Costa Rica highlands - Monteverde and La Fortuna

Having worked my way fairly comprehensively along the coastlines of Costa Rica and Panama, it was time to tear myself away from the beaches and head up to the highlands of Costa Rica, to the towns of Monteverde and La Fortuna, both 'must-visits' on the tourist trail.

Monteverde was originally settled in 1951 by several dozen Quaker families from Alabama seeking to avoid the draft into the Korean war. At that time, Costa Rica had abolished its national army, so purchasing land in Costa Rica seemed fortuitous. At 1440m above sea level, Monteverde today is most famous for its 'cloud forests', primarily the popular Monteverde Cloud Forest and the less developed Santa Elena Reserve. In these reserves, visitors can witness the impact on the forests of close proximity to clouds, which, as Monteverde Info tells me, provides ample moisture, often in the form of fog, which catches on the branches of the tallest trees and drips down to the other organisms below. This helps to support a complex and far-reaching ecosystem, one that harbors over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, 420 of which are orchids alone. I chose to visit the Santa Elena Reserve early in the morning, and was one of handful of people in the reserve. A 4-hour hike led me down into misty valleys and up to observation towers that really enabled me to see the clouds rolling in, which was quite an incredible experience. The entire forest is covered in a moist green fungus, sheltering a huge array of plants and insects. Beyond insects I didn't spot much wildlife, although did catch a glimpse of an elusive quetzal!

Aside from the visiting the reserves, Monteverde is known for its canopy tours, or ziplining, something I've been looking forward to doing for months! I chose to go to the Selvatura Park to zip through its course of 18 ziplines, with lines over 1km long sending you soaring over forested valleys or through lush rainforest - it was awesome. I also visited the Monteverde Butterfly Garden and got up close to a tarantula, of which I'm told there are 'tonnes' in Costa Rica... great!

From Monteverde I moved to the town of La Fortuna, situated at the foot of the giant Arenal Volcano. Until 2010, Arenal was Costa Rica's most active volcano and one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world, with spectacular displays of eruptions every night. Unfortunately, the volcano is going through a quiet period, so I didn't see any lava or eruptions. Aside from the volcano, La Fortuna is famous for its stunning waterfall. I visited early one morning and was privileged to have the waterfall and its rock pools to myself for an early morning dip.. heaven!

The close proximity to Volcan Arenal means that La Fortuna is blessed with natural hot springs. While there are some natural pools around, most visitors to La Fortuna access the hot springs through three or four large resorts and spas. I chose The Springs Resort and Spa, which has 21 pools of different temperatures, all with a stunning view of Volcan Arenal (yes, that is an infinity pool bar!).

I'm told that rooms at The Springs range from $350-3000 a night - slightly out of my price range. Luckily for me The Springs offered day passes, and 2 days for the price of 1 - a deal I couldn't turn down! So I thoroughly enjoyed 2 full days of luxury and positively pickled myself in thermal mineral waters. I even managed to wangle a lift back to La Fortuna each evening in the employee shuttle bus, saving myself a hefty taxi fare - now that's what I call a bargain!

Costa Rica Pacific Coast

The Osa Peninsula, host to the Corcovado National Park, has been dubbed by National Geographic as 'one of the most biologically intense places on earth', with a biodiversity second only to the Amazon. Quite a reputation to live up to! I had been humming and hawing about visiting the Osa, due to the difficulty of getting there, which is probably why it remains the wilderness it is billed to be. My decision was made easier for me when I met an American called Michael and his 9-year-old son Rafa at a hostel in Boquete, Panama. Michael runs a wonderful eco-lodge called Ojo del Mar out on the Osa, not far from the main 'town' Puerto Jimenez, the main jumping off point into the Corcovado. He invited me to go out and visit them at discounted rates, so, not being able to turn down a bargain, my decision was made.

An arduous journey involving 2 buses, a border crossing and a water taxi later, I arrived in Puerto Jimenez where Michael drove me out to visit Ojo del Mar. This is a wonderful eco-lodge set in the remote jungle. Guests are regularly woken by the morning wails of the howler monkeys, after which they can spend their day doing yoga on the beach yoga platform, walk along the string of beautiful beaches, or venture into the jungle. While I was there, Michael and Rafa took me on a guided waterfall hike and kayaking at sunrise which was incredible. Michael also offered me a job during July and August as a sort of 'day host', welcoming guests and showing them around. I spent a good week being extremely tempted but unfortunately KLM refused to allow any changes to my flight plans out of Mexico at the end of July. It was probably for the best, as I'm keen to keep travelling up to Guatemala and Mexico and I did wonder if the remoteness would make me a little stir crazy.

