How we got to Costa Rica

Our route from Jamaica to Costa Rica was Kingston-Miami-San Jose and back to Kingston via the same route. For Jamaican passport holders you can enter Costa Rica with a valid US, Canadian or Schengen visa. Otherwise you would have to apply at the Costa Rican embassy for a visa that takes a few weeks to process.

We split the trip into two phases- The rainforests of the Arenal Volcano region, and the Central Pacific beach/surf town of Jaco.

How we got to La Fortuna

We opted to book private transfer from the San Jose airport to La Fortuna. This gave us comfort and control over stops (food, restroom etc). There are other options available, which include shared shuttle services and public transportation that are more cost effective.

Once we landed we were greeted by our driver and set off northward toward La Fortuna. La Fortuna is popular for its natural beauty and eco/adventure tourism. We booked with Tico Paradise, a family-owned business that I found to be very reasonable compared to other operators offering the same category of service. The offerings included a comfortable vehicle, a good guide, as well as complimentary water, beers and snacks.

Overall we had a good experience and I would recommend them. One of the benefits of a private transfer is that you can make stops along the way when and where you want to; to grab a snack or a meal, get a closer view of a waterfall, use the restroom etc. Tico Paradise also handled our transfers from LaFortuna to Jaco, as well as from Jaco back to San Jose airport.

We made our lunch stop in the Poas area and had our meal at a local casual restaurant or “soda”. I had my first typical Costa Rican meal of Chifrijo. This is a dish made by layering white rice, beans, chicharrón pork pieces, pico de gallo, and tortilla chips.

While I was prepared for wet (rainforest) weather, I wasn’t quite prepared for the chilly temps and mist we experienced in the Poas area . The vegetation here was mostly montane forest- similar vegetation to what you would find high in the Blue Mountain range. Since we were not going to be able to make a visit to the Monteverde cloud forest reserve on this trip, I appreciated that I was able to experience a little bit of that atmosphere.

La Fortuna/Arenal

Where we stayed in La Fortuna

In the La Fortuna/Arenal region we stayed at the Lost Iguana Resort and Spa. The property is sited on 120 acres of rainforest, featuring 42 rooms, with each having views of  the Arenal Volcano. A complimentary buffet breakfast was included with our stay.

The property is large and built on a mountainside. Getting from your room to the restaurant, pools, or spa involves a walk on hilly paths. However the hotel offers shuttles to help with movement from point to point around the property at any time.

One of the benefits of this property is that it includes access to on-site activities that you would have had to travel to, or pay additional entry fees for, if staying elsewhere. For instance they have their own well-maintained hiking trails trhough the property. This includes the “Puma Trek” which features suspended bridges and leads down to a river. Wildlife on site includes coatis, howler and spider monkeys, toucans, and various reptiles and amphibians. We didn’t see any monkeys unfortunately, but we did see toucans and coatis.

The resort is about 20 minutes out from the centre of La Fortuna town, however we didn’t feel disadvantaged at all. The benefits vs trade-offs of this location would depend on your priorities and planned activities. It’s perfect for those wanting privacy, tranquility, ambience and immersion with nature, but may not suit travelers who prioritize convenience, and easy access to town. We had easy access to our main planned activities, and so we found that we didn’t need to be in the town at all. Though we had originally planned to venture into La Fortuna town at least one night, we ended up having dinner on property both nights. Fortunately there were decent options at the hotel restaurant and the prices weren’t outrageous. Not cheap, but not unreasonable either.

What we did in La Fortuna

Puma Trek

After a cold and rainy start to the morning, we decided to take advantage of the hinking trail on property- The Puma Trek. The trail was free to access for guests of the resort, but attracted a fee for others. It is important to note that the weather can turn on a dime here. While it turned out to be a mostly good day following the gloomy start to the morning, there were occasional bursts of showers. Being in the rainforest truly means that you will encounter RAIN- so prepare for that i.e keeping water resistant/proof layers, versatile footwear etc. on hand. The trail was moderate and we enjoyed crossing their 250ft suspension bridge.

Hot Springs Pura Vida

In the afternoon, we decided to make our way to Hot Springs Pura Vida for our hot spring experience. This option offered good value for money with a reasonable entry cost of ~ $35 including lunch. The facility provides acess to the thermal river and a thermal pool, in addition to convenient amenities. Parking, security for belongings, clean bathrooms, showers, and towels were all included, and there was also an on-site restaurant .

