Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Find your sanctuary in COSTA RICA
We ask travel writer and adventurer Ash Bhardwaj for his top 10 tips on visiting Costa Rica…
1 Feel the rush of a waterfall
Montezuma Waterfall is at the end of a hiking trail that passes through thick jungle. It was great for swimming in the pools under the waterfall, and I then headed up to the Sun Trail Canopy Tour for an aerial view. The zip-line rushed through and above the tree-tops, with an exciting, long stretch that crossed the gorge of the Montezuma River. From up there, I had views out to the Pacific, where the rushing speed of the river crashed into the ocean, creating a dramatic standing wave.
2 Ride horses with cowboys
The sabaneros are Costa Rica’s cowboys who have ridden this land for generations. I arrived at La Ensenada farm at night to find howler monkeys and glow-worms in the trees and tarantulas on the path. The next day I rode out with Ariel, the head sabanero of the farm, to round up the cattle and move them between fields. Travelling on horse-back helped me see the land in an entirely new way, and it was thrilling to gallop along the trails.
3 Discover the secrets of a long life
The Nicoya Peninsula is home to Costa Rica’s indigenous Chorotega people. In the village of Matambú, I met Ezekiel Perez, who teaches young Chorotegans how to make pottery in the traditional Chorotegan style. The main design is the snail, which represents how his people “never stop.” Nicoya is a Blue Zone, one of five places in the world where people consistently live healthily into old age. Ezekiel puts this down to the sun, activity, the Chorotegan diet of maize, and a strong sense of community.
4 Cook Caribbean style
For an insight into Costa Rica’s Afro-caribbean culture, I learned to cook jerk chicken with Jindra Waltá in the beach-side town of Puerto Viejo. Jamaicans first migrated to Costa Rica in the 1870s and brought their food with them. As Jindra took me through the recipe, she talked to me about the evolution of a distinct Afrocosta Rican culture, and we ate our delicious meal to the sounds of her favourite local musicians.
5 Explore the Yorkin River
I took a motorised dug-out canoe along the Yorkin River, which divides Costa Rica from Panama. The Bribri are an indigenous group, whose remoteness kept their culture alive during European invasions. I spent several nights in their village in the jungle. Life is everywhere, and the Bribri use it for everything from campher sap, which repels mosquitoes, to a plant they chew for toothache.
6 Go wild!
The Osa Peninsula is on the same Pacific Coast as the much larger Nicoya Peninsula, and the small thrust of land is home to an estimated 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, including tapirs and jaguars. The forested region has little large-scale development, making it the best place in Costa Rica for wildlife spotting. And that’s not just on land – during the rainy season, humpback whales move up and down the coast to birth and feed. For the best whale watching, head to Marino Ballena National Park on the Pacific coast.
7 Catch a wave
Santa Teresa is known and loved by surfers the world over, and the waves were consistent and mellow, which made it perfect for a beginner like me. By the end of the day, I could just about kneel-up on my board, and my body was satisfyingly tired. After, I walked up to the Banana Beach Restaurant for a smoothie (with a medicinal dose of rum!) to enjoy the fiery sunset.
8 Relax at a yoga retreat
Take one villa overlooking the Caribbean, add yoga sessions and reiki healing and you have a typical Costa Rican yoga retreat. At the one where I stayed, I took part in a cacao ceremony. Whilst I was used to eating the fruit of this tree as chocolate, its unadulterated, roasted form is full of all sorts of anti-oxidants and other goodies, just one of the reasons for cacao being sacred to many indigenous groups in the region.
9 Take the Pura Vida Pledge
There’s a phrase in Costa Rica that you’ll hear wherever you go: Pura
Vida, or Pure Life. It’s a greeting, a philosophy and a positive mindset. But the Pura Vida Pledge is all about sustainability, too. For travellers, that means exploring with the lightest of footprints. Be sure to book yourself into an eco-lodge with a Certificate of Sustainable Tourism, be carbonconscious, consider volunteering your time to support local communities or wildlife projects, and make sure you respect the environment wherever you go. For more sustainability tips, go to: puravidapledge.co.uk
10 Get a caffeine fix
Finca Rosa Blanca is a villa that overlooks the capital, San José. As well as enjoying fine food and accommodation, I explored its organic coffee plantation, which has mixed tree species, including legumes that fix nitrogen and water. That means the coffee bushes don’t require watering or fertiliser, and the plantation is home to more than 130 species of birds (including various hummingbirds and flycatchers) which feed on insects, reducing the need for pesticides. The coffee tastes amazing, too, and makes for a great souvenir that allows you to savour the taste of Costa Rica long after you leave.