AMANDA STATHAM WENT JUNGLE TREKKING, SURFING AND WHALE SPOTTING ON A WEEKLONG TRIP TO COSTA RICA
DAY 1
Asking BA staff at check-in if they know the way to San José, Costa Rica’s capital, is 100% worth the forced smiles you’ll get in return. Thankfully, the joke’s out of my system by the time I touch down 11 hours later and check in at Parque de Lago hotel in the centre of town. I head out to stretch my legs on a Carpe Chepe (Carpechepe.com) gastronomic walking tour of the city’s hip Barrio Escalante district. Led by Deivo, the smiliest man in Costa Rica, it proves a fabulous introduction to the country, with four hours spent guzzling fruity cas (Costa Rican guava) cocktails, tasting tortilla treats at cool cafés like Al Mercat and discussing why Costa Rica’s top of the Happy Planet Index. We decide it’s down to a combination of nature, close family ties and Pura Vida (my translation: don’t sweat the small stuff).
DAY 2 4
Up early for a traditional breakfast, including rice, black beans and corn cake, before hitting the road to Guanacaste, Costa Rica’s popular north-west region, which is home to mountains, volcanoes and enough rare wildlife to keep David Attenborough busy for years. My final destination is the lodge at Buena Vista Del Rincón, but during the three-hour journey I stop for a dip at dramatic Llanos del
Cortes waterfall (below) and a tour of Las Pumas Rescue Centre, an animal sanctuary filled with colourful toucans, parrots shouting “hola!”, and big cats, including sleeping jaguars. The stories behind the residents are moving, such as Bruno, a magnificent puma abandoned as a kitten after his mum was poached by hunters. I leave with a tear in my eye and add a hefty contribution to the tip box. I reach eco escape Buena Vista just as the sun sets; mountains tinged with pink, a carpet of trees spreading all the way to the ocean and a background chorus of parakeets and crickets. Next morning I hit the volcanic spa, where I rub myself head-to-toe in mud then take a dip in four natural pools of varying heat,
before hitting the spa bar (necessary after spotting a tarantula the size of my hand on a wall). The highlight of the trip, though, is a night safari led by eco expert Mosco. He hands out head torches and says, “Don’t be scared, there’s not that much that can harm you.” I start to feel a little scared. Leaving the safety of the lodge to wander into the jungle at night is extraordinary: inky black until we see a multitude of eyes staring back at us. Soon Mosco is spotting spiders, moths, opossums and, unbelievably, a jaguarundi. This small wild cat is so rare, one hasn’t been seen in the area for six years and we watch it move stealthily in the light of our torches before slinking away. As we head to the bar to celebrate, I narrowly miss placing my hand on a snake wrapped around a handrail in the excitement. Amazingly, I sleep like a baby and am up early for a dip in the pool and tour of Buena Vista’s farm, where they make their own aloe vera honey.
DAY 5-6
I’m gutted to leave Buena Vista, and it’s with a heavy heart that I wave goodbye to the lodge, wildlife and evening-buffet coconut chicken. However in under an hour I’m hiking through Rincón de la Vieja, a volcanic national park with bubbling pools, steam rising through ancient trees and chameleons scuttling into the undergrowth; it feels like I’ve been transported to Jurassic Park. I ask my guide when it last erupted and he replies “not long ago”. Gulp. From here it’s another hour to Tamarindo, my final destination, which turns out to be a hippy seaside town with a big surf scene, so I book a lesson with Kevin from Arenas Adventures, who has me catching waves in minutes. Potrero, a sleepy village just outside Tamarindo, is home to delightful, family-run Libélula Lounge & Lodgings, where I tuck into owner Nathan’s delicious homemade curry before crashing out in one of three luxe safari tents. The next day I’m picked up by a guide from Jacamar Naturalist Tours and we head to Marino Las Baulas National Park, a wild place with crocodile warning signs as you board the boat. We cruise along the mangrove-lined estuary spotting yellow crowned herons, osprey and, where the river narrows, a small crocodile basking on a log and a huge boa constrictor. Unfortunately we see them just before we pull up on a muddy bank to explore on foot… Luckily my attention’s soon diverted by a pack of wild monkeys, complete with babies on their backs, which we track through the trees. For my last night I treat myself to a room at Hotel Bahía De Sol, right on Potrero Beach, and take full advantage of the swim-up bar, eat delicious red snapper in the open-air restaurant and gaze at the stars from a lounger on my room’s terracotta-tiled balcony.
DAY 7
My final day’s spent on a catamaran cruise with the Marina del Rey (Marinadelrey.com) crew, snorkelling above pufferfish, and watching a whale and her calf arching through the water. To say it’s a memorable end would be an understatement. I leave with a suitcase full of coffee (Costa Rica has the best in the world, FYI) and a big crush on a country that’s eco beyond my wildest eco dreams – most of its energy is renewable. Next time I’m taking a sabbatical. Pura Vida.