay

Places to Eat

Liberia & Guanacaste

Liberia

Places to Stay & Eat

National Parks

Palo Verde National Park

Lomas Barbudal

Guanacaste National Park

Rincón de la Vieja National Park

Santa Rosa National Park

Nicoya Peninsula

Northern Peninsula

Playa Hermosa Area

Playa Flamingo Area Beaches

Playa Tamarindo

Playa Grande

Playa Junquillal

Central Peninsula

Santa Cruz & Nicoya

Barra Honda National Park

Playa Sámara

Playa Nosara

Southern Peninsula

Playa Naranjo

Playa Tambor

Montezuma

Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve

Malpais & Santa Teresa

Appendix

Useful Websites

Rainy Day Reading

Showtime

Spanish Vocabulary

Transportation Schedules & Fares

Introduction

Costa Rica is a magical land known for beautiful scenery and friendly people. Historic political stability and intriguing Latin-American culture attract all kinds of vacationers. But it is the host of natural wonders and ecological diversions that draws most visitors - and adventure opportunities abound.

Whitewater raft through pristine jungles, or bathe in natural hot water springs. Slide through a canopy of trees on a high wire. Visit coffee farms and banana plantations. Sunbathe on beaches of black volcanic or powdery white sand. Watch a nighttime volcano eruption put on a fireworks display of ruby-red hot lava. See endangered giant sea turtles dig nests and lay their eggs. Climb to the top of a high volcano and look down into its crater filled with a turquoise blue lake. Visit one of the many butterfly farms, or stare back at a poisonous snake at a Serpentarium. Surf, snorkel, hike, bike, camp, eat, dance, read a book - Costa Rica offers a smorgasbord of pastimes for your pleasure. We've been many times and find more to do and see each time we visit. Maybe we'll see you there on our next trip!

How to Use this Book

You know the old saying. If you find fault with our book, please tell us - but if you like it, tell a friend! We have arranged this guide in a way that makes it easy for readers ether to plan an itinerary or get right into the details of specific adventures. Unless you're just going to one area, travel in Costa Rica always involves passing through the Central Valley. The best way to think of it is as a spoked wheel, with San José as the hub. Costa Rica is small enough to get from coast to coast in one long day of driving, or half an hour in a plane. You can see a lot of the country even if you are based in the capital.

We divided our guide into regions: San José; the Central Valley; the Northwest; the Nicoya Peninsula; Pacifica (the Central Pacific Coast); the Caribbean Coast; and Zona Sur, the Southern Pacific. Each offers its own diverse enjoyments.

We also wrote this Adventure Pocket Guide with an ecologically responsible slant. Costa Rica is an environmental paradise - so don't be a tourist, be an eco-tourist.

Flexible travelers can always get a lot out of their vacations, and that's especially true in Costa Rica. Starting in San José and wandering off to find your pleasures can be a great way to go. The main north-south road is the Inter-American Highway, which connects the towns of La Cruz (near the Nicaraguan border) with Canoas (on the border with Panama).

Nearly every major establishment we mention in this guide has e-mail and a website; we've included the web address after the phone number. Those establishments without their own websites are still likely to have e-mail; we've listed only the e-mail in these cases. Because Internet cafés come and go faster than we can type, we haven't bothered to list them. Just ask. There will be one nearby; if not, find a post office - they have computers for use.

If you find things are different than we have suggested in the pages of this book, please let our publisher know or send us an e-mail directly ([e-mail]). The same goes if you've found something good that we didn't include - let us know. Our goal is to make your vacation the best ever!

Prices

Although we made every effort to be as thorough, complete and accurate as possible, things change in Costa Rica - sometimes muy rapido. We use a system of dollar-sign symbols to let you know the cost of various accommodations and restaurants.

Very Useful Web Information

There's tons of information available. Make sure you read our Handy Hints section. And, if you plan to rent a car, please read our driving tips below.

There are several sources of Costa Rican information on the web. The government's official site is www.tourism-costarica.com. If you'd like to have a Costa Rica tourism brochure mailed to you, call them at tel. [phone]. Some good maps can be found for purchase or download at www.mapcr.com.

Other good resources include www.costarica.com, www.therealcostarica.com, www.centralamerica.com and www.bruncas.com. Gay and lesbian travel info can be found at www.gaycostarica.com. For a round- up of hotels, log on to www.hotels.co.cr or the association website, www.costaricanhotels.com. Check bus routes and schedules online at www.costaricabybus.com.

If you want to keep up with news in Costa Rica, look every Friday at www.ticotimes.net and check daily on www.insidecostarica.com and www.amcostarica.com, where you can sign up for daily headlines by e-mail. La Nacion newspaper has an English-language site, www.nacion.com/ln_ee/english.

For eco-tourism discussions, look to www.planeta.com. Devoted eco-tourists should check out the eco-cultural offerings of Cooperena cooperatives at www.turismoruralcr.com or www.ecotourism.co.cr. The first site is most important for community-based ecological and cultural tourism. Scattered across Costa Rica are rustic rural lodges that provide local guides, typical family food, eco-tourism activities and cultural interchange with local communities. Sports folk can check out www.costaricaoutdoors.com.

