Travel Blog Costa Rica

The city of Alajuela, capital of Costa Rica’s province with the same name, is the second biggest city in the Central Valley after San Jose. In fact Costa Rica’s International Juan Santamaria Airport is located in the city of Alajuela, 25 kilometers away from San Jose. In stead of the hectic urban city life of Costa Rica’s capital, you can find a more relaxed provincial atmosphere in the city of Alajuela only minutes away from the airport. Surrounded by coffee plantations, sugar cane and pastures, the city of Alajuela is the center where agricultural products are traded on the weekly Saturday market. In the 16th century after the first settlements formed in the Cartago region, people started to move westwards and founded Heredia. In the 18th century this town had grown and many other villages erupted westwards. The distance to Heredia did not allow the colonist to attend mass without difficulties. Therefore in 1782 a new parish was formed, uniting several villages under the name ‘La Lajuela’, later compacted to Alajuela. Because of its isolated location Alajuela did not start to grow substantially until the middle of the 20th century. The easiest access to Alajuela was provided by the rivers that flow east, through the Northern Plains of Costa Rica, towards the border of Nicaragua. This is the reason that most of the initial colonists were actually coming in from Nicaragua. Alajuela has been the official capitol of Costa Rica for a period of one year between 1834 and 1835. Tourist attractions in Alajuela are the Cathedral, the Central Park with its mango trees and the Juan Santamaria Historical Museum in the former city jail. This museum is dedicated to the Costa Rican national hero Juan Santamaria, who was born in Alajuela. For bird lovers who don’t want to wander through the woods trying to spot the rare quetzal the Zoo Ave near Alajuela is a good choice where 115 species of birds (including the exotic quetzal), 20 species of mammals and 14 species of reptiles are on display. Near Alajuela in La Guacima the Butterfly Farm offers an interesting tour. Beginning with a film documentary about the lifecycle of tropical butterflies, you will be introduced to the secrets of butterfly exportation and be able to photograph colorful species of butterflies in the netted gardens. The city of Alajuela offer a wide range of hotel accommodations, restaurants, shops and bars. It’s an excellent base camp for day trips to the Poas volcano, the towns of Grecia and Sarchi, coffee plantations or the Los Chorros waterfalls.

The city of Puntarenas is the capital of Costa Rica’s largest province with the same name and is like a six kilometer long tongue that stretches out into the gulf of Nicoya. The province of Puntarenas is small strip of territory that follows the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica from the tip of the Nicoya peninsula all the way south to the Panamanian border. The city of Puntarenas is located more or less in the middle of the North-South ax. Puntarenas was the only access to the Central Valley for centuries. Discovered in 1519 by Hernan Ponce de Leon, who took advantage of the easy entry the Bay of Nicoya, the city of Puntarenas did not start to develop until the 1800’s. Puntarenas became a port in 1814 and was used to export coffee beans to Chili, from where they would hit the global market. An important role in the history of Puntarenas and Costa Rica was played by an English sailor. William Le Lacheur from the English channel isle of Guernsey came to Puntarenas in 1843 looking for business. The coffee production in the Central Valley flourished and the coffee farmers were looking for ways to sell the surplus that was a result of a very good harvest. The only way to travel to the central valley was by ox cart, following a trail through the mountains. It took him two years to sail to England and come back to Costa Rica. Since the Panama Channel did not exist the only way to reach Europe was around Cape Horn. William La Lacheur built up a regular and direct trade route between Costa Rica and England and contributed by doing so to the economic development of the country. When Costa Rica took up arms to fight the troops of William Walker, he provided the ships to transport the volunteers. After the completion of the railway in 1910 the city of Puntarenas really boomed. From then on the city people of the Central Valley could travel to the coast easily and enjoy the beaches. Puntarenas developed to a mundane city with a boulevard, hotels and restaurants. With the growing popularity of other tourist destinations on the Pacific Coast, Puntarenas deteriorated. The shallow entrance of the port did not allow modern ships to dock, so a new port was constructed in Caldera, 20 kilometers south of Puntarenas. The port of Caldera receives the cruise ships on their way to and from the Panama Channel. Puntarenas still hosts a fishing fleet though that brings ashore fresh seafood that is served in many excellent restaurants. Ferries connect Puntarenas with the beaches of Montezuma, Playa Naranjo and Paquera on the Nicoya peninsula. Boats can take you to Isla Tortuga where you can enjoy pristine beaches, crystal clear water and the shadow of lush vegetation. With 90,000 inhabitants Puntarenas is a lively town and the boulevard is the perfect spot to observe its people, shore line and culture. During the entire year the city of Puntarenas is the stage of many activities and festivals, culminating in its famous Carnival in February.

