Sights and Activities - Our First World Trip

Below are the places we saw and activities completed while visiting Costa Rica:

Corcovado National Park: we were excited to visit this national park that National Geographic has labeled as ‘the most biologically intense place on earth.’ Unfortunately, we were not the only ones, the park allows a limited amount of people and it was completely sold out the days we were there.

Matapalo: we took a day trip to the tip of the Osa Peninsula where we hiked around this lush green area and to King Louis Waterfall. Although the waterfall was dry, the area and its flora and fauna were beautiful. In the couple of hours we hiked, we were able to see three different types of monkeys and other interesting insects.

Manuel Antonio National Park: we spent about 5 hours hiking through the tropical rainforest and rocky headlands, swimming in the warm sparkling blue Pacific Ocean waters, and enjoying the fauna of this national park. We were able to see agoutis, capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, howler monkeys, raccoons, and iguanas. This is the country’s smallest national park and unfortunately can receive huge volumes of visitors. We entered during holy week, a time that sees many visitors, but fortunately we arrived when the park opened and were able to hike the trails encountering a minimum amount of other visitors.

Volcan Irazu: our friends drove us up to visit the country’s tallest (3432m/11,260ft) active volcano. At the top, there was a 1km-long trail that leads to a lookout over the craters, the largest being 300m (985ft) deep and 1050m (3445ft) in diameter.

Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles: located in the city of Cartago, practically a suburb of San Jose, we visited the most respected religious site in the country. Though the structure has changed many times since 1635, the idol of the Virgin Mary remains unharmed inside.

Puntarenas: took a day trip to swim in the closest beach to the capitol. The port city sits at the tip of a sandy peninsula that is 8km (5 miles) long but only 100m (328ft) to 600m (1970ft) wide.

Mercado Central: the well organized central market has many restaurants and differents shops selling everything from food to souvenirs.

Plaza de la Cultura: this concrete plaza is located in the heart of downtown and where many locals gather to people watch.

Teatro Nacional: this 1897 national theater is the city’s most impressive public building and located in the Plaza de la Cultura.

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica: this museum is located inside the Bellavista Fortress that has been hosting the National Museum since 1950, two years after President Jose Figueres Ferrer broke a wall of this fortress with a mallet symbolizing an end to the military. The museum itself has varying exhibitions such as a butterfly garden, pre-Columbian artifacts, colonial objects, religious art, and a natural history wing.

Catedral Metropolitana: this is the city’s cathedral, built in 1871 and has a renaissance style.

Museo de Jade: this large, well-organized museum displays the world’s largest collection of American jade. In addition to the jade, the museum elegantly displays other indigenous ceramics and stonework, as well as information on different indigenous groups.

Canopy Tour: we took an adrenaline rush tour through eight zip lines, one rappel, two superman-style zip lines, and a crazy 45m (148ft) tarzan swing. We experienced what they have called the longest zip line in Latin America at 1590m (5217ft) long. Be sure to read about our insane experience and see pictures and videos in our article.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve: we spent about 5.5 hours hiking around this magestic cloud forest. We went through most of the trails in the park and saw many birds, including illusive and graceful quetzal, known as the most beautiful bird of Central America. We were also able to see a coati.

Sounds of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve