To say we were nervous to visit Costa Rica on our travellers budget is an understatement. We were fast approaching the bottleneck at the end of Central America, also known as the Darien Gap, between Panama and Columbia. Our boat would not set sail for another two months, leaving us with a month in both Costa Rica and Panama, the two most expensive countries in Central America.

It was time to get serious with the planning if we wanted to enjoy our time here. Excitement and adventure, along with eating well and being happy are the criteria at the top of the list. This can be done while still keeping to the intended budget, but it is a constant balancing act.

Our first impression of Costa Rica was that it is clean. This is very different than where we have been for the last few months. We were also happy to learn that the tap water is potable everywhere in the country; a huge deal when you have been filtering (with a MSR HyperFlow Microfilter and then using a SteriPEN ), boiling, treating (with Aquatabs), or buying bottled water for 7 months.

The abundance of wildlife was evident throughout the country. On our first night setting up camp a troop of monkeys casually made its way through the treetops above our heads, heading for a nearby banana tree for dinner. The wildlife changed throughout the country, but was always present.

“You must go to Monte Verde”, says almost any tourist guide to Costa Rica. So we settled on at least going to the area to feel it out. We found a camp spot with great reviews. When we arrived the hosts, Fernando and Vera, could sense an approaching storm. Because of this, they insisted we take a cabin at a discounted rate. Let us think. Yes, please! This quiet place looked out over the mountain valley with the pacific ocean in view. We could not believe we stumbled onto this gem.

 

It turns out there is a free hike right down the road from Monte Verde (which is 20 US pp). The stipulation to this amazing cloud forest hike was the hour walk up a very steep 4×4 road to reach the trail head, then the hour back afterwards. But hey, isn’t the point of a hike to get out and walk anyway?

There are a few tourist hot spots in the country. We did not stay long in these areas because of the cost. An example would be the popular Nicoya Peninsula, in the North West corner of the country. There is an abundance of tourist and “snow bird” activity. Most of the shops, hotels and restaurants are owned by expats. They charge a western rate for all the people here willing to pay it. Restaurants and even groceries were three to four times the cost of other areas we had been. We had a brief stay in Puerto Potrero, thanks to online networking. Friends & strangers alike are always eager to help us out with connecting us to their family and friends in the area (Thanks again – Ron, Jane & Ashley – for the much needed respite).

A decision to skip the southern portion of the peninsula came after a night spent at the ranger station of Lomas Barbudal Ecological Reserve (a free camp). The ranger, Orlando, was very friendly and eager to chat about our motorcycle and our route. What he said was hard to forget. He mentioned the inflated prices, which we already knew. But when he said that we wouldn’t find any Tico’s there (Costa Ricans) it was enough to change our entire plan.

Thanks to some online reading, we found the location of a free hot spring. This was actually a river flowing from the side of Arenal Volcano. As we soaked in the flow of hot water with no other person in sight, we had a good laugh to ourselves. Half a kilometre down the road they are charging $50 US per person for an experience shared with the masses.

We made a decision to skip the Rio Celeste waterfall, and they entry fee associated with it. Instead we would go down river for an afternoon spent swimming and enjoying the sun, less the crowds. This only seemed like a compromise until we reached the river. I think we won this one.

 

We were happy to get out of the intense coastal heat, and into the mountains. Cerro de la Muerte is the highest point of the country, and the temperatures can be down to 6 degrees celsius at night. Perfect for us. But all the free camp options we had found were not possible for our hammock tent. The other accommodations in the area were way overpriced so we had to settle for a single night and moved on.

We found ways to indulge in “luxury items” that would normally be out of the question. The best example is the two nights we spent at Cascata del Bosco. The ambiance and atmosphere was that of a high end nature retreat. The restaurant was steps above the usual for us too. The deal was that we could camp for free if we ate in the restaurant. This gave us the opportunity to eat two delicious, high quality meals in a romantic setting, while keeping to the daily limits.

 

It took some time to sort out our adult beverages, but we did. Don Simon boxed red wine, you can’t find it everywhere, but it’s half price to all the rest. The box states “The best selling Spanish wine in the world.” Perfect, we are not alone in our pursuit of affordable alcohol. Along with this we found a beer from Portugal – Cezka – which is less than half the cost of the local beer, figure that one out.

 

Camping on the beach was free in many places, which was great during our routes along the coast. My favourite beach camp experience was the time we stayed at Playa Rajada. It was so hot when we arrived the first order of business was going for a swim in the picturesque bay. Somehow getting into my shorts I stepped on two sharp thorns, one in each foot. Then I seared some skin off my feet running across the hot sand into the water. All good though, no pain no gain. As I stood waist deep, waiting for Kira, I started to feel some sharp pains on my right foot. Hmm, maybe those thorns were a little poisonous? Weird though it’s only in my one foot. Oh wait, there is some pain happening in the other now. So with my theory sound and proven I stood there waiting. By the time Kira reached the water my legs were feeling prickly up to the knees. It didn’t take long for the jellyfish to find Kira and sting her. She is a little smarter than I and ran out of the water faster than she got in.

 

Thanks to the fact we were diligent with watching our spending, it gave us the opportunity to end our month here with six nights in a cozy cabin. This place was nestled into the jungle just outside the town of Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast. It had been four months since the last time we had a place to ourselves with no one around. The boost in morale is hard to explain. When you live a motorcycle travellers life you can find joy in all the small things. So as we played house for the week. Nothing was taken for granted.

The Jaguar Rescue Centre was our one and only paid outing. This private organization is funded solely by the visitors and donations, and ran by volunteers. They have a wide variety of rescue animals that were either injured, confiscated, or abandoned. The main goal for them is to rehabilitate these animals and reintroduce them into the wild. It was a pleasure to learn so much and know our money was going to help a good cause.

With a little effort, we were able to stick to our budget while still experiencing what Costa Rica has to offer. Here is a look at what our final numbers were (all in Canadian Dollars) after spending 33 days in Costa Rica.

*Note: $50 CAD = aprox $40 US