Costa Rica: My Month Stay Recap
Flying into San Jose was the cheapest option for us and is a fairly central location to arrive in. We rented a car from Budget and got shuttled from the airport to the rental center. Very smooth process!
Jaco is about a 2 hour drive from SJO. The drive is fairly easy (compared to some of the other routes we took). Driving in Costa Rica isn't the worst I've seen... but also not the best. If you do decide to rent a car, just be a defensive driver.
Jaco
A surfer's paradise! This Pacific beach town was a wonderful home base for our trip. There is tons of shopping and restaurants along the beach including Jaco Walk which is a cute strip to enjoy lunch or dinner on. There are both local and larger grocery stores, so we never had trouble finding anything we needed. As I mentioned, this city is well-known for its great surfing. Regretfully, I never tried it out, but it was very fun to watch as a beachgoer. We went during September, which is rainy season, but the sun was still strong and peaked out for a few hours every day. As to be expected, there are some streets I would not wonder onto alone (as a 22-year-old gal), but for the most part, the city is walkable and friendly. Jaco will forever hold a special place in my heart!
La Fortuna
The drive from Jaco to La Fortuna was quite scary, but well worth it. We had to hit up this iconic destination and it did not disappoint. Here we saw, La Fortuna waterfall, Mistico Hanging Bridge Park, the natural hot springs, and Arenal Volcano. Though we didn't get much time here. We made every second count. Definitely one of my favorite destinations in Costa Rica!
Uvita
We didn't spend much time in this charming city, but we did get to see some incredible things. In Uvita, we went on a whale watching tour and got to see Humpback whales! This was breathtaking and a popular attraction for the area. If you're interested in doing this, make sure to check the best time of year to see these amazing creatures. We also went to Uvita Waterfall, one of my favorite activities of the entire month. It's very inexpensive to go to and feels very natural. There's lots of jumping spots and the waterfall acts as a natural slide! A bit scary but totally fun!
Manuel Antonio
Obviously, we had to pay a visit to the infamous Manuel Antonio National Park. There are a few ways to see this park... pay for a guide when you get there, schedule a tour online, or check it out on your own. We opted for seeing it on our own (the cheapest option), but there are some pros and cons to all. There are many people selling tours at the entrance of the park, and they aren't too expensive (typically $30-40 per person). These tour guides have AMAZING eyes for finding animals and have telescopes that allow you to see them up close. For some, this is totally worth it. As I mentioned, we explored on our own. We were able to see monkeys, crabs, an agouti, and a SLOTH. However, we were only able to spot the sloth because a tour guide and his group were gathered around looking up. So, we might not have gotten great pictures or got to look through the scope, but we still saw one! It all depends on your budget/interests. While at the park, we also took some time to relax, go for a swim, and lay on the beach. Overall, a wonderful experience!
I vlogged this entire month on YouTube so check out my channel to see our trip more in depth! There was a few other things we did in the country, but in this guide, I've highlighted some favorites. Thanks for reading!
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