Getting into the national park also proved quite complicated, requiring permits and hiring of guides, and an overnight stay at a ranger station, so in the end I decided that I was perfectly satisfied with the wildlife and jungle experience I'd had on the outskirts of the park.

After eventually prising myself away from Ojo del Mar, I ventured back to Puerto Jimenez where I discovered that the only way to get to my next destination, Manuel Antonio National Park, further up the Pacific Coast, was a 10 hour bus journey with 3 changes, leaving at 5am. In the end I bit the bullet and took a Nature Air flight, reducing my travel time to 1.5 hours. It was smallest plane I've ever been on and the views it afforded over the Pacific Coast made the flight well worth the extra expense.

Manuel Antonio is renowned for being one of the most beautiful national parks in Costa Rica. At only 100 miles from the capital, San Jose, it's also famous for being the most developed and commercial of the national parks. The town is certainly very resort-y, with most restaurants and bars well out of my price range. Within the park, local guides shepherded large groups of American tourists along wide, clearly marked trails. This definitely detracted from the wildness of the park, but it was still incredibly beautiful.

From there, I moved further up the coast to the Nicoya Peninsula, which again involved a bus, ferry and another bus to get to my next stop, Montezuma. Formerly a tiny fishing village, around 20 years ago Montezuma began to develop a reputation as a laid back hippie destination that, crucially, was not too easy to reach, allowing the village to maintain its charm. However, nothing remains the same forever and Montezuma in 2012 certainly caters for the tourists, with souvenir shops and tour companies only rivalled by restaurants on the main street. It does, however, still have a feeling of a place unto itself, a true destination, in many ways the Pacific Coast's slightly more developed equivalent of Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast.

Montezuma is also famous for its waterfalls, and I spent a hectic morning navigating a particularly treacherous path which required climbing up a sheer mud wall aided only by a fraying rope and an enthusiastic local who showed two of us around free of charge. This is typical of my experience of Costa Rica, with people being extremely helpful and friendly, going out of their way to cross the road and give me directions if I'm looking lost. I haven't witnessed the touting and hassling of tourists that you often see in Asia - it seems that people here definitely live by the Costa Rican motto, 'pura vida', or 'full of life', enjoying life to the max.

Panama (somewhat) encompassed

Famed as the 'adventure capital' of Panama, Boquete is a mountainous, coffee-growing region situated in the foothills of Volcan Baru. From here, travellers can go white water rafting, hiking, visit hot springs and coffee plantations and even climb up Volcan Baru - for those who attempt this epic 8-hour trek, the reward is a view of both the Pacific and Caribbean sea - if it's not cloudy. For all these reasons, Boquete seemed like a natural next stop, and a minor break from the coast and beaches that have comprised my trip so far. At 1200m above sea level, Boquete gets a lot of rain and the lush mountains are often hidden in the clouds - it reminded me a lot of misty Nyanga in Zimbabwe. I had a relaxing few days here, with visits to a coffee plantation and to the nearby hot springs. The town is a nice mix of people, having evolved in recent decades due to a high percentage of Americans retiring in Boquete due to the pleasant climate. The coffee plantation I visited was being run by a retired couple from San Francisco - certainly an interesting project to take up later in life!

My original plan was to do a small loop into Panama to visit Bocas del Toro and Boquete, before heading back into Costa Rica and continuing my journey north. This proved shortsighted, as everyone I met told me I would be nuts to leave Panama without visiting Panama City and venturing out to the San Blas islands. So, a mere 8-hour bus journey later, I arrived in Panama City and found my way to a hostel in Casco Viejo, the historic district. Many people say that out of all the capital cities in Central America, Panama City is the one not to miss due to its fascinating contrasts. A thriving economic hub since the construction of the Panama Canal, modern skyscrapers today dominate the skyline while the dilapidated colonial buildings of Casco Viejo are being slowly restored to their former glory. Rundown and ragged, there is a sense of a vibrant history and passion that won't sink quietly under the encroachment of the modern world.

