South of Costa Rica

November 2019

Costa Rica, a country located in Central America, is known for its rich history and diverse wildlife. After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the country abolished its army and focused on investing in education and healthcare. This has earned Costa Rica a reputation as a peaceful and stable country in the region.

With over 500,000 species living in its forests, mountains, and coastlines, Costa Rica's wildlife is a major attraction for nature enthusiasts from around the world - it's definitely something that I was attracted to! The country's national parks and reserves protect a significant portion of its biodiversity, including endangered species such as the green sea turtle and the harpy eagle. Also, according to the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, about 99% of the country's electricity comes from renewable sources. This is largely due to the country's abundant rainfall, which provides a reliable source of hydropower. In addition to hydropower, Costa Rica also generates electricity from sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy. The country's commitment to renewable energy has made it a leader in sustainable development and a model for other countries to follow.

In November 2019, I had the opportunity to participate in a volunteer program with animals in Costa Rica. I chose to work with Tortugas de Pacuare, which has three projects located throughout the country. The projects included the Sea Turtle Conservation Ambassador, the Leatherback Turtle Turtle Ambassador, and the Research Assistant at Wildlife Sanctuary. I spent one week in the Sea Turtle Conservation Ambassador project in Matapalo, near Quepos, on the Pacific Ocean. Matapalo Beach is a stunning location, with its crystal clear waters and sandy shorelines. Stay tuned for more information about my experience there!

In this part of the blog, I will share my experiences and adventures during my time in Costa Rica. In one week I explored three different areas: San Jose, Parque Manuel Antonio, and Punta Arenas, specifically Matapalo Beach and its surroundings during my volunteering. Join me on this journey to discover the beauty and diversity of Costa Rica, and stay tuned until the end for some tips for travelling in Costa Rica.

Get ready for your trip!

Visa: In most cases, you don't need a visa for Costa Rica if you are staying for less than 90 days in Costa Rica, but check for your country in this website and updated information about travelling conditions to Costa Rica is this other website.
Currency: The official currency of Costa Rica is the Colón (CRC/₡),. 1€ = 0.0017₡. Check updated currency change in Xe Website before your trip.
Orientative prices: A coffee can cost around 1,100 - 1,600 CRC (2-3 Euros)
Vaccines - no extra vaccines are required to enter Costa Rica

First and last stop: San Jose

I did not have much time in San José when I visited, but here are some recommendations:

National Theater: This beautiful 19th-century theater is a must-visit for any art lover. Take a tour of the building, or attend a performance in the evening.
Mercado Central: For a taste of local life, visit the Mercado Central. Here, you'll find an array of vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and handmade goods.
Museums: San Jose is home to several museums, including the National Museum and the Jade Museum. Learn about Costa Rica's rich history and culture while admiring fascinating exhibits.
Parque La Sabana: This sprawling park is a great spot for a picnic or a leisurely stroll. It also has a lake where you can rent paddleboats.
Barrio Escalante: For a taste of the city's nightlife, head to Barrio Escalante. This trendy neighborhood is packed with bars, restaurants, and cafes.
Day Trips: San Jose is a great starting point for exploring the surrounding countryside. Take a day trip to the Poas Volcano or the La Paz Waterfall Gardens for breathtaking natural beauty.

Museo nacional de costa rica

Food:

Woki: Although the address (100 Este y 25 Sur del Fresh Market, 10101 Barrio Escalante) can be tricky, this restaurant is worth the effort. You can reach them at +506 2253 1301. Barrio Escalante is also recommended for its diverse range of food options and fun atmosphere.
La Tortillería de San José Centro: Located at Av. 1, Paso De La Vaca, this restaurant is highly recommended with fresh and delicious tortillas (however, check the latest update of reviews as this was in 2019 and I've read some recent comments about it not being as good as before). They can be reached at +506 2257 2000.

Accommodation:

Costa Rica Backpackers: Located at Avenida 6, Calle 21 y 23, this hotel offers comfortable rooms and bathrooms, a pool, and helpful staff. Breakfast is available for an additional cost of 3,000 colones (about $5).
Pension De La Cuesta B&B: Located at Avenida 1 Calle 15 San Jose, El Carmen, this hostel offers simple accommodation with shared bathrooms and starts at around $9 for a bunker bed in a room for four females. Although it does not include breakfast, it is a good option for a short stay.

