I am so happy it is finally time for me to write about turning 25 in Costa Rica! I took this trip with my best friend, Shelby, for my 25th birthday. We both share a love of travel and food, and are extremely compatible, so we always bring the good vibes. Thankfully for me, Shelby majored in Spanish in college and is fluent! I really recommend traveling to Costa Rica with someone who speaks at least a little bit of Spanish, as it is very helpful if you plan to travel to less touristy places. If not, no worries! Don’t let it deter you from your travels here, many people speak English across the country.
There is something about the laid-back lifestyle, crazy roads with speeding mopeds, and well preserved jungles that intoxicated me and left me with a full tank of happiness. Maybe it was the chemistry of the happy birthday vibes mixed with planning an amazing trip with best friend to a land of beaches, jungles and volcanoes, but I never wanted to leave.
Flying into San Jose, Coasta Rica – San Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO)
Day 1:
Shelby and I both took off on early flights the first morning, she from Detroit and myself from Tampa, to meet in Ft. Lauderdale for a short 3 hour flight together on Spirit Airlines ($436 round trip from Tampa, with a carry-on). Read my Travel Tips to learn an easy way of getting free seat changes on airlines, even when flying basic economy. By the time we got our bags and rental car, it was about 12:30pm and we set off for Montezuma. Since we only had 5 days, we decided to get a rental car even though Costa Rica has public transportation across the country. Through my research, I learned that buses often run on “Costa Rica Time”, so I wanted us to have our own wheels for the trip.
We caught the sunset on the Ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera on the Niquoya Peninsula. I was a little nervous to drive our rental onto the bottom deck of the ferry with livestock trucks and vehicles above me, but it was a simple process and nothing to worry about. Once you get parked, you can go to the upper deck and enjoy a cold cerveza. Did I mention the tickets are cheap? About $25 for a car and $1.50 per passenger. A unique experience and perfect, scenic way to get to the peninsula in just over an hour.
Making our way to the small beach town of Montezuma in the dark was a challenge, and I would actually recommend going in the daytime if possible. Luckily for us, Google Maps was somewhat working on my phone and we were able to find the VERY discreet “road”, Calle Pura Vida, that looked more like a long, dirt driveway. Keep in mind, there are no streetlights in this part of the country and many roads are not marked (this being one of them). We drove, in pitch black, down Calle Pura Vida, a small two-track style road, for almost 30 minutes before we stumbled onto the little town of Montezuma. Just past the town, we located our ocean-front hostel, Proyecto Montezuma. We ended up sharing a private room for under $30/night, and even had our own private bathroom. I recommend booking here ahead of time as they sell out often. Be warned: you will take cold showers if you stay in this part of the country, but this is by far my FAVORITE hostel we stayed in. More on that later. 🙂
Downtown Montezuma
Day 2:
We awoke to the sound of crashing waves and looked outside our window at the vast waters of the Pacific. We couldn’t have imagined this view the night before when we were surrounded by the night’s darkness. We took the 10 minute walk to Montezuma to grab some breakfast before heading to Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve for the day.
Cabo Blanco is Costa Rica’s first nature reserve and is very well-preserved with abundant flora and fauna. Beware of the Howler Monkeys! They sound absolutely horrifying, but are actually harmless. We took the Sueco Trail (4km each way) because we wanted to see the beach and it was definitely worth it! You hike for about 2 hours through peaceful woods/jungle to a practically private beach with TONS of monkeys playing in the trees. We loved how private Cabo Blanco was and we only saw about 5 or 6 travelers all day.
We headed back to Montezuma and were going to explore the Montezuma Waterfalls (walking distance from our hostel), but it was almost dark and there was a sketchy local at the start of the falls offering to show us there for a fee. He was probably harmless, but was pretty persistent and we didn’t want to be there alone with him as it got dark so we opted out. We had a local Seafood Paella special and picked up some cervezas to spend the rest of the evening at our hostel. We had one of the best nights of our trip here. Proyecto Montezuma has their own natural pools where you can sit on the rocks or submerge as the ocean waves crash in to keep the pools full. The experience is unique and amazing. We met two travelers from Germany and one from Canada, and spent a few hours chilling in the pools and learning about their travels. Once it got dark, we went back up to the hostel and spent the rest of the evening drinking our beers, chatting with fellow travelers, and lounging in the many hammocks the hostel had to offer.
Natural pools at Proyecto Montezuma
Day 3:
We hit the road early to start our 4-5 hour journey to La Fortuna, which is best known for the Arenal Volcano. We had a blast on the drive, which wound through the mountains and was mostly dirt roads. For this reason, I definitely suggest a full-sized or 4×4 vehicle if you plan to be road tripping through some of the less populated areas as we did.
