Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the world capital of eco-tourism, but this guide shows you how to ditch the expensive shuttles and find the real magic.
This section will include our flagship guides on finding the elusive Quetzal without a tour guide (and all the essential birding tips we learned). We will share the specific bus routes and self-guided strategies we used to see everything, including our “next-level” adventure in Corcovado National Park. This is the essential blueprint for budget, independent Costa Rica travel.
For now though, check out my blog posts:
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Liberia: the gateway to Rincon de la Vieja
Costa Rica has been at the top of my travel list for a long long time. I am a big wildlife lover and pretty much all of my trips in the last 6 years have been wildlife focused, from hiking to see wildlife mountain gorillas in Uganda, a snorkelling expedition in Philippines, Mashpi Lodge and…
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Sloths and Snakes in Rio Celeste
Next stop in Costa Rica was the Rio Celeste region. Here, two clear rivers (the Quebrada Agria and Río Buena Vista) meet. One is slightly acidic, the other is rich in aluminosilicate particles, both thanks to the local volcanic activity. When they merge, the change in pH causes the particles to clump together in just…
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La Fortuna: Frogs, forests and free hot springs
Miguel dropped us at the bus stop in Katira, a town on main road towards La Fortuna in the Rio Celeste region. We didn’t have to wait long until a direct bus turned up, and(!) we got seats this time! 🥳 The bus was big and comfortable, meaning we could really relax and enjoy the…
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Resplendent Monteverde: Quetzals, Clouds and Hanging Bridges
When I think of Costa Rica, for me, the first thing that springs to mind is dense cloud forest, high in the mountains, full of birds and wildlife, with bridges suspended high in the canopy…. That’s the Costa Rica I’ve seen on TV in documentaries and on social media, and it’s the Costa Rica I…
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Finding peace (and Quetzals) in San Gerado de Dota
Since we’d had such a hard time spotting Quetzals in Guatemala – we tried three separate places with no luck, I hedged my bets here in Costa Rica, and although we’d already had an amazing Quetzal experience in Monteverde, our next stop was another quetzal haven (just in case we hadn’t seen one) and was…
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Corcovado: Costa Rica’s last wild frontier?
Our next stop in Costa Rica was the biggy – Corcovado National Park. Located on the Osa Peninsula, on the south west coast, this region is a biodiversity hotspot, it’s the most biodiverse place in central America, not just Costa Rica. It’s a lowland rainforest, think hot steamy jungle, with brown muddy rivers, crocodiles, sloths,…
