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This is how to go camping !!
The tiled bathroom at RafikiBack home and time to write about the remainder of our time in Costa Rica.
I know I left you hanging last time but obviously, despite the hiccup we completed our trip and (reluctantly) came home.
On March 14th we were due to move to a hotel in Drake Bay but there was a huge mix up which left us without accomodation. Normally this is not a big problem but the only feasible way to leave the area was by the daily boat taxi leaving in the afternoon. We booked this and had an eventful journey to Sierpe later in the day. It was Spring high tide so we had to wade through waist high water to reach the boat and then travel in the dark along the Rio Sierpe, with a handheld torch and fireflies to light the way.
Thankfully upon arrival the kindness shown by the locals was amazing. We asked if we could stay in a hotel with hot water and air conditioning whereupon a taxi driver took us -free of charge- to a small hotel where we were taken straight to our room.A hot shower and a decent nights sleep in comfortable beds, minus creepy crawlies,
Tent with a view ...
...and a wooden deck complete with morning visits by a noisy but very entertaining hummingbird was a real tonic after a stressful day. We decided to head up the West coast to Dominical for a few extra days and our friendly local taxi driver was not only able to take us but also to recommend a hotel. The town is definitely a surfing resort but was quite quiet when we were there. Our hotel was on the edge of town so we took a few walks along the beach but the restaurant at the hotel, Confusione, was great so we normally had dinner there. We transfered to Villas Rio Mar ,at the other end of town, one day earlier than planned but this got us back on schedule. This hotel had a good pool and as it was still very warm we chilled for a few days.
On Thursday 19th March we got picked up and taken to Rafiki Lodge which is in the midst of 842 acres of jungle along the Savegre river. It was built by the Boshoff family from South Africa. Constant and Ralene started construction and now their son Lautjie Boshoff and his Costa Rican wife Mauren manage the property.They are currently working on a project to re-introduce Baird's Tapir back
into the wilderness of the central pacific coast of Costa Rica.In the 1900's they were hunted almost to the point of extinction and although they are now protected, they are still endangered.
We slept in tents which were imported from South Africa and each one has its own hardwood deck and en-suite tiled bathroom. All food was included and we had some traditional South African Braii (BBQ) as well as fantastic chocolate and carrot cake. We woke up to the sound of hummingbirds outside the tent and had a wonderful afternoon white water rafting in a 'mini-me' which is a small raft designed for 2/3 people and a guide.This was my first rafting experience and I loved it.We were very sad to leave this wonderful place which is was the perfect place to relax and definitely the way to camp.
Unfortunately we had a quick reality check as we missed our bus to Puntarenas by 10 minutes which meant we could not really get to Liberia that day as planned.We decided to head to San Jose instead and go from there the following day and then that bus broke down.We did make it to San Jose eventually and found a
Spot the volcano
Arenal volcano and 'helpful' sign pointing the way very helpful travel agent who advised us on transport links for the rest of the trip.We got an early bus next day and headed to Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin which is located at the base of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano.It is a nice setting but the food was terrible and there wasn't a huge amount to do. We did however see a Mot Mot bird, which has an amazing tail that looks like a paddle, and a toucan that has a nest in the grounds.We also visited the natural hot springs and they were hot !!
Next stop was the Erupciones B&B at the base of the active Arenal volcano. Jessie, the owner, is amazing and helped us sort our itinerary out.We had a walk at sunset as close to the base as you are allowed but unfortunately,the view of the volcano was obscured by cloud, so we didnt get to see any "fireworks". We then visited some more thermal springs- tough life !! The following day I woke up and the view of the volcano was amazing as the sky was almost cloud free. I got up before 7am to take pictures, as we has been told we
Arenal volcano
View of the active volcano from our B&B would be lucky to see the top of the volcano during the day, but unusually the cone was visible all day.
We then headed to Santa Elena which included a boat trip across Arenal Lake and more stunning views of the volcano. Santa Elena is situated near Monteverde in the famous cloud forest region of Costa Rica. Our hostel was well placed and there was lots to do. We visited the Frog Pond, which houses a collection of nearly 30 frogs including some amazing blue and red poison dart frogs, twice (ie during the day and at night) to enable us to see all the species. We also went to the Selvatura Hanging Bridges where the 8 bridges at heights varying from 12-60 metres enable you to view the cloud forest from above over a distance of almost 2 miles. We heard a few birds but saw very few which was a shame.However, there is a humming bird garden where we were able to watch these incredibly entertaining birds flit between the nectar filled feeding stations. We also went to the Santa Elena Cloud Reserve and spotted a couple of birds but not much so we decided it was time
Banana fest
We were joined at breakfast by this hungry lizard to call in an expert.The next day we booked a professional guide who was brilliant - we saw more birds in the first half-an-hour than we had done all the previous day although, much to Stephs disappointment, no resplendent quetzal. We had to meet him before 6am but we both agreed it was well worth it especially as we were heading back to San Jose in the afternoon.
We stayed in the Gran Hotel to end the trip in style but although it has seen better days it was in a good location.We had a tour of the national theatre which is easily the most impressive building in the city.Our last evening was spent at the Argentine restaurant near the hostel we had stayed at upon our arrival in Costa Rica and we were welcomed back with open arms which was nice.
We flew up to Miami, arriving about midnight, and stayed at the hotel in the terminal as we were leaving at 9pm the following day.We had earlier discovered that Andy Murray was playing in the ATP Sony Ericsson tennis tournament at Key Biscayne while we were in Miami. We were able to book tickets over the internet and
Arenal Volcano
The volcano makes an impressive backdrop to La Fortuna town spent a very enjoyable day in the sun watching Murray;Roddick;Djokovic and Kuznetsova all win.We had to tear ourselves away at 6pm and Federers match for fear of missing our flight home.
A perfect end to a perfect trip.
Thanks for taking time to read the numerous blogs and for the many comments/messages posted during our time away,much appreciated.
I hope to publish a 'best of' blog soon but,as you can appreciate there are quite a few pictures to sort through.
Coral and Steph
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angela burrows
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Good to hear you're home, thought you had left the planet. I did read your blogs but didn't take in all the dates. I enjoyed reading them but never replied. (bad me) Lots of things happening here with schools, work and alike. I hope to call you as soon as you have settled back in. I have also mislaid phone number of house you are staying at. Text me when you have time. LOL Angie