and already “last days”.
Costa Rica is a small country
51,000 square kilometers compared to Germany with 358,000 square kilometers and from the border Panama to Nicaragua it is only something about 600 kilometers. And we no longer make any major detours or excursions. Two more days of cycling and we enter Nicaragua.
We have a plan (our ship leaves Miami for Barcelona on March 8) and that prevents us from taking too many breaks and getting to know the country better. Besides, Costa Rica is probably by far the most expensive country we have ever visited. We certainly haven’t been to Germany for a long time, but I’m sure Germany is nowhere near as expensive.
We just kind of work off Costa Rica
The road we cycle on doesn’t invite us to take a leisurely stroll either, the traffic is heavy and 80% of it is inconsiderate towards us. But of course we also have wonderful times and stages. I don’t know what it’s like to visit Costa Rica as a tourist. Costa Rica is a tropical and hilly country in Central America with rainforests and coastal areas on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The country is fully geared towards tourism and unfortunately this also attracts people who are interested in profit rather than the protection of animals or the environment.
Supposed animal rescue centers are booming
There is a campaign to help protect wild animals. Something that is actually self-evident. But I would like to mention it again, to point it out, because even in my Facebook or Instagram bubble I keep seeing selfies with “wild animals”. There is actually no such thing as a selfie with a wild animal. Wild animals stay away from us humans, unless they are fed or kept in captivity. A new campaign in Costa Rica is helping to protect wildlife by highlighting the do’s and don’ts of animal selfies.
A selfie with a monkey, a hug with a sloth or a ride on a giant sea turtle: what wouldn’t people do for an unforgettable selfie with a wild animal? The campaign in Costa Rica hopes to educate visitors to think twice about such shots, as they can endanger animals in the wild or promote their captivity.
#StopAnimalSelfies
Costa Rica’s campaign is a local response to a global problem. The quest for the perfect photo is negatively impacting animals around the world, and selfies with wildlife shared on social media platforms like Instagram can encourage and normalize behaviors that harm animals. A 2017 report by World Animal Protection found that the number of wildlife selfies posted on Instagram increased by 292% between 2014 and 2017.
But even without these animal selfies, there really is a lot to do in Costa Rica
The main activities include hiking and trekking tours. But you can fly over the roof of the jungle on ziplines, go rafting, walk over suspended bridges, go on sweaty mountain bike tours, go horse riding or glide leisurely over the treetops on the Skytram cable car and then end the day in a chic thermal bath.
There are plenty of providers of fun and adventure sports. High ropes courses, ziplines, Tarzan swings, canyoning (an extreme sport that involves swimming or climbing through gorges) and abseiling guarantee the ultimate adrenaline rush.
Not forgetting the outback quad tours. With a lot of hum hum hum through the beautiful protected landscapes. And of course the 4×4 jeep tours through as much mud as possible. “It’s not just about driving in a convoy-it’s about immersing yourself in Costa Rica’s stunning biodiversity”. That’s almost funny again.
Costa Rica is green
Even we could see that without deviating much from the main routes. And humid. We were often really wet. We see lots of macaws flying over our heads, we hear the incredibly loud howler monkeys, but never see them. Iguanas, coatis, raccoons and armadillos (the latter three unfortunately only dead by the roadside), lots of different hummingbirds, a bat lived in our accommodation and hung comfortably from the ceiling. And of course lots of different ants and mosquitoes, which I only notice because they are constantly biting and nipping us and all the clapping comes too late.
And not infrequently, a beautiful blue butterfly crosses our path and glistens in the light as if it were adorned with gemstones, the blue morpho butterfly. Well, nature. I often romanticize its beauty and romance, but when I look at it from a distance, I do the same.
Not a country I would visit again
I saw so many beautiful bright flowers and it smelled better than any perfume ever could. Yes, I am, I was a little enraptured by this country. And yet it would not be a country I would travel to again.
I missed the little street stalls, the juice stands, the small towns. And even the larger towns are nothing you need to see. I’m not an activity junkie when it comes to guided activities and none of the things on offer, apart from maybe lying on the beach, are possible without booking them.
By the way, entering Costa Rica was incredibly easy. We didn’t even have to take our luggage off our bikes, although everything went through the big scanners with all the other tourists.
Country number 26
And here we were. In country number 26: Costa Rica. We are allowed to stay here for 180 days without a visa. The first day was exciting again, but soon we were annoyed by the noise of the road, the endlessly loud trucks and then the constant rain. We no longer dry out and quickly start to smell very unpleasant again. Sweat and constant wetness are not good companions.
We try to take a side road, but it leads us along such a bad path that a screw breaks from the luggage rack. Not a good idea either. Our equipment is really starting to wear out.
With the black clouds always in sight, we decide to stay in a wooden house for two days. Once again, we hadn’t planned for the rain. The ground was completely soaked and the mud penetrated through the holes in the soles of the click shoes. Our clothes didn’t dry out here either.
Beauty of nature
At least photographically, I defy the rain and concentrate on the diversity and beauty of nature. Nothing new, but always fascinating.
We carry on and mutate into a new species: “stink phibie”. We no longer dry at all and it smells unpleasant. And we can now ride not only on land but also on water surfaces.
Our feet get unwanted food spa bath sessions, just with a slightly different scent. So just in case you fancy something like this, go for it. It’s all free on a bike tour like this and you don’t need to book in advance. We can see the Pacific to our left from time to time. I like it better than the Caribbean. It’s somehow livelier. We don’t go swimming, we’re wet anyway and we don’t spend the night on the beach either.
Instead, we stay with a fellow cyclist. Something has gone wrong in his life. We were supposed to be allowed to pitch the tent here, but there was no room. We’ve had a lot of really difficult accommodation in the past, but this was really tough for me. I only got through it somehow because I knew it would pass. In the end, our host was really nice, somehow.
Anyway, that’s just part of the whole portfolio of experiences.
The next morning we got on a ferry and crossed over to the Nicoya Peninsula. We finally escaped the heavy traffic and started to enjoy our trip again. Stalls with delicious food on the side of the road, comfortably moving cars, the stress was gone. Not only for us.
About having a car in Costa Rica
I noticed that there are relatively many old cars and, again, many scooters and motorcycles.
Cars are expensive. Around 30% import duty is added to the purchase price. If you want to import your own vehicle, this can be 50-80% of the value of the car. And then there are annual registration fees. Spare parts are often difficult to come by and because roads are often in poor condition, not only does a screw break but the vehicles suffer greatly.
Another thing I noticed was that as soon as we crossed the border from Panama into Costa Rica, you didn’t have to show your receipt again at the stores at the exit and they didn’t even rummage through your bags. There is considerably less barbed wire and the police presence is very low. In terms of crime, it feels very safe to travel in this country. Of course, it will be a little different in the tourist strongholds, but we really enjoyed it.
We have two more stages to go before we enter Nicaragua. I’m looking forward to it and also to our first longer stop in Granada. It’s supposed to be a colorful city. I’m looking forward to it.
All in all, we laughed and marveled a lot on this section, but also cursed and sulked a lot and wished that it would just pass.
Costa Rican colón
By the way, Costa Rica has beautiful banknotes. Although the dollar is also used as a means of payment, why should you prefer this boring money to the Costa Rican colón? Incidentally, you can get either dollars or colons from the ATM and you don’t actually need much cash. In most cases, payment by card works perfectly.
Just as a reminder for me, of course we had a wonderful stay with a warmshowers family shortly before we reached Costa Rica and we had some more flat tires. Mostly in Panama. So all in all, Central America was and remains a bit bitchy. It’s a little bit of everything.