From Panama City, most travellers either sail down to Colombia, or take a few days in the San Blas Archipelago, a series of 378 islands of which only 49 are inhabited by the fiercely independent Kuna Indians. The Kunas run all the islands as an autonomous province with minimal interference from the national government, have maintained their own economic system, language, customs and culture, with distinctive dress, legends, music and dance and thus have avoided traditional tourism development. This may be true in most parts of the San Blas, but unfortunately the affordable islands that are frequented by backpackers have certainly been influenced by the outside world and are beginning to be affected with litter, albeit hidden behind the Kunas' huts. The chief on my island spent a good twenty minutes talking to me about America's Next Top Model, while Adele's music proved inescapable even in this part of the world. I have no doubt that a more traditional way of life exists but, perhaps as it should be, it is very difficult, and expensive, to stay on such an island.

The San Blas, and indeed Panama and Central America as a whole, are extremely popular with Israelis who travel following completion of their military service. Several islands are designated as Israeli hotspots and other nationalities are warned to avoid these by locals and tour agencies! The island I was on, Naranjo Chico, only accepted Israeli couples, rather than big groups, so there were 3 Israeli couples, a Swedish couple and 2 Canadian girls, which was a lovely mix. The accommodation was basic, with beach cabanas offering only a mattress and sand floor - but what else do you need?

This part of Panama is extremely hot and humid with temperatures averaging about 32C every day, and an almost guaranteed thunderstorm every evening, and we had one full stormy day where we all read, a lot. Overall it was extremely relaxing and at the time of writing, I am back in Panama City psyching myself up for a long bus journey back into Costa Rica - more to follow!

I left my heart in Bocas del Toro

From Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, I headed further down the coast and crossed the border at Sixaola and entered Panama, with only minor hassles. A quick shuttle bus later and a few of us were on a boat speeding out to the Archipelago de Bocas del Toro, a wonderful island chain just over the Panama border. Bocas town is the gateway to the islands, and is itself pretty stunning, with traditional Bocatorian stilt houses built over the water. My hostel Casa Verde, was based right on the water and every evening was spent having a few beers on the deck listening to the live bands that play there every night. There are lots of gringos who have made their home there and lots of travellers who came and never left... I almost became one of these.... (should've).

One of the main attractions out here is to go on a full day boat trip, spotting dolphins and snorkelling in the morning, and then spending the afternoon on Zapatillas island, an uninhabited white sand paradise. Best day of my trip so far. I was also lucky enough to meet 3 great Canadian girls, Katy, Lindsay and Bea, on the boat trip so we had such a fun day.

Coincidentally we were all heading out the next day to Palmar Tent Lodge on Isla Bastimentos so they took me under their wing and fed me... :)

Palmar Tent Lodge is based on Red Frog Beach on the Isla Bastimentos, right next to a beautiful marine park. Totally isolated, this hostel was set on the beach and we lived in large safari tents steps away from the beach.

It felt wonderful to be away from civilisation, drinking rum out of coconuts, 'pipas', every day and night on the beach. There was a great group of us there, mostly Canadians (they are everywhere!!) and we had fires on the beach, moonlight walks, midnight swims and we even saw a leatherback turtle. I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a little tear when most of us moved on after 4 days on the beach, and a week in Bocas del Toro. The owners are a young American couple who built this place from scratch and now live the dream... a glimpse of how life could be!

Costa Rica Caribbean Coast

So, after seeing an AMAZING 1.5m leatherback turtle laying its eggs on a beach in Costa Rica, then camouflaging them in sand and sliding back into the sea, in what was an incredible glimpse into another world, I left Tortuguero and ventured further down the Caribbean coast to Cahuita National Park. Leaving Tortuguero involved a 3 hour boat trip down rivers and canals, and some good company with some Norwegians and Americans that I'd previously met. Handy as we could then share a taxi further down the coast after the boat trip.

Cahuita national park is a beautiful jungle with mangrove trees lining stunning beaches, and I had an amazing early morning walk in the national park one cloudy morning.

Cahuita town, however, is pretty much a one street super laidback Caribbean town so after briefly checking out Coco's Bar, I decided to only stay one night and moved on to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. This town is famed as the party town on the Caribbean coast, and most people use it as a base to go into the jungle, go on snorkelling tours or just to check out the beaches. There are lots of Americans about - or 'gringos' - and probably even more Canadians. I've also met some Norwegians and French people, but absolutely no Brits yet - this is amazing to me. I'm told that there are some but I haven't crossed paths with any yet. Everyone is very friendly and I went out to eat a couple of times with some Americans which was nice, although as they were on holiday they were spending money like water. But hey, when in Puerto Viejo....