Parque Manuel Antonio

Nestled on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, Parque Manuel Antonio is a nature lover's paradise, brimming with incredible biodiversity and stunning vistas. The park encompasses over 1,700 acres of pristine rainforest, pristine beaches, and coral reefs, making it one of the most popular eco-tourism destinations in Central America.

But what really sets this park apart is its incredible wildlife. Here, visitors can spot a variety of exotic animals, including monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and countless species of birds. In fact, Parque Manuel Antonio is home to over 100 mammal and 180 bird species, making it a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers alike.

For those seeking a truly immersive experience, we highly recommend taking a guided tour with a biologist. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and helped us spot some of the park's most elusive creatures (he carries binoculars too), some of which you can see below.

Beautiful pristine coastal area in Parque Manuel Antonio

Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus).

The green part that you see on sloths' backs is actually a type of algae called Trichophilus welckeri (Suutari et al., 2010). It is a symbiotic relationship where the algae provides camouflage for the sloth, and in turn, the sloth provides a safe environment for the algae to grow and reproduce. The green coloration helps the sloth blend in with the trees and avoid predators.
Males (including this one in the picture) have a middorsal black and orange line called speculum (Hayssen 2010). Their function is unclear, but its thought to mimic the bark of a tree, helping the sloth to camouflage.

Again the beautiful three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus).

Owl butterfly (esp. mariposa búho). The role of the observed eyespots as antipredator mechanisms has been discussed since the 19th century and there have been two proposed hypothesis: 1) eyespots serve as decoy, 2) result of conspicuous contrast (high-contrast and stricking pattern of eyespot) in wing patterns deters predators. A study by finish researchers supported the eye-mimicry hypothesis rather than the conspicuousness hypothesis.

Saltamontes gigante de alas rojas (Tropidacris cristata)

Gueco

Anolis

Basilisco de casco

Colibrí ninfa (Thalurania colombica)

Araña citogues

Cangrejo tropical/rojo terrestre (Gecarcinus lateralis)

Tucán ticojuego

Baby mantled howler (esp. Mono aullador o congo) - they make this amazing sound (Alouatta palliata). Sadly this species' state is vulnerable according to the IUCN.

Mono capuchino / carablanca (Cebus capucinus)

Capuchin monkeys are a common sight in Parque Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. They are known for their white faces and agile nature. You can see them roaming around in the park and often see them jumping between trees and foraging for food. They can come very near to you, so take care of your belongings and don't feed them as they can become aggressive, but still enjoy their clumsy and funny presence!

Experience volunteering for ASVPA Tortugas de Pacuare

Volunteering at Tortugas de Pacuare was an unforgettable experience. I stayed in a room with three other girls, with bunker beds and a shower underneath which was cold, but it was not a big deal for me. The food was nice based on rice and vegetables (which I love so it was fine for me too). We participated in various volunteering activities, which included night patrols, nest vigilance, and reforestation.

One of the most challenging activities was the night patrols to check for turtles laying eggs. I went in November, which is the egg-laying as well as hatching season, and was lucky to experience a turtle laying her eggs on the beach! The process of a turtle laying eggs can be broken into several stages:

Nesting: Female turtles typically return to the same beach or location where they were born to lay their eggs. This is called the nesting site. The nesting site is typically chosen based on factors such as the sand temperature and moisture level.
Digging: Once the nesting site has been selected, the female turtle begins to dig a hole in the sand using her hind flippers. The depth of the hole can vary depending on the species of turtle, but it is usually several inches deep.
Laying: After the hole has been dug, the female turtle will start to lay her eggs. The eggs are typically laid in a clump and can range in number from a few to several dozen, depending on the species of turtle. The female may pause between laying each egg or lay them all in one go.
Covering: Once all the eggs have been laid, the female turtle will use her hind flippers to cover the eggs with sand. This helps to protect the eggs from predators and helps to regulate their temperature.
Return to the sea: After the eggs have been covered, the female turtle will make her way back to the sea, leaving the eggs to hatch on their own. The eggs will typically take several weeks to several months to hatch, depending on the species of turtle and environmental conditions.

