"Costa Rica Adventura" a Costa Rica Travel Page by genki44

It's easy to understand why many people are retiring in Costa Rica! We met a woman on the plane who was going there to spend a week in her 'second home' where she plans to retire. Prices of decent homes begin at around $50,000 with financing available for new homes if you become a resident. I'm already considering it!!

With just a week there--- we packed in lots of excursions. We went on a guided day long tour to Rincon De La Vieja and later rented a car and went on solo adventures! Of course a few days were reserved for lounging around the resort on the beach and at the pool bar! From day trips down the coast (via the bumpy rocky roads resulting in a 'car massage' as one local optimistically described it), to visits to national parks and volcanoes we got a good feel for the culture and beauty of this country.

One favorite excursion was our visit to the beautiful, primary dry forest, Santa Rosa National Park, in the Northwest corner of the country near the border of Nicaragua.

Santa Rosa National Park is a haven for ecologists, surfers, and also an important historical site. There is a famous ranch house, "La Casona" which witnessed the nation's greatest heroic deed: the Battle of Santa Rosa of 1956. Climb the hill past the ranch house near the monument for the fallen soldiers, and if you are adventurous climb up a nearby tower which offers terrific views of the surrounding area.

The flora and fauna is incredibly diverse at Santa Rosa. More than 155 species of mammals have been identified, more than half of which are bats. There are also 253 species of birds, 100 of amphibians and reptiles, and over ten thousand types of insects, including some 3,140 species of butterflies and moths. The most conspicuous mammals are the howler monkey and whitefaced capuchin monkey (see photo), armadillo, white tailed deer, white-nosed coati, collared peccary, raccoon and the spiny pocket mouse, which is the most abundant of all. Some of the birds found include the magpie jay, orange-fronted parakeet, elegant trogan, rufous-naped wren, crested caracara, great curassow, common black hawk and long-tailed manakin.

A challenging dirt road, which departs from the main area near the camp grounds, arrives at the beautiful Nancite and Naranjo beaches, both of which are major nesting grounds for the olive ridley, leatherback and pacific green sea turtles. Nancite is where the largest "arribadas" of olive ridley turtles in