So I followed Lonely Planet's advice while I was in Puerto Viejo - 'Eat a little. Drink a little. Chill a little. You've come to the right place.' I spent an amazing couple of days hitting the beaches - the highlight was probably hiring a bike and cycling down the coast through a coastal/jungle road, stopping off at some incredible beaches.

The best thing about beaches in Costa Rica and Panama (more to follow) is the fact that there is so much space. There are other tourists dotted around but you're pretty much guaranteed about a 50-100m spot to yourself. There are no hawkers or hasslers and everywhere feels very safe. You'll be pleased to hear my tan is coming on a treat (I'm writing this about 4 days after the photo above was taken!) - I feel so brown and healthy :)

The other main reason people come to Puerto Viejo is to use it as a base from which to travel to the border with Panama and onto Bocas del Toro, a chain of islands where I am currently writing this. The post and photos are on their way and I am definitely in paradise.

San Jose to Tortuguero

Well I've finally arrived in Costa Rica after months of anticipation.. and my trip has got off to a pretty good start. My flight via Atlanta seemed to take forever and I arrived after 20 hours or so of travelling.. fun fun fun! My hostel in San Jose was in the good part of town but I tell you what, there were still plenty of prostitutes around! I didn't do much aside from lie by the pool and recover, but I did venture out to buy my bus ticket for my first stop - Tortuguero Village.

Tortuguero is a national park along the coastline, made up of canals and wetlands. It is possibly one of the more inaccessible places I'll be going to, as the best way there is a bus from San Jose to Cariari, a second bus to La Pavona, and then a boat (1.5 hours) along the canals and rivers. Having said that, the journey ran like clockwork - they are obviously used to tourists and even the public buses (i.e. not the tourist shuttles) make it very easy for tourists to get from one bus to the other. The boat trip was stunning, it felt like going into the heart of the jungle, where all the plants are supersized and prehistoric. You can see more of my photos by looking at the map.

I got to Tortuguero in one sweaty piece (it is hotter and more tropical at the coast, with temperatures of around 31 degrees) and found my way to my hostel, El Icaco, situated right on the beach, with hammocks and everything :) The guidebooks say that we shouldn't swim in the sea here because of rip tides but the locals say that it's fine to go waist deep, which is what I've been doing. Try and stop me!!

The first day here was active, to put it mildly, starting at 5.30 am with a canoe tour of the river. Stunning morning, and so peaceful - not your average Saturday morning! We saw 3 iguanas, 2 sloths, a caiman (mini crocodile) and a lot of howler and spider monkeys. Pretty amazing. Then I had a hike through the rainforest and leisurely lunch, followed by a swim in the sea. Tonight I'm going on a tour to see leatherback turtles laying their eggs on the beach. Very happy bunny.

Tortuguero village has no roads or cars, and everyone knows everyone, which sounds nice until the tour guide takes a fancy to you and there is nowhere to hide - he even came knocking on my door to ask me to join him on a tour of his 'private land'. Not to mention being approached at a riverside bar (mid afternoon) by 4 men - 2 fishermen, a boatman, and a businessman - in turn, each trying to chat me up. It has been heavenly and relaxing here but I am looking forward to moving on to Cahuita National Park, further down the coast.

A taste of adventure

By the time you read this blog, I'll hopefully have landed in San Jose, Costa Rica, to start my adventures in Central America. For my rough itinerary you can check out the map tab - in future you should be able to click on a destination and view my photos of that exact spot, as we go along. BUT until I've had a few experiences I won't be blogging, but in the meantime we can rely on Lonely Planet to whet your (and my) taste for adventure:

Tiny on a map, Central America packs in more diversity than any similar-sized area on the planet. No matter when you visit, or how long you're there, daily adventures are there for the taking. They come in all styles – fun, easy, bumpy, challenging, surprising, fulfilling – the sort you’ll be talking about for decades. Caribbean white-sand beaches and offshore reefs border lazy backpacker towns while, not far away, coffee-scented mountains reach, Dr Seuss–like, through smoke-ring clouds. Spanish haciendas line the cobblestone streets of 16th-century colonial towns under the ominous gaze of lava-gurgling volcanoes. Wander through dense jungle to find Mayan pyramids that date back a millennium as bulldog-sized rodents scurry past and howler monkeys commute in the treetops above you.

And a video taster...