There is also the option of free access to the springs, which is just up the road from this location if you don’t mind rustic conditions (i.e no facilities, bring your own towel, watch your valuables etc). On the other end, there were also several upscale resort options. For instance Tabocon if you prefer a luxury experience with numerous pools, swim-up bars, gourmet dining, and spa services.

This was a good way to spend a leisurely, relaxing afternoon. The river wasn’t scalding hot, but it was pleasantly warm, as opposed to usual cold river water- especially at that altitude.

Sky Adventures

For our next excursion, we headed out the next morning to Sky Adventures in the Arenal Park. We booked the option that had a bus pick us up from our hotel and tranferred to the park.

We had an amazing zipline experience with true ziplining as opposed to a canopy tour. Sky Adventures is a well-run operation and I would recommend. A reservation is mandatory for all tours, and booking directly online early can secure your spot with a discount.

We got fitted with our gear, afterwhich there was a brief training/familiarisation session. The aerial tram took us up up and away into the clouds and onto the first platform and the “Hand of Arenal” viewpoint.

Once we had finished the zipline, we did a partial trek along the trail and crossed two of their hanging bridges.

After our exertions we had lunch at their restaurant which had a great view of the volcano (even though we still couldn’t see the crater!) and the lake .

Golden Gecko Spa

That evening I had an appointment at the Golden Gecko Spa back at our hotel. The spa is outfitted with Balinese inspired decor. The rain fell outside for half of my service, after which various creatures of the rainforest began shirping as night fell providing incredible ambience. A golf cart was sent to pick me up and carry me up to my room at the end of my service.

Jaco

How we got to Jaco

The same driver from Tico Paradise who ttok us from the airport to La Fortuna picked us up for our transfer from La Fortuna to Jaco. So we picked up where we left off with him. We were able to stop along the way to stretch our legs and buy some souvenirs.

Where we stayed in Jaco

We stayed at Hotel Lia, which is a relatively new, adults-only property right on the beachfront in Jaco town. Our location her was very central. This was a deliberate choice on my part, having been somewhat remote on the first leg of our trip. We wanted a taste of some urban vibe and nightlife.

What we did in Jaco

Jaco is a beach resort town on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast known for its surf and laid back vibe. Once we checked in at the hotel and got a bite to eat, we headed out to have a little walk around the town. Our location was off the main street thorugh the town so we were able to access the action easily.

Later that night we went back out and eventually stumbled on a bar that we heard playing reggae music. Turn out the patrons were masssive fans of dancehall and reggae, and we had a great time dancing and singing the night away with them.

Paragliding 

Our adventure of the day was a little impromptu. We had no notion that we were going to do this before we got to Costa Rica. However I stumbled across this offering and I couldn’t resist trying. I had been meaning to tick paragliding off the bucket list for a while, and finally the right opportunity presented itself.

We booked directly with the paragliding provider Parapente Pura Vida and paid $120 per person for a 20min ride . The cost would have been closer to $200 if we had gone through an agency/ third-party booking. We also got a special price on the videos (an additional $40 vs the usual $80). 

We had lunch afterward at Rancho Manuel restaurant, which had been recommended to us by our Uber driver. Back at the hotel we headed down the beach in the evening to chill and watch the sunset and surfers.

All things considered, I think that we maximised our time well. If I had one more day, I would have probably looked into visiting the National Park in Manuel Antonio. Or maybe some sort of aquatic activity. 

The next morning, our transfer to the airport took about 1.5hr. Then just like that it was time to say goodbye to our taste of Pura Vida life.

Tips

hat clips 

• Unless you are staying somewhere with dryer facilities, try not to plan any washing during your time in Arenal. The humidity was such that it would have taken days for things to air-dry completely.
• Waterproof/water resistant layers are essential for the rainforest region. The.way the sky turns the tap on and off is truly unpredictable.
• Book tours directly where possible. I ofter use tour aggregators like Get Your Guide to find tours, and then book directly with the operators.
• Normally I would get cash on the ground by withdrawing from ATMS (preferably from a bank that partners with your home banking institution where possible). However, since this was a relatively short trip so, I didn’t want to end up with any excess of local currency. So as much as much as possible, I patronised establishments that accepted cards/USD. Conversion rate was ~500:1 at the time of this trip.
• Ubers were a cheap and convenient way to get around in the areas we visited. However the service is not strictly legal in Costa Rica, so there is some liability risk there.