We travelled to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks in April. We flew into San Jose, spent an overnight there then back to the airport and boarded a small plane on Sansa Air for a one hour flight to Drake Bay, our first destination. The short cheap flight was the best choice, rather than the eight hour road trip then a long boat ride down the coast to Drake Bay.
This place was on our radar for a couple of years since we were last here. It's located on the edge of the Osa Penisula, at the bottom of the country on the Pacific coast and is primarily one of the gateways into Corcovado National Park located nearby. It's a tiny town with a number of lodges, guest houses, campsites and hotels located in the surrounding hills. There are no real roads so most travel to by boat along the coast. After looking at many places we settled on Pirates Cove, located a mile or so outside the town and right on the edge of the ocean. It has about 15 cabinas located in the jungle. We had one in the new section, and were lucky enough to have a friendly boa constrictor living below us in the bamboo. Everything was included and the food was really good, usually a buffet breakfast, then lunch and dinner was what they prepared. Lots of fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. They also included two tours in the price so we went to Isla Contoy to snorkel and then a day in Corcovado National Park with a guide.
Isla Contoy, located about a 30 minute boat ride from Drake Bay, lots of fish and wildlife on the way there. Several other tours there at the same time, but lots of space, the snorkelling was OK but the water was a bit stirred by from wave action so the visibility was limited.
We spent five days At Pirates Cove, met loads of interesting travellers and had some fun adventures in the park and out on the water. The weather was pretty good while there, it was the dry season but we had afternoon showers most days, which came and went quickly. The temperature was very hot and high humidity as well.
Drake Bay Airport, two airlines fly in here, but never at the same time so there's no line ups at anytime. A couple of benches to wait on and a gift shop with nothing much in it.
We flew out of here, back to San Jose, for another overnight, then we were picked up the next morning by InterBus, a shared door to door shuttle bus service, it works great, it's cheap and goes everywhere, for the six hour ride over to the Caribbean coast.
This is the famous beach called the whales tail. Obviously you only get this wonderful perspective flying over it. Near Uvita, on the southern Pacific coast
That tiny strip just off center is the landing strip at Drake Bay. If you over shoot it it's into the ocean. The beaches are grey from the volcanic sands.
From San Jose there is only one road that leads over the Sierra Madre mountains and down to the lush fertile plain, that stretches out to the Caribbean Sea. Limon is the major city on this side and it's the banana and fruit capital of Costa Rica. There are miles and miles of fruit plantations as you drive towards the coast and all the big guys are located here, Tropicana, Dole, Chiquita to name a few. We were heading towards Puerto Viejo de Talamanca which is about twenty miles down the coast. This area has a real Caribbean vibe and lots of influence from the Jamaicans who have settled in this area. It's very slowly getting developed with tourism, but there are no resorts or large hotel chains. A single road leads south down the coast from Limon towards the border with Panama. Bocos del Toro is very close and a popular destination from here. This is a real surf destination and Puerto Viejo is full of surfer dudes and girls. The beaches are beautiful as well.
This is Playa Cocles, about a mile south of town, safe for swimming, good for surfing and right beside the road south. We were staying across the road, so this was our beach.
This tiny frog which came out after the afternoon rain, looks very pretty but is deadly poison.Things can be deceptive here, but always lots of interesting wildlife and natural beauty.
We went to the Jaguar Rescue Centre, just down the road. They rescue and rehabilitate any and all animals that are brought to them, them release them back into the jungle. As well as jaguars and loads of birds and lizards, there was this funny hairy anteater and of course a sloth or two, which are everywhere in this part of Costa Rica.
After four days here, we headed back to San Jose. This time to actually stay in the city for a few days and explore the place. We, like many others, skip out of the city/airport and don't spend much time there. We stayed in La Sabana which is a suburb of the city, only a five dollar cab ride to the city centre. La Sabana Park was just across the street from us, we stayed at a really nice small hotel, Aparthotel La Sabana, well recommended and very reasonable with an excellent breakfast and a nice pool. It's also very close to the main highway to the airport when needed.
The courtyard of the hotel where you can have breakfast each morning, and sit around the pool in the afternoons. There is lots to do in the area as well.
This very palatial building is actually the former airport in San Jose, which was located right in La Sabana Park, until it outgrew the place. This was the control tower for the airport. The city has restored the building into the Museum of Contemporary Art, which has a fantastic collection, free admission and a beautiful sculpture garden behind it, where the planes pulled up to the gate in the past. The upstairs room that was formerly the lounge for first class passengers, has amazing carved wooden walls which illustrate the history of Costa Rica.
The city is a jumble of one way streets and mixed up squares and spaces. There doesn't seem to be any reasoning behind where some things are but we found our way to one of the central squares, near the main market and pedestrian streets. Located nearby is the newest museum in the city, the Gold Museum. This is really mislabelled as it's much more than that. It tells the history of the country over five floors on amazing displays and interactive works. There is lots of gold but there's also lots of other really amazing stuff.
The city has outdone itself with this collection.
The square in front of the Gold Museum. There's a few nice parks close by, as well as lots of street vendors and markets for snacks and treats. Everyone here has a sweet tooth for sure.