Heredia is the capital of Costa Rica’s province with the same name and has around 65,000 inhabitants. Just 10 km away from the nation’s capitol San José, Heredia is a city with a distinguished colonial atmosphere and many traditional style adobe houses with their red clay roof tiles can still be found. The more than 8,000 students of the National University attribute to the lively spirit of Heredia. Settlers came to Heredia a decade after the first Costa Rican settlement in Cartago was founded. The church of Heredia dates back to 1796 and has beautiful stained glass windows. The bells were brought to Heredia all the way from Cuzco in Peru. The church of La Immaculate Concepcion is located in a beautiful park. In another famous park, the Central Park of Heredia, numerous cultural events, such as weekly concerts take place. The surrounding countryside is a lust for the eye thanks to an abundance of flowers, which nicknamed Heredia as the city of flowers: la ciudad de las flores. One of Heredia’s landmarks is the fortified tower ‘El Fortin’ and is the official symbol of the city. Designed and built under the supervision of Fadrique Gutierrez (1844 – 1897), the governor and military commander of the Province of Heredia, who happened to be a gifted sculptor. His statues of ‘Neptune’ and ‘Venus’ can still be admired in the city of Heredia, respectively the Town Hall and the gardens of the National University. After shifting his interest to photography he started his army career and was appointed governor of Heredia and finally able to combine all his talents while designing and constructing ‘El Fortin’. Nowadays ‘El Fortin’ still dominates the city and offers an impressive view over Heredia and its surroundings. There are many small villages hidden in the green hills that are covered by pastures, forests and coffee plantations around Heredia. Coffee plays an important role in the history of Costa Rica and in Heredia you find extensive plantations that are certainly worth a visit. The Coffee Tour of Café Britt in Heredia is one of the most popular ones in Costa Rica. Offering transportation from San Jose to Heredia this tour covers the entire process of coffee making, from the plant, through harvesting and processing, till the moment you drink it. A perfect way to learn the secret of Costa Rica’s famous black gold. Located just 15 minutes from Costa Rica’s International Juan Santamaria Airport the city of Heredia offers a wide range of hotels in a more tranquil environment than San Jose and has all the connections needed to provide a good base camp to explore the rest of Costa Rica.

The city of Nosara, named after the river that flows from the mountains, through the lowlands into the Pacific Coast, is located in Costa Rica’s province Guanacaste. Nosara is a quiet, from origin agricultural community with a long history, since archeological findings prove that the indigenous tribe of the Chorotega settled in the Nosara region 1,000 years before Christ. Today though, little reminds of the prehistoric history of Nosara, except the sporadic findings of artifacts by farmers. Nosara has always been an isolated area and this explains the small size of the town nowadays. After the Spanish conquest of Costa Rica, Nosara was the home of farmers who worked the lands that were stolen from the surrounding rainforest through deforestation and has lived a quiet life until the rise of tourism in the 1980’s. Ten years before a group of environmental conscious foreigners came to Costa Rica and started to buy land in Nosara. This ‘Proyecto Americano’ successfully reforested vast areas and brought back the tropical rainforest to Nosara. It also affected the mentality of the native people of Nosara, because the community has established a garbage recycling and wastewater treatment plan. The success of these plans is reflected in the scientific fact that Nosara has the cleanest water of Costa Rica. Nowadays Nosara is visited by tourists who come to Costa Rica looking for its unique combination of jungle, river and beach. Nosara has three beautiful beaches: Nosara Beach, Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones. Nosara is a favorite destination for surfers, since the waves are reliable almost the entire year, what cannot be said of the rest of the Pacific Coast in Costa Rica. Recommended for surfing are the months May to November because Nosara is relatively quiet in this period of the year. The Nosara River offers opportunities to take a canoe or kayak and explore the meandering river with its mangrove trees, alone or with a nature guide. As the whole Pacific Coast of Costa Rica is famous for sport fishing, also in Nosara there are plenty ways to book an exciting tour. Snorkeling off the beaches of Nosara over the magnificent coral reefs is a colorful feast for the eye and waterproof camera. Guided excursions are organized in Nosara to Playa Ostional, on of the beaches in Costa Rica where the Olive Riddley sea turtle comes ashore to lay eggs, one of Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles on earth. Naturally Nosara has a fine selection of hotels, bars, restaurants and shops that will accommodate travelers with any budget. The Nosara Costa Rica airport receives and sends off relative cheap flights to and from San José, so you can avoid a long bus ride without spending much more.