Locally run websites with accommodations and general information include www.monteverdeinfo.com and www.monteverde-online.com (Monte­verde), www.maqbeach.com (Manuel Antonio & Quepos), plus Pacific coast beach destinations: www.nosara.com, www.samarabeach.com, and www.tamarindo.com. For the Osa Peninsula and southern part of the country from Dominical to Panama, look to the Pacific region's www.osamap.com, or on the southern Caribbean coast, www.greencoast.com, www.puertoviejo.net and www.puertoviejoweb.com (Puerto Viejo). Surfers can check www.crsurf.com in Dominical. Sports and cultural info are available at www.internet.co.cr.

We Love To Get Mail!

Hunter Publishing makes every effort to ensure that its travel guides are the most current sources of information available to travelers. If you have any information that you feel should be included in the next edition of this guide, please write to us at 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818, or send an e-mail to kim@hun­terpublishing.com.

Feel free to include your opinion or experiences of the places you've visited, as well as price updates and suggestions for ways in which we could improve this book for future readers. If you'd like to contact the authors directly, e-mail them at book@adventure guides.com.

Costa Rica At A Glance

WHEN TO VISIT: The high season in Costa Rica, December through April, is the dry season. But anymore, Costa Rica is so popular that even during the rainy season (our favorite) there are a lot of tourists. Secondary roads can become rutted during those months, and four-wheel-drive vehicles are strongly recommended.

MONEY: Costa Rican currency is the colon (co-LOAN), named after Christopher Columbus. It floats daily against the dollar and can be exchanged at banks and change booths. American dollars and major credit cards are acceptable almost everywhere, except in small business establishments or in remote locations. ATMs (Cajeros Automaticos) are available in most cities and towns with bank offices.

PEOPLE: The population of Costa Rica was 4.13 million as of July 2007, which includes 40,000 native people who belong to eight different cultural groups. The official language is Spanish, but many of the people speak some English, a required course in all schools. Costa Ricans are affectionately known as Ticos (TEA-coes) - and you would be hard pressed to find a more friendly and welcoming culture.

RELIGION: Catholicism is the dominant religion, as it is in most of Latin America. Consequently, nearly all major holidays are religious in nature. The government and popular culture is secular, though still conservative.

MAJOR CITIES: San José, population one million plus, is the capital and cultural heart of Costa Rica. Other major cities (by population) are: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Liberia, Limón and Puntarenas.

WEATHER: Costa Rica is a tropical country with two seasons - dry and wet. The rainy season, which lasts from May to November, usually sees sunny mornings, with rain showers in late afternoon and evening. Overall, the climate is tropical, with an average temperature of 72°F (22°C). It can be much hotter along the coastal areas of the country, and cooler in the mountains.

EMERGENCIES: Dial 911.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Canadians and North Americans are not required to have a visa and may visit Costa Rica for a maximum of 90 days without one. To enter the country you must have a valid passport.

ELECTRICITY: The voltage throughout the country is 110, the same as in North America. However, three-prong outlets are scarce, so bring along an adapter if you need one.

TIME ZONE: Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time, six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour behind EST in the States

HEALTH: No shots are required, but we always suggest having a Hepatitis A shot as a precaution. The water in the major cities of Costa Rica is safe and most hotels and restaurants offer purified tap water. You might prefer to drink bottled water (agua purificada) or seltzer (agua mineral) to be sure. Costa Rica has excellent, low-cost medical care and well-qualified practitioners. Many North Americans come to Costa Rica for cosmetic surgery or dental work (we did).

SAFETY & CRIME: Costa Rica is a safe destination for 99tel. of its tourists, but it's always a good idea to exercise caution whenever one travels. In general, the country has a low crime rate, but in recent years there have been increasing instances of tourists and expatriates being robbed, as well as several highly publicized murders. Additionally, most eco-adventures involve some sort of danger, so be sure to use less testosterone and more common sense when deciding on your level of participation in these activities.

THINGS TO BUY: Choose from coffee and coffee-related products, reproduction pre-Columbian jewelry, craftily carved wooden boxes, attractive Chorotegan pottery, leather goods, hand-painted art, guitars or painted miniature oxcarts.

DRIVING/CAR RENTAL: Rental cars are expensive, but are a good way to see Costa Rica outside of San José. You should buy all the insurance offered - and then some. Drivers in Costa Rica are maniacs - worse than Bostonians - and, for a non-confrontational people, very aggressive behind the wheel. Drive very cautiously as road conditions are unpredictable. Think mass transit - buses are a good alternative and very reasonably priced.

Top 20 Spots

Our list of Top 20 Things to Do or See is a guide to the best that Costa Rica has to offer. It's not in any order, nor does it cover anywhere near all of the country's attractions. But it should give you some food for thought in planning your vacation.

1. ARENAL VOLCANO: Famous for its nighttime lava fireworks, Arenal Volcano towers above a lovely lake of the same name. The area has plenty of natural activities, eco-adventures, and the lake is particularly popular with fishermen and windsurfers. The thermal springs at the base of the mountain offer a warm dip. The volcano itself rumbles frequently and, if not socked in by clouds, is very impressive - and just a tad exciting.

2. MONTEVERDE: The 10,526-hectare/26,000-acre Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, nestled in moisture-filled hanging clouds, provides a home to thousands of species of plants, animals and insects. It offers a unique opportunity to experience, up close, the beauty of nature unspoiled - the reason we all come to Costa Rica. 

3. MANUEL ANTONIO: This is prime real estate. Manuel Antonio National Park has three white sandy connecting beaches and a forest filled with a variety of monkeys. It is country's the most popular park and a de-rigueur destination. 

4. TORTUGUERO: Bordered by