With our renewed passports in hand, my love and I set off for our eight night high adventure, romantic vacation in Costa Rica. It’s been years since my girlfriend Cande has traveled out of country and as for me, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve visited Central America. No matter how many times I’ve been abroad, I can always find new and exciting activities as well as explore uncharted territory! This adventure took us whitewater rafting to Pacuare River Lodge near Turrialba, riding in a 4×4 on muddy back roads for part of the land transfer to Tabacon Hot Springs Resort in La Fortuna, and finally flying followed by a river/ocean boat to Casa Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula.
Our trip started with an arrival into San Jose’s modern international airport and we immediately made a beeline to the small town of Escazu for hand-made chocolates. If there’s one thing I know for sure about my love, it’s that she loves chocolate! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Hilton Doubletree Cariari eating ceviche, patacones and drinking wine. This hotel is in a great location near the airport and offers shopping nearby as well as their signature warm chocolate chip cookies upon check in. Our friends from Destination Costa Rica met us for a delicious Argentine steak dinner before we called it a night. The next day was going to be the first of many adventures to come.
The following morning, we were met by two employees from Pacuare River Lodge in our hotel lobby at exactly 7:30am just as the printed voucher and travel documents promised. Pepe would be our tour guide while Jorge handled the driving duties. After we picked up a young Australian couple on their “around the world trek” and an older French couple now living in Brazil, we set off and left the noise of the city behind. I soon found out that I could make a lot of new Costa Rican friends by simply wearing the hometown team’s soccer jersey – Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, often known as La Liga. We stopped for breakfast along the route and after a few hours, we reached the Pacuare River where we would be whitewater rafting the rest of the way to the lodge.
This was our first time rafting and our river guide Hansel took very good care of us. The river’s Class III rapids were exciting but not challenging and before long we arrived at the lodge where we enjoyed a much needed lunch.
Our luxury accommodations in the Linda Vista Suite featured a king size canopy bed, claw foot tub, outdoor jungle shower, cool water plunge pool on an oversized deck and was perfect for a couple on a romantic vacation. Each night ended with candles being lit throughout our room while we were at dinner. If you think this lodge spoiled us, you’d be right! We were only here for two nights so we made the most of our time and opted to hike with Hansel through the rainforest to the nearby Cabecar Indian Village. We were the only guests to choose this tour so it became our own private tour. This half-day hike was challenging, muddy and worth every slip, trip and fall we suffered on the steep trails. The flora, fauna and views of the Turrialba Volcano left us with a lifetime of memories, stories and
pictures. Had we not done this hike, I would have missed out on a wonderful vista of the Costa Rican countryside.
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We spent the rest of the evening mentally preparing ourselves that we would be zip lining to dinner. Pacuare Lodge recently introduced “The Nest” which is a platform candlelit table for 2 over 60 feet off the ground. I can honestly say that this was the first time I’ve ever been served by a waiter who was wearing a zip line safety harness. The chef at this lodge made a point to visit every table during dinner service, but I can understand why he didn’t venture up to see us this night. The only way back down was to rappel! We hated to leave Pacuare River Lodge but it was time to soak our tired bones in the Tabacon Hot Springs.
There are two ways to leave Pacuare Lodge and we chose a private land transfer in the early afternoon versus more Class III/IV whitewater rafting. I felt it was important to experience both options and I’m glad we did. The 4×4 was much needed on the rough and muddy back roads, but once again, the views were amazing! It was dinner time when we arrived in La Fortuna, but the staff at Tabacon took very good care of us and welcomed us to their Hot Springs Resort. Before we could even unpack, we were whisked away to visit Arenal Nayara for a lovely dinner for two. Live music greeted us in the restaurant, our waiter showed us to our table and we were presented with a wide variety of wines to choose from. I recently had honeymooners at this resort who received a bottle of Argento Malbec as a gift, so of course I had to go with this option! Back in our Deluxe room at Tabacon, we enjoyed the sounds of the jungle and got a good night’s rest. The next day started with an hour drive to the Venado Caves. Along the way, our tour guide Jose and his driver.
Davis stopped to show us toucans, sloths and explain the “living fence posts” that dot the countryside. The caves are not often visited so once again we had a private tour. Hard hats, head lamps and rubber boots are mandatory if you plan to explore this extensive network of caves. After the tour, our driver dropped us off in downtown La Fortuna and we began our search for a pair of sustainably harvested Blue Morpho butterfly wing earrings. I realize that’s a very specific item to be shopping for, but when it’s the first gift you ever gave your loved one over a year ago…it’s time to purchase them another pair! We spent the rest of the day soaking in the warm, relaxing thermal waters at Tabacon Hot Springs before our long journey to one of the most remote parts of Costa Rica.
The sun was just rising as our driver arrived to take us back to the San Jose airport. Today was going to be a long day but what awaited us on the Osa Peninsula was well worth the effort. The 45 minute Sansa Air flight to Palmar Sur was just another way for us to see the immense beauty of Costa Rica and why we love this country so dearly. The flight path took us over the mountains surrounding the Central Valley, passing by the Manuel Antonio National Park and buzzing over plantations of African Palms. Our guide Leo greeted us and as soon as more guests arrived on the Nature Air flight, we were ready for our short drive to the town of Sierpe where our 12 passenger boat was waiting.
In order for all of our luggage to be bagged and loaded, we were allowed to explore the town for about an hour. When the banana plantations were first established in this part of the country, the field workers soon started finding large round stone spheres. At first, they started removing all the spheres with heavy equipment. Soon, rumors circulated that gold was hidden inside and many spheres were destroyed after being blown apart with dynamite. Once scholars learned of their existence, they soon gained protection and are now celebrated throughout the country.
Back at the boat, we loaded our personal belongings and set off down the Rio Sierpe for the 90 minute ride to our lodge. The ride was smooth at first as we looked for wildlife, took a shortcut through the mangroves and enjoyed all the wonderful views. As soon as we reached the ocean, the 4-6 foot waves dictated how fast we could travel. Our boat captain was very skilled and we made it to the lodge just in time for lunch.
The next day, we all put on our rubber boots and rain ponchos for a half day hike with Leo in the Corcovado National Park. National Geographic has called this area “the most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity.” During our short hike, we spotted a large family of coati as well as a few spider monkeys. Tapir tracks were everywhere and we even spooked a few peccary who were not expecting us. The territorial singing of a Black-bellied Wren only added to the atmosphere; this place is alive! Our next activity on the
last free day we had in Costa Rica was a day trip to Cano Island for snorkeling. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the island, but we had to stop to see the Olive Ridley sea turtles mating, the humpback whales surfacing for air and dolphins racing our boat.
The clear water was an amazing color of blue and we saw more marine life such as moray eels, hawksbill sea turtles and a rainbow of colorful tropical fish. Once we returned to our hotel, we soon realized it would be time to leave and return home. Looking back, we realized just how much we had done. We made a lot of new friends, ate a lot of amazing food (I’m not sure there’s any ceviche left in Costa Rica!) and were so active that we now need a vacation after our vacation. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.