Grecia in the province Alajuela is a quiet agricultural town, located only an hour drive away from San José the capital of Costa Rica. Surrounded by the mountains of the Central Valley the farmers of Grecia work the fields. The Grecia region is the main source of sugar cane for Costa Rica. A network of narrow roads leads you through the friendly rural area of Costa Rica with coffee, pineapple and sugar cane fields. But be careful not to lose the way since road signs guiding you back to Grecia are scarce. The friendly town center makes you forget the rush of the hectic city and thanks to the cool climate you can enjoy a breeze of fresh air. What makes Grecia a tourist attraction in Costa Rica is its famous metal cathedral. The history of the church of Grecia is as fascinating as the structure itself. The first church of Grecia was made of brick and clay and like many buildings in Costa Rica during the centuries was destroyed by an earthquake. The second church of Grecia was made out of wood. This time disaster struck Grecia’s church in the form of a fire and again was completely destroyed. According to the tales the people of Grecia, who learnt from these two events, they were looking for a more lasting solution when rebuilding the church. This time they chose metal as building material, hopefully resistant to the forces that had destroyed the first two churches of Grecia. In the last decade of the 19th century the metal parts for the church of Grecia were imported from Belgium in Europe and shipped to Costa Rica. Allegedly it took a decade to fund the complete transportation of all the parts to Grecia. But finally the impressive gothic styled Cathedral de la Mercedes was built in Grecia and so far has withstood the forces of nature. Combine your trip to Grecia with a visit to ‘The World of Snakes’ a serpentarium just a kilometer outside the town. More than 50 species of snake are on display, both from Costa Rica and the rest of the world. Just a small detour on the way back from Grecia to San José takes you to Sarchi, hometown of the colorful painted ox carts. So when you lay over in San José take a day tour to the Costa Rica’s green countryside of Grecia.

Quepos is located on the Pacific Coast in the Province of Puntarenas, approximately 150 kilometers from the capital of Costa Rica San José. Quepos is easily accessible by road, both in car or by cheap and reliable public transportation. If you prefer to travel by air, you can fly in from San José to the Quepos - La Managua airport, which offers frequent flights to other destinations all over Costa Rica. Around Quepos are many banana plantations that provided the town with it’s main income. Bananas were shipped from Quepos’ docks to be distributed over the country. But due to developments on the global market the profits made buy growing and selling bananas diminished, so Quepos shifted to the more profitable tourist industry. The docks of Quepos now hosts a sport fishing fleet which attracts fishing enthusiasts from all over the world. After the decline of the banana trade that affected all Costa Rica, not all agricultural activities disappeared from Quepos. Banana trees were replaced by African palms producing the better marketable palm oil. Quepos itself is a relatively small town that has grown due to the booming tourist industry, but kept its tranquil atmosphere. Although during February each year the Festival del Mar attracts many people to enjoy all kinds of cultural and sportive activities such as concerts, performances from Costa Rican dance groups. Quepos than literary turns into one big street carnival. Quepos has a wide variety of bars, restaurants, hotels, galleries and little shops, all of them close to beach. The combination of the friendly, expressive people of Quepos and the visiting surfers, backpackers and nature lovers produces a tantalizing chemistry. So contagious that many return to live in this region of Costa Rica. One of the most beautiful national parks of Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio is close by, so many tourists pick Quepos with good reasons as a base camp.

