Panoff Publications....

COSTA RICA:

GREEN IS GOOD

As I cruise through middle-age, I have to admit I’ve gone a bit soft when it comes to travel on land or sea. Those adventurous days in the outdoors of some exotic land, followed by nights camping out, are generally a thing of the past. I still like adventurous days. However, at night, I definitely like the creature comforts of creative cooking, a hot shower, and a warm bed. I want to see more and do more in less time, but I don’t want to really rough it in the process.

That’s why Costa Rica is one of my favorite ports of call. You can rough it in one of the most beautiful places in the world, while still enjoying all of the basic creature comforts in a country that knows how to treat tourists. In Costa Rica, green is good.

More than 25% of this Central American country is protected by some means of land conservation, including more than 10% being part of the national park system. Can you imagine that in the U.S. or anywhere else?

There are many things that have made Costa Rica special to me in previous trips and that will continue to make it important to me and other travelers for future forays. Most of these things are outdoors.

Just half the size of Kentucky, Costa Rica claims an unbelievable variety of landscapes, including Atlantic and Pacific beaches, soaring mountains, active volcanoes, and tropical rainforests. Within this environment, the numerous and varied species of wildlife are incredible, including exotic birds in their natural habitat (including my favorites, rainbow-like macaws), many types of monkeys, huge sloths, sea turtles, and many others. There are between 500,000 and one million total species of flora and fauna in Costa Rica, including 50,000 different types of insects and more than 2,000 different orchids.

As can be expected with this wealth of natural assets, ecotourism is alive and well in Costa Rica. Many small operators host visiting hikers, campers, birdwatchers, whitewater rafters, scuba divers, surfers, and more, including more and more lucky cruise ship passengers.

Though tourism continues to grow quickly, as word spreads of this country’s wonders, a large majority of accommodations options feature less than 50 rooms (and many have just a few). In this day of cookie-cutter tourism, a Costa Rica trip typically comes with a very personal and local touch.

Sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama, where civil unrest can become an unpleasant part of any vacation, Costa Rica is one of the most peaceful places on earth. In fact, they don’t even have an army anymore. Maybe that’s why Costa Ricans are among the friendliest people I’ve ever met on the road.

Many explorations of Costa Rica start out in the capital city of San Jose’ (DALE--accent on ‘e’) or the popular port of call, Puntarenas. Either city provides an interesting introduction to Costa Rica and her people.

Though it’s a typically crowded and crazy major city, I like to spend time in San Jose roaming the streets, visiting some excellent museums, relearning my tourist Spanish, and possibly catching a performance in the Teatro Nacional, the country’s center of culture.

However, if I had just one day in San Jose’ during a cruise, I’d definitely take a shore excursion. This safe and easy alternative out of Puntarenas includes a stunning drive along the Pan American Highway, a stop in the agricultural town of Palmares, visits to the Museum of Art in San Jose’-La Sabana and the National Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, and lunch at a popular local restaurant. It’s the ideal one-day way to see San Jose’.

Puntarenas is a coastal port town about 75 miles west of San Jose. It’s inhabited by about 100,000 friendly Costa Ricans (as well as many U.S. expatriates). The city was once the country’s major port, with agricultural products like coffee (see below) hauled into town by ox carts from the highlands for shipping throughout the world.

The town’s setting is as interesting geographically as the rest of the country. The name means ‘sandy point’ and it’s befitting. Puntarenas is situated on a sandy peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. It’s about eight miles long, but only 600 yards wide at its widest point (and less than 100 yards wide in some parts). This means the Pacific will be lapping at both sides of you when you stroll through some parts of town.

I definitely like strolling through Puntarenas, with more than 60 streets (Calles) running east and west, but just five (Avenidas) running north at south (and that’s at the widest point). Along the Paseo de los Turistas beach road, you’re sure to be greeted by friendly locals. Other personal highlights include the church and plaza, the small market, and the numerous little restaurants, cafes, and bars situated throughout town (many with nice water views).

Outside San Jose or Puntarenas, you can go in any direction and quickly be surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery in the world. Whether you want sandy beaches or mountains that stretch to the horizon, you can get there quickly from San Jose. Personal highlights: include the Carara Biological Reserve (see below for details about this popular shore excursion, as well as several other options); Poa’s (DALE--accent on ‘a’) Volcano for peering into an active volcano and stunning nature beauty (see below); Guanacaste National Park for hiking; Manuel Antonio for beaches and jungles; and whitewater rafting on the Reventazo’n (DALE--accent on ‘o’) or Pacuare. But that’s just the beginning of a list that will take a lifetime to finish.

The Carara Biological Reserve is one of the closest reserves to San Jose and is quite convenient to Puntarenas. It lies in a transitional ecosystem zone between humid and dry forests, sustaining a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation. The dry seasons brings out Carara in all her green glory, while the wet season, fueled by the Ta’coles River (DALE--accent on ‘a’), makes the flooded lagoons rich with waterfowl, amphibians, and reptiles.

Naturalist tour guides make this a shore excursion to remember. A stroll along the well-maintained paths will lead to learning about the variety of species in the reserve and elsewhere in Costa Rica. It’s not unusual to see monkeys, butterflies, roseate spoonbills, crocodiles, and many other animals. Of particular interest are the nearly 100 scarlet macaws in the area, making the trip to Carara Tropical Forest complete.

The excursion to Poa’s Volcano and the surrounding cloud forest provides a microcosm experience of Costa Rican ecotourism. Naturalists say that the Poa’s National Park features some of the world’s most varied flora, with rich green forests surrounding you as you ascend into the clouds. A paved half-mile trails leads to a breathtaking view of one of the world’s largest craters.

After viewing the volcano, the excursion includes a traditional lunch served in a local restaurant surrounded by the rainforest and featuring a wood-burning stove. Before returning to the ship, the deluxe motorcoach stops for shopping in the crafts-oriented village of Sarchi.

The ‘Costa Rican Traditions and Coffee’ trip is another popular excursion out of Puntarenas. If you like coffee and the great outdoors, this is definitely your cup of caffeine.

Travelling along the Avocado highway and through small towns like Orotina and San Mateo, you’ll learn about the fascinating agricultural history of the area, dating back to the 1600s. This fertile farmland was settled by Spanish conquistadors.

In the Central Valley, you get to visit a plantation close to my heart (and morning ritual). Doka Estate is a turn-of-the-century coffee plantation and mill. Here, an interesting tour teaches visitors and ages-old techniques of coffee farming, harvesting, milling, and roasting. Coffee trees stretch across the stunning landscape for as far as the eyes can see.

The tour ends with the opportunity to taste the fruits of their labors. Many coffee-related items are also for sale, making for a unique and tasty memory of this excursion.

Next, the tour stops at Pura Vida, a replica of a late-1800s retreat. Here, amidst a landscape of gardens, flowers, birds, animals, and nature trails, lucky visitors can enjoy local cuisine and the opportunity to purchase local handicrafts.

While these tours show why ecotourism reigns in Costa Rica, many feel the growth is happening too quickly. But I am confident that government officials have a good plan for continued growth, while protecting the company’s natural assets for generations to come.

Whether you decide to take one of the planned shore excursions or strike off on your own in and around Puntarenas, I think you’ll find Costa Rica’s ecotourism opportunities make green a very good thing.