Pura Vida en Costa Rica

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Puntarenas » Osa Peninsula » Puerto Jimenez
June 2nd 2010

Published: October 12th 2010

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Amachess

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This summer I was lucky enough to visit Costa Rica on an entomology field techniques class offered at my university. We were in the Osa Peninsula which boasts some of the highest animal (insect - in particular) biodiversity in all of Costa Rica. We flew in to the capital city of San Jose and immediately departed on our long drive to the west coast of the country. The drive was insanely beautiful, tons of hills beautifully decorated with the rich flora of the tropics. Driving was quite intimidating though, as the roads through the large hills were very narrow and littered with speeding semi-trucks all seemingly carrying over-sized loads of lumber.

Our place of residence was Casa dos Rios, an amazing and enchanting 2-story house that comfortable accomodated the 8 of us. Sitting literally feet away from the gorgeous beach, it was two stories, the bottom story consisting of two separate bedrooms holding full-size mosquito-netted beds, as well as a large porch equipped with the much-used hammocks. Kayaks were also provided but we weren't able to use as we were in town on business 😊 Upstairs was much larger, a big open-spaced kitchen fully equipped with everything one would need

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View from Luna Lodge yoga deck

for even a permanent stay. There was also a large dining room with a huge table that also comfortably fit all 8 of us. Two more bedrooms with mosquito-net protected full-sized beds, and a nice balcony. The place is owned by a very friendly couple from Arkansas, US who live on the property. We were also pleased to meet Maruja- the house keeper who also prepared AMAZING home-cooked breakfast and dinner for us every day.

We were literally surrounded by the jungle and were able to collect insects right outside our doorstep and in the surrounding areas. The first night was extremely alarming as we were awoken by the local howler monkeys that inhabit the area. While staying at Casa dos Rios we were able to see all 4 species of monkey in Costa Rica! The spider monkeys were the most delightful, apparently showing up every day at approximately the same time and seemed equally as interested in us as we were in them. There was a local restaurant/bar within walking distance which we frequented, as the town was quite a long, rough drive away. As the name suggests there were two rivers in the area that make for

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Local beer

amazing hikes, one leading to a beautiful waterfall.

One day after getting lost trying to find a good collecting spot for the day we ended up at Luna Lodge. An AMAZING resort built high on top of a mountain. The owner, an incredibly helpful and sweet woman from Colorado, US was willing to give us a full tour of the resort. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a tropical honeymoon-type getaway. Beautiful rooms, a very nice restaurant/bar with amazing views of the ocean from virtually anywhere on the property. We were directed to a hiking trail where we could collect insects. The end of the trail led directly to a huge wood platform with an incredible panoramic view of the surrouding areas and oceans. The platform is used for daily yoga classes - I can't even imagine how serene that must be. My future husband should expect to see this place in his future 😱

Coolest part of trip - seeing a sloth!!! Dream come true

The collecting was incredible, the people were amazing, and the environment was unparalleled. I can't wait to be lucky enough to return to Costa Rica - hopefully including the cloud forest