The city of Cartago in Costa Rica is one of the most plagued by earth quakes, floodings and other disasters. Its history, like that of the classic Cartago of Hannibal, is characterized by destruction. Disaster started soon after the foundation of Cartago in 1563 by the Spanish conquistador Vásques de Coronado, because he chose a location that was flooded on a regular basis and nicknamed Cartago ‘the city of mud’. Two years later the entire settlement packed up and moved two times in a period of two years before it came to the current location of Cartago. But there were more setbacks in Cartago’s history. One of the landmarks of Cartago is perhaps the most interesting church of Costa Rica. Well, they are ruins of a church, which can be found in the park in the center of Cartago. Building of the church had begun in 1574 and it had to be rebuild five times because of the devastating effects of earthquakes. When a huge earthquake hit Costa Rica in 1970 the church in Cartago was left in ruins for good. But headstrong as the people of Cartago are, they started building a new one once again. This time on another location. The Basilica of Our Lady in Cartago is a very special church, not only because of it’s distinctive Byzantine architecture, but mainly because it is the religious center of the Roman Catholic church in Costa Rica. Every year on the 2nd of August thousands of pilgrims from all over Costa Rica travel on foot to the basilica to worship the Black Madonna of Los Angeles, better known as La Negrita. It is an impressive sight to see the lines of people coming down from the mountains and walking on the roads towards Cartago. Reason for this pilgrimage to Cartago are the appearances of Maria to a native little girl in the year 1635. You can visit the crypt in Cartago’s basilica, built right on top of the rock where the appearances occurred. Presumed to possess healing powers many Costa Ricans travel to Cartago to pray and ask La Negrita for help. The basilica of Cartago holds a large collection of miniatures of hearts, legs and arms, left behind by people to thank La Negrita for her healing powers. Although La Negrita is the official patron saint of Costa Rica, the people of Cartago have lost their seat as capitol of Costa Rica to San José. Although this happened in 1823, this rivalry can still be felt in during sport events when San José and Cartago meet. Being in Costa Rica it is certainly worth it to visit Cartago, since the city is located only an hour away from San José. Beside the churches Cartago has more attractions. Cartago’s Central Market offers all it’s local products colorful displayed, stroll through the Lankaster gardens and admire the beautiful orchids or take a dip in one of the hot springs generated by Costa Rica’s Irázu volcano. The country side around Cartago is breathtaking and dominated the famous volcano. Since the climate in Cartago is relatively cool compared to the rest of the Central Valley, it will probably be one of the few places in Costa Rica where you will wear a sweater… during the day that is!

Limón is located on the south Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, eighty miles from San José. It is the main port city of the Atlantic coast. It was founded as a port city to export bananas and grains from Costa Rica to all over the world. The city was established in 1502 when Christopher Columbus landed in Limón, Costa Rica during his final trip to America. Most of its habitants are Jamaicans’ descendents, therefore English is spoken as well as the local dialect, Patua (mekatelyou) and Spanish. Limón, in Costa Rica is surrounded by banana plantations. Limón is an enchanted city if you see at it through the eyes of history. Very Caribbean style of life, laid back, it is colorful dressed and painted with vivid colors.

Caribbean food and reggae music are present on the streets of Limón. The weather in Limón, Costa Rica is humid, and it rains the most in June, July August, November and December. However, the months of March, April, September and October are dry. Limón is the arrival point to enjoy all the Caribbean beaches and it is the door to the Costa Rican Caribbean. Next to the rain forest and beautiful white sand beaches, Limón is the gateway start to the relax perfect vacation. As you arrive to Limón, you need to sit in a park, enjoy the colorful Caribbean culture and dance some reggae on the street as you walk in front of bars and restaurants. Patí, rice and beans and ban bon are some of the typical delights of the Caribbean food of Limón in Costa Rica.