We spotted the turtle on the beach when she was in the laying phase. During this process, it is important that we don't disturb the turtle so that she completes all the process and for this reason, we used infrared lights and remained quiet. The turtle appeared to be in a trance-like state from the time they began laying eggs until they started covering the sand pit, giving the impression that they were either unaware of their surroundings (or we had been successful in not disturbing her).

Matapalo beach which we patrolled at night

Female turtle covering the eggs with sand. After a finished laying her eggs, she will use her powerful rear flippers to cover them with sand. Once the eggs are fully covered, the female turtle may use her front flippers to pat down the sand and make sure it is firmly in place (action she's doing in this photo).

The centre does night patrols because some locals collect and sell the eggs to restaurants and markets, despite being illegal since 1990. This activity poses a threat to the survival of sea turtles and their nesting grounds, and it also affects the local ecosystem. Therefore, conservation organizations such as Tortugas de Pacuare, paired with the authorities, have been working to stop this practice and promote the protection of sea turtles in the region. When patrolling, you can sometimes spot the people who steal the eggs going around on bikes holding the bike with one hand and a machete in the other one (which is a bit scary)

Fun fact - on our last evening we decided to head down to the beach to observe the stars and got some coconuts from the trees. We were unable to open them, but coincidentally, one of the locals who we knew was stealing eggs at night was around with his machete. He opened the coconut for us and we ended up having a nice chat. He was friendly, which shows it's easy to judge as, indeed, we all just want to make a living. Still, I can't agree with what he does as he puts in danger the future of the species.

Sharing a precious coconut water with our enemy (just kidding)

Another activity was nest vigilance, which involved observing if a nest was hatching and carrying the turtles to the seaside. It was fascinating to witness the baby turtles hatch and make their way to the ocean. They are incredibly vulnerable when they are small, but they play a vital role in the trophic chain (they are predated by fish and crabs, for instance).

Thirdly, there was a reforestation project going on when I went there, which was at its initial stages, involving cutting vegetation from an uncared patch to prepare for reforestation. This activity was physically demanding (ok patrolling the whole beach was not easy either..., made around 20,000 steps in one night!). Finally, and coincidentally, we also had the opportunity to help care for an injured baby sloth that fell from a tree whose mother was fatally injured by electricity lines.

Overall, the experience of volunteering at Tortugas de Pacuare was eye-opening, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it. The center is doing important work to protect these endangered green turtles, and I highly recommend volunteering there to anyone who has the chance.

These are the turtles are released on their way to the ocean

Baby sloth being taken good care of. BTW, this is a two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni in Costa Rica considered the northern species, while the southern is Choloepus dydactilus).

In addition to being a conservation project, the Tortugas de Pacuare center also serves as a research facility. In my time there, a team of Guatemalan students were conducting a study on the impact of urine on plant growth (the center also maintains a vegetable garden of its own), as part of the center's efforts to support those who wish to grow their own crops but have limited resources for things like compost. If you are interested, I took a picture of a board explaining turtles' life cycle as well as characteristics of different turtle species, which I learned more about during my volunteering time.

Sea turtle life cycle

Different species of turtles and their characteristics

Free time at volunteering project

Apart from visiting Manuel Antonio park on my free day, I was also able to do some other activities in my free time. I convinced the group of volunteers to take surfing lessons with a nearby surfing centre, and it was super fun! We also had time to sunbathe, swim and stroll along the beach.

Surfing class day

Not bad for a beginner!

On our strolls on the beach, I found many of these. Help me find their species please!

Tips

Here are some tips for your first day in Costa Rica:

Airport transfer - You can take a taxi from the airport to your hostel, which should cost around $13 with Uber, depending on the time. Alternatively, some hostels offer transfer services for around $30.
Money withdrawal - Withdraw money from any ATM that your bank allows, but be aware of possible fees. In Costa Rica, I was charged 1,500 colones (~$2.5) for each withdrawal. Also, make sure to check if the ATM has colones before withdrawing money (it can happen that they ran out of money!).
SIM Card - If you need data during your stay, it's easy to get a SIM Card from any supermarket. The three providers in Costa Rica are Movistar, Claro, and I.C.E. (state-owned) with its prepaid product called kölbi. Supermarkets typically sell Claro SIM Cards, which are easy to use but may take around 15 minutes to set up. After purchasing the SIM Card, you can charge it with money and activate a data plan. With Claro, 3GB of data costs around $9.

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