TropicalAdventures

“This has got to be one of the coolest things I have seen,” writes Holly of her sea turtle sojourn on Costa Rica’s pacific coast. “Turtles are coming up from the ocean and literally covering the beach.” It’s true: the weeklong ... read more

Now that December is here, the season for holiday foods has truly arrived. From lollipops to latkes, every holiday and region has its own traditions. In many Latin American countries, tamales are the stars of the show. These delicious creations are made from masa – a traditional corn dough – and some sort of filling. Popular choices are chicken, chilies, and pork. Many are familiar with the traditional Mexican tamal, which is wrapped in cornhusks and then steamed. In Costa Rica, however, the masa is wrapped in banana or plantain leaves. And the variations don’t stop there. Tamales, which are thought to have originated with the Ancient Mayans in Mesoamerica as far back as 8000 BCE, have an amazingly long and diverse history. For instance, they were originally designed as portable... read more

Jacó is a coastal town in Costa Rica´s Puntaneras province. Located in the Central Pacific Region, it belongs to the most popular beaches in Costa Rica. Jacó is approximately one hour by car from San José and Costa Rica's primary International Airport (SJO). Jacó's natural beauty and close proximity to San José and the International airport(SJO) attracts many international and local tourists. Jacó also hosts the largest selection of hotels, vacation rental condos and homes, tours and excursions, as well as over 75 restaurants, several beach bars, nightclubs and discos, and 3 casinos. Jacó Beach has become the most developed and visited vacation destinations in all of Costa Rica. Beautiful National Park Manuel Antonio National Park is only one hour South of Jacó. When you think of this beautiful beach town, you probably imagine amazing beaches, ... read more

Few days ago there was an interesting article from A.M. Costa Rica (online Costa Rican newspapers) talking about green turtles that have adopted to hotter beaches. The article says, that University of Exeter (Exeter, Devon UK) conducted a research that shows some turtles are naturally heat-tolerant. This research was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B and it was focused on green turtles that are nesting on Ascension Island, an overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. What scientists from the universities of Exeter and Groningen found is that eggs laid by turtles nesting on a naturally hot beach withstand high temperatures better than eggs from turtles nesting on a cooler beach just a few kilometers away. Since the warmer beach has dark sand it is two or three degrees Celsius warmer than the neighboring ... read more

Tropical Adventures works hard to keep its costs and fees as low as possible. Still, for several people it can be unclear why they have to pay for volunteer programs. I´ve heard several opinions that it is unethical and so on, therefore I consider as a must to provide a proper explanation on how it actually works. I cannot speak for other organizations, but I can give you a perspective from our sight. We have made several analyzes of certain impoverished areas of the country. This comprises difficult travel and meeting with untold numbers of communities and individuals. We want to know what real needs are present and how we can be of assistance. The truth is, not all communities are even ready to accept volunteer help. It was a tough job narrowing down to just ... read more

Today is in Costa Rica Dia de Niños – Children´s day! Thanks to this occasion, Valoarte exhibition is opening its gate today! This special day has given an opportunity for opening to the public an exhibition called Valoarte at the Centro de Arte y Tecnología La Aduana in east of San José, Costa Rica. This exhibition, where about 150 artists are introduced, benefits to Hogar Siembra, which is a nongovernmental organization founded in 1983 and which has been dedicated to rescuing girls and young women at risk, helping them to overcome problems of abuse and domestic violence. There are supposed to be around 250 different art works that are for sale. The event is possible to visit until September 29 and it can be very nice experience! Also in this day dedicated to children, I cannot ... read more

Last week me and Jakub had a chance to visit Hojancha and had a great opportunity to visit Daycare and Nutritional Center. Hojancha is a small town located in the Province of Guanacaste. The origin of the name Hojancha comes from a tree located in the region, which the Indians called broad-leaved, because of the very special characteristics and the size of their leaves. Because Hojancha is a small town, it's easy get to know local people and to make new friends. Volunteers are welcome in town and are taken care of very well by our host families and community members. Hojancha can be proud of its cleanness, how well the town is organized and maintained. Even more, it is one of the safest towns in the country and it is reflected that residents feel in ... read more

When you are a young European, about to leave your country to spend a couple of months in Central America, you feel anxious, overwhelmed and uncomfortable. After spending 3 months here, the feeling which predominates is sadness. Indeed, Costa Rica is a pleasant country where you can easily think about not going back home! There are too many attractive aspects to Costa Rican lifestyle to ignore them, even if you are deeply attached to your native country. To take the bus from a point A to a point B is just like sightseeing. Every landscape you see is just amazing. Every person you meet is a new testimonial of happiness. During my time here, I had the chance to travel around Costa Rica thanks to Tropical Adventures and because of a craving in discovering a new ... read more