Sarchi is a little town very famous in Costa Rica mainly because of its precious wood crafts works. Another nice feature Sarchi offers is that there are various workshops where you can see how the woodcrafts are being made and decorated. Some of the most popular Sarchi woodcrafts that visitors search for are the colorfully and craftily decorated oxcarts, food plates, and food trays. The carts that you are due to see all around Sarchi where built for carrying goods all around Costa Rica a century or less ago. These wood carts where pulled by oxes and usually transported, coffee, bananas, or wood logs to burn on wood stoves. Nowadays the ornate carts are sold as souvenirs and can either be displayed as decorating pieces if the cart is small, but the larger scale carts can also be used as small store furniture or mini bars. The Sarchi oxcarts come apart and can be easily shipped. The unpainted Sarchi woodcrafts of precious woods that are internationally popular and a great souvenir present for family and friends are the salad bowls, kitchen cutting boards, serving dishes, jewelry boxes, and wooden toys. Sarchi wood crafted furniture that can come apart, folded down and shipped is also sold such as wood and leather rocking chairs. There is a vast number of Sarchi woodcraft stores to choose from and prices might vary. If you have enough time to shop around and compare prices do so. You might find that many of the Sarchi woodcrafts can be found in San Jose City, although you might be able to find better prices in Sarchi town than in stores in San Jose. If you plan to live in Costa Rica or will like to buy a nice furniture piece for a friend of yours here in Costa Rica, Sarchi Town is the best place to find some of the nicest and carefully crafted precious wood furniture pieces.

Escazu

The city of Escazu lies in the Central Valley of San Jose, Costa Rica; offering one of the best weather in Costa Rica all year round. It is usually never too cold or too hot in Escazu. Rain occurs during the rainy season, but it usually rains for no more than a few hours or less during the afternoon and the mornings are almost always sunny. According to Costa Rica history records Escazu was discovered by the Spanish Conquistador Juan de Caballon in 1561. Pre-colombian (meaning before the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America) inhabitants lived in the Huetar Reign under the rule of the tribal Chief Garabito. The name Escazu comes from the indigenous word izt-kat-zu which means resting stone. The indigenous story says that the area where the Escazu currently is was a place where indigenous people stopped to rest at its stones when they were traveling from the south part of the current San Jose City to a location in Ciudad Colon in Santa Ana. During the Costa Rica Conquest most of the indigenous inhabitants moved to remote mountain areas to hide from the Spanish.

Spanish settlers built the first Escazu Church (San Miguel Church that is still standing and in great shape in the center of Escazu) during the year of 1799. By 1801 the population of Escazu was of about 1325 individuals. In 1920 Escazu was granted the status of City. Escazu has an area of 13 square meters and is constituted by the smaller villages of San Rafael de Escazu, San Antonio de Escazu, and Guachipelin. These villages used to be were rural and agricultural. Currently San Rafael de Escazu has become a highly commercial area with a lot of suburban residency areas and highly priced beautiful condominiums in Costa Rica. San Antonio de Escazu still mainly contains rural big areas that mix with huge non agricultural properties of wealthy local families. Guachipelin is currently becoming an enormous upscale residential area. Bello Horizonte de Escazu is an even smaller and secluded residential area that has been made home to many foreign residents since approximate 20 years ago.

Escazu is five miles away from San Jose City and around 25 minutes from the International Airport Juan Santamaria (not on rush hour thou). The first school and the municipality in Escazu were built in 1876, the main roads were paved with stones in 1869, sewers systems and water plumbing were built in 1908, and 1909 was the year that Escazu had electrical power to light its stone paved streets and some houses.

When you visit Escazu you will see some images or logos around of a silhouette of a witch flying in a broom, the reason for this is that Escazu has been known for centuries as the City of Witches. The actual and true reason for it being called like this is not known, but there are several versions. One is that old indigenous descendant women used to give away herbs and blends to any community member that will be looking for a natural remedy. These ladies will also prepare potions and advice people for more magical purposes such as making people fall in love, on how to obtain luck, repel evil spirits, and such. There is also a type of owl that makes a sound like a giggle that people have said to be witches flying around. The other version is that during the early settlement of the Escazu there were many orthodox Jewish families living here and that the other inhabitants thought some of their customs were quiet strange (especially for the uneducated about other distinctive cultures) so they referred to them as witches or sorcerers, and thus Escazu Village got the reputation of being the town of witches. All these different stories together could have also been the reason why Escazu was given its reputation for being a witches’ town. In addition, most people from rural areas of Escazu believe at different levels in magical or supernatural legends, legends that have been passed by generations, as it is part of the Escazu folklore.

Escazu has some old buildings still standing from the early Costa Rica times, with white stucco or bahareque walls and clay roofs (teja roofs). Oxcarts can still be seen used by agricultural farmers, the same way their ancestors did to carry sugar cane and wood. Some old rural houses still use wood ovens and stone corn grinders. Quite a picturesque sight really. San Rafael de Escazu still celebrates an ancient oxcart parade each year.