Blogs from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean - page 3

Curi Cancha reserve is about 3KM from Monteverde Cloud Reserve. Most people skip it because they think the two are similar but I had read it has really good bird life, so I decided to visit it. Which meant walking the 3KM to get to the reserve and then doing the trails inside the reserve. The entry fee is $20 and the reserve shuts at 3PM, so important to time things well. I did couple of the trails inside Curi Cancha, but hadn't seen any birds or animals and it was appearing as if my decision wasn't a smart one. Then I stopped at a view point where I noticed some butterflies and I was watching them and suddenly I noticed hummingbirds. I have never seen one up close and this one was particularly close, fearless, ... read more

Monteverde (translates to Green Mountains), at an altitude of 1300 meters or so is known for its Cloud Forests. I had decided to hike in Monteverde Cloud Reserve and Curi Cancha Reserve. From the parking lot, the entrance to the Monteverde Cloud Forest is 1.4KM, there is a bus that leaves from parking every 10-15 minutes to take people. I decided to walk it though. My first few hundred meters on a flat road, my lungs were beginning to burn, I was breathing heavy. I realised the issue. The air is crisp, pure, cold. I am not used to that living in Mumbai. After a few minutes, my lungs got used to that and started enjoying the walk. I had pre-booked my ticket to Monteverde Cloud Forest (US$ 25 per person for foreigners). Monteverde has multiple ... read more

Last night was terrible. I coughed all night and my throat was so, so sore. I got up at 5 am, removed my bedding, built myself a little nest on the balcony and went back to sleep. This morning, it’s time to start the journey back to San José and civilisation. We’re doing it in two chunks (a bit like a diver trying to avoid being overexposed to oxygen); today we’re driving 92 miles north to Uvita, home of Marino Ballena National Park. We retrace our route around the Golfo Dulce and up the Pacific Highway. Another drive with no real need for navigation, so I just sit and watch the world go by for a couple of hours. At one point I open a pack of biscuits and realise I’m being watched by a gang ... read more

I awake at 6 am – rush hour in Puerto Jiménez as planes and 4x4s ferry visitors towards the National Park. I get up and prepare breakfast; as we have a kitchenette, I’m going to have a go at cooking plantain. At least, I think it’s plantain – as the Spanish for plantain is plátano, and the Spanish for banana is also plátano, there’s a 50% chance I’m cooking plantain. We don’t have much planned for today; we have aborted our original plan to visit Corcovado National Park as it would have cost $85 each for the opportunity of a long off road drive (check) to hike for several hours in the heat and humidity (check) to possibly see some wild animals (check). So instead, a quiet morning. The old man plays candy crush while I ... read more

After the heat of the day, the old man set the air conditioning to ‘ice station zebra’ mode and I wake up shivering and desperately searching the depths of my luggage for a jumper. Today, we are going to Manuel Antonio National Park; our entry time slot is 9-9.40 am. No food is allowed in the park, so we stop at a café en route for breakfast and arrive at the allocated time. Once the admin is complete; tickets and ID produced, temperature taken, hands sanitised and bags checked for contraband, we are allowed in. We follow two trails; first Sendero Perezoso (sloth trail). We don’t see any sloths - I’m beginning to think they’re mythical creatures! We do, however, spot monkeys. At first we’re excited, peering up into the trees for a closer look. but ... read more