When we got to La Fortuna it was early afternoon and we walked the town square before checking into the La Selina Hostel. We decided to rent one of their tents ($50) and it was a great experience! If staying for more than one night, I would probably suggest a cheaper option like a dorm space.
La Selina is a very social hostel. They have daily events and most of the travelers were our age. We decided to try the yoga ($5) and it was a life changing event! We practiced for two hours with our instructor, Yousef, along with three other travelers on an open platform under jungle flora with the sounds of a soft rain on the roof overhead and a rushing river in the background. We both went into an extreme meditation during Savasana (a feeling I have been trying to recreate since) and were deeply relaxed. This was one of the most incredible experiences of our trip.
We enjoyed spending the rest of the evening at our hostel and taking part in the free henna tattoo’s and fire show by the pool. The place was buzzing, but we mostly kept to ourselves and caught up on life and just enjoyed each other’s company, along with several glasses of Cabernet.
Day 4:
We ate the most amazing breakfast at our hostel and hit the road for a long day of adventure. We headed towards Cerro Chato Volcano to avoid the crowds of the Arenal Volcano hikes. You can still get amazing views of Arenal Volcano there and we hardly passed anyone else on the trails all day. We planned to do the short “Old Lava” hike at Senderos Los Tucanes, as we were advised against the full hike to Cerro Chato due to the poor weather conditions. Not only did we get lost for two hours trekking up the actual dried lava bed until we reached the clouds, but when we did finally find our way back to the marked trail, we decided to take the go for it and complete the hike to the top of Cerro Chato Volcano to see the green lagoon.
Dried Lava River Bed
We proceeded to hike 4km of steep incline to view the Lake Cerro Chato, a crater formed at the top of dormant Cerro Chato Volcano. Given the rainy conditions, this was an intense and dangerous hike, given the rainy conditions and I would not recommend trying this without hiking boots and PLENTY of water (3L per person). The trail is narrow and steep, and at times can be very slippery due to the clay, especially if it is raining. We pushed ourselves mentally and physically, but in the end I feel the climb was rewarding and would highly recommend to anyone during the dry season.
Laguna!
By the time we left Senderos, it was getting dark and we had not booked a hostel for our last night as we planned to stay closer to the airport but wanted flexiblility if plans changed. With our phones not working for maps, we headed back in the direction we knew towards La Fortuna. Since it was our last night, we wanted to relax in one of the local hot springs, but it was already dark we knew we would only be safe to go to one of the resorts and not the local springs. We stopped at a few fancy resorts and Shelby, covered head-to-toe in mud from our hike, asked about pricing but they turned their noses up to us. After 8 hours in the jungle, we would have paid just about anything for a hot shower, but thankfully a little further down the road, we whipped into Volcano Lodge & Springs and got a room for half the price. We had a steak dinner and relaxed in the hot springs before calling it an early night.
Day 5:
When we woke up on our final morning in Costa Rica, we looked outside and could not believe the stunning view of the Arenal Volcano from our room that we had missed in the dark the night before. It was incredible. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed to the airport to start out journey back to the states. Adios!
Food Gallery:
First of all, I highly recommend stopping at a “Soda”, which is what the locals refer to small roadside stands or local eateries where they serve typical Costa Rican cuisine. We had the most amazing ceviche and freshest mango’s at one we stopped at on our first day heading towards Montezuma. I recommend you eat ALL the mango’s if you visit, I have not been able to find any that even compare to them in the states.
We also enjoyed our favorite cafe con leche while waiting for the ferry. I wish I could remember the name of the place, but it is right next to the ferry and pretty much the only spot to grab food, drinks or stop at the restrooms before boarding. The entrance is on the 2nd floor and you climb the stairs facing the ferry. Absolutely amazing.
Here is a shot of breakfast one morning in Montezuma (so cheap!) where I enjoyed a ham and cheese crepe and Shelby had eggs and toast. Gallo Pinto is served with every meal in Costa Rica, even breakfast. It means “spotted rooster” in Spanish and is said to have gotten its name from the speckled appearance that results in cooking the rice with the beans.
Another funny combo – Seafood Paella Special with french fries & salad! This was our meal in Montezuma after a full day at Cabo Blanco. The mussels were so fresh and although the meal was non-traditional, we enjoyed the fun mixture of the special the locals created.
Breakfast at La Selina hostel did not disappoint and it was definitely the substance of this meal that got us through 8 hours of climbing and exploring the Cerro Chato Volcano! Looking at this now is bringing back the best of memories, and making me drool.
Splurged on some mussels for the last night of our trip at Volcano Lodge. Not as fresh tasting as the ones in our Seafood Paella, but still amazing!
Thank you for reading about our trip! Stay tuned for my next post coming in two weeks – Fire & Ice [land] Road Trip
August 2018
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