Bocas Del Toro, Panama

This previous weekend, I was fortunate enough to visit yet another beautiful country, Panama. I went with my study abroad program and 25 other students to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. The main purpose of our trip was to not only experience a new country and culture but most importantly to renew our 90 day tourist visas. Costa Rica gives two visa options to international students a free 90 tourist visa or a student visa good for the entire time you are studying (costs $300-$400). In order to renew these tourist visas, travelers must leave Costa Rica for 72 hours before returning. It was a 3-4 hour trip to the border crossing station near the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. We got our exit stamps and walked across the border into Panama. The entry process on the other side took a bit longer but it was an interesting experience overall. After making it back to our bus, we drove another hour to a port where we met our water taxis that we would take to Bocas Del Toro. For those of you who do not know, Bocas Del Toro is a small chain of islands off the coast of northern Panama in The Caribbean Sea. The water taxis took us an hour east to our destination of Bocas Town, the largest town in Bocas Del Toro. We stayed right on the water in La Terraza Hotel. I really enjoyed the nautical scenery. It was a nice change from all of the sand beaches I have become accustomed to.

 Walking across the border.

 Our seaside hotel.

 Your typical water taxi.

Despite waking up to rain Saturday morning, my friends and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast and waited out the storm. By the afternoon the sun began to poke out. We decided to take a bus to Starfish Beach on the other side of the island. I had never seen so many starfish in one place and so close up other than behind glass at an aquarium. We had a pleasant afternoon of swimming and relaxing in the sunshine. Instead of taking the bus back to the hotel, the group of students and I decided to hire a water taxi. I am really glad we chose to do this because it allowed us to see more throughout the islands. I was surprised to see remote cottages arranged over the water. I came to the conclusion that Bocas Del Toro would be a much more affordable option for a romanic getaway than The Maldives.

Fun with starfish at Starfish Beach.

Views from our water taxi.

 Little crabs who call this boat home.

On Sunday, we woke bright and early for an all day tour planned for us by our program. First thing on our tour: dolphin "watching". This pretty much entailed a fleet of water taxis, following two dolphins around so we could catch a glimpse of a fin or two. It was interesting to see dolphins in the wild but I could not help but feel guilty that we were so invasive in their environment. I would be against doing the dolphin watching in the future. The next stop was Isla Zapatilla. I can safely say, this was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. It had the bluest water and the softest sand. This was probably the highlight of my entire weekend. Later in the afternoon we went snorkeling off the side of the boat. We saw colorful fish and crazy coral. If only I had an underwater camera!

 Isla Zapatilla

I did not want to return to Costa Rica after this far too short visit to Bocas Del Toro. I definitely want to return to Panama. It was amazing to see such a difference in culture after just crossing over the border. Before I return to Colorado, I would love to venture down to Panama City, see the canal, and see what else Panama has to offer.

Osa Peninsula, Corcavado National Park

I am so glad I got the opportunity to visit the Osa Peninsula. Many people, even in Costa Rica, are not familiar with the area. It is one of the farther destinations from San Jose, but it is well worth the drive. The Osa Peninsula is one of the most biodiverse areas in the entire world. Because of its secluded location, you will be able to see a wide variety of animals and will likely be the only person on the beautiful beach.

I probably would not have been able to go to the peninsula without the help of my roommate's parents. Clare’s parents came to Costa Rica, from Colorado, for a week long vacation. Lucky for us they rented a car and invited us along for the adventure. The drive was long, but was so much better in the comforts of an air conditioned Rav4 rather than on a hot public bus. About an hour into our trip we came to a river full of crocodiles. This is one of the few places you can see fresh water crocodiles, in the wild, in Costa Rica. Why they chose to make their home near the bridge of this fairly busy road as opposed to down river, I will never know. After around four hours of driving, we reached the small town of Dominical. This is where we spent our first night.

 Our little Dominical bungalow.

The next morning we got an early start to the Osa Peninsula. After a pit stop in the main town on the peninsula, Puerto Jimenez, for the keys to our lodging and supplies for the next few days, we began our trek to the very small town of Carate (population: 22). Little did we know, the 22km road from Puerto Jimenez was little more than a one lane, washboard, gravel road full of pot holes. Did I mention we had to drive through creeks as well? Had it been the rainy season, this road would have been un-passable. After some four wheeling and only slightly getting high centered, we made it to our beach house. We definitely found out why only 22 people live in probably one of the most secluded places I have ever been. It was quite an adventure to say the least.

 Some lovely water blocking the road.

Pretty views from the road.

Our house

The amazing private beach.

On the third day of our trip, we woke at the crack of dawn for a guided tour around Corcavado National Park. Our tour guide, Eric, showed us a variety of birds, lizards, monkeys, bugs, feline-like animals, and sloths. Without him, we would not have been able to spot half of the things we saw. We drank fresh coconut water and picked bananas right off of the tree. These bananas were the sweetest I have ever tasted; it was unbelievable. We ended our day by hiking up to a waterfall. Eric found this waterfall when he was a boy growing up in the hills of the Osa Peninsula. It still remains one of his favorite spots.

 Parrot

Gross spider

Toucan

Sloth

Howler monkeys

 

 Water fall

 Our tour guide.

 Squirrel monkeys

Eric using his machete.

The amazing banana.

On our way to and from the Osa Peninsula, we stopped at a little coffee shop in the hills. We drank our fresh Costa Rican coffee and enjoyed the view. Drinking delicious coffee, right in the hills where it is grown is an amazing experience.

View from the coffee shop

Manuel Antonio

If you are ever looking for a nice vacation destination in Costa Rica, I would recommend Manuel Antonio. It is a wonderful little beach town on the pacific coast. The beach is definitely more touristy than others I have visited, but it is well worth the crowds. (It was Spring Break and super busy when I visited.) We stayed at Backpacker Manuel on the main road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio. We had a nice pool and a wonderful view of the ocean from the top of the hill the hostel sat on.

Our nice little hostel.

If I were to do it all over again, I would prefer to stay in the actual town of Manuel Antonio. It would save a lot of bus rides and time walking. 

Not a bad view on our walk to town though.

We spent our first day on the public beach. While it was hard to find an open spot to claim, I still enjoyed the picturesque beach. There was a little street market along the beach. I ended up haggling with and buying a tapestry from a local booth.

 Manuel Antonio public beach

Sunset

The next day we ventured into Manuel Antonio National Park. We were pleasantly surprised with some good hiking, great beaches, and crazy monkeys. Because you have to pay to get into the park, the beaches are cleaner and less populated. It is well worth the entry free for not only these certain perks but also to support the Costa Rican national park system and preservation of the rainforest. Tip: If you are anywhere on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, get off of the beach by late afternoon or you, or your belongings, my get washed to sea with the high tide. (lesson learned)

 Betsy and I ready to concur the park.

 While they look cute, these little guys like to steal whatever they can from the beachgoers.

 First beach in the park.

 An equally nice second beach just a hike away.

 Sometimes I forget that I am actually hiking through a rainforest.

After a long hike uphill, this is not a bad view to be rewarded with.

On our last night in Manuel Antonio, my roommates and I ate at El Avion, a restaurant partially made out of an old cargo plane. It sits on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. We could not have asked for a better view of the the setting sun (I wish I had brought my camera) or better food. The fresh tuna was probably the best meal that I have had in Costa Rica thus far.

I give my weekend in Manuel Antonio two thumbs up. It is a good balance of nice scenery and slightly touristy things to do (and also some really nice hotels). It is a must see in Costa Rica.