Rio Celeste is a wonder of nature hidden in the northern part of the country within the Volcan Tenorio National Park close to the towns Guatuso and Bijagua in the province Alajuela. The neighbor town Fortuna gets tons of tourists visiting the nearby Arenal volcano. Rio Celeste, however, is in a rural area and visited by few tourists.
Rio Celeste is no ordinary river. Clear water runs races through the forest and then two rivers meet and sulfur and calcium carbonate mix to create a single bright, shocking turquoise river which then feeds several hot springs and a large waterfall. To get to the waterfall you’ll have to hike about an hour and a half through the national park Read more
If you are planning to visit or relocate to Costa Rica, you might be wondering what to expect. What are the people like? What are their customs? Costa Rica culture is easy to adjust to as they are a relaxed, friendly people. In fact in a study done in 2009 by the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica was named the happiest country in the planet. The study used life expectancy, life satisfaction and ecological footprint to measure countries overall happiness. Their culture reflects that happiness. Here are several things to keep in mind about Costa Rica culture.
Costa Rican culture, like many Latin American cultures reflects their Spanish Heritage. There are also large Jamaican and Chinese populations in the Read more
Costa Rica is famous for its beaches, volcanoes, rain forests, etc. However, if there is one place you should definitely visit in Costa Rica, it is the Central Avenue in San Jose. The Central Avenue is a pedestrian walkway that stretches through all downtown San Jose. Walking down the Central Avenue you will find many historic buildings reflecting the architecture of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
One of the main attractions sits across from the Central Plaza, where artists gather to sell their work, and people sit on benches to feed the many kinds of birds as the day goes by. This building is The National Theater of Costa Rica. This ornate opera house Read more
Planning a vacation to Costa Rica? I strongly recommend going with a villa or vacation home rental as opposed to a hotel or an all inclusive and here’s why:
Vacation Villas offer a more private vacation experience.
Villas accomodate larger groups and families better than hotels.
When split among a group a villa rental is a more economic option than multiple hotel rooms.
If you get a villa rental with a pool, you don’t have to share it!
With a villa or vacation rental you can do your own cooking in the kitchen. (Some vacation villa rentals offer an all-inclusive package, for those who don’t like to cook.)
Vacation villa rentals are more secure since no one is entering into
Congrats to Season 1 of American Football in Costa Rica. That’s right folks, no longer is American Football only played by a large group of American expats on the beach, there is actually a Costa Rica Federation of American Football (ACFA). It’s amazing how the times are changing!
The season officially began for the American Foodtball league in Costa Rica back in March 2009, when the first game was held on a Sunday afternoon. However, the teams started training much earlier than that.
The league is made of up 6 teams and 80% of the members are Ticos. The teams started training for that Sunday in March back in October of 2008. Unlike American football, the Costa Rican version gets Read more
The small town of Katira is home to one of the most spectacular rivers in the entire world, known as Rio Celeste or The Blue River makes this little town an unknown treasure. The river’s intense turquoise water is the product of a whimsical combination of pure river water and volcanic minerals makes this one of two rivers in the entire world that can produce waters this color. Natural hot springs, boiling pool and an insanely blue lagoon are just a few of the attractions in the area. There is even a beautiful waterfall that is well worth the trip down the long winding dirt road.
You may want to bring food and snacks before you come
Close to San Jose is a very accessible and beautiful volcano named Irazú. When planning to travel to Irazú make sure to bring a coat; because of its altitude you may find once you arrive the climate may be colder than what you were expecting. This is what happened to me and unfortunately I had to borrow a coat from someone because the only store located at the top of the volcano did not sell any coats in my size.
Also make sure you eat before going to the top of the volcano. The gift store and restaurant at the summit are overpriced and you can find better products elsewhere. For example they were selling a walking cane for eighty dollars Read more
Zarcero is located just outside of Naranjo if you are traveling to Ciudad Quesada. Zarcero has captured the hearts of many people for several reasons; first of all being that the Climate is much cooler than other parts of Costa Rica. When visiting you will want to make sure you have a sweater or a light coat. Its climate is clearly a positive for those who love the country but can’t bear the heat. Due to this, those who have such health issues as Multiple Sclerosis that can worsen with heat may find that Zarcero is not only the place for them to visit but also the place for them to live. Though the climate is much cooler it Read more
There are a ton of different ways to go about getting information regarding traveling to and living in Costa Rica. But how do you know the information is reliable? Plenty of you have e-mailed asking for information, but as you know… I don’t always find the time to answer, and sometimes I just don’t have the answers! I can, however, connect you with the people who do have the answers!
I, together with all the other Gringo writers (see my blogroll for affiliate sites) have worked to create a database that puts you in contact with the people you need to reach in Panama (and Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and more!)
If you are looking for legal services, real Read more
Arenal Reserve has much to offer for the adventurist, but one of my favorite activities is the night time rainforest raft tour. When I thought of doing this tour I expected to have several people with me, as we sat waiting at my hotel I saw several busses of people going off to their adventures. Pretty soon after a van with a raft in tow pulled in, I realized my group would be the only one going on this adventure.
On the way to our location we came to realize right away that our tour guide spoke pretty good English. We arrived at the river and loaded the raft into the water. Very quickly day turned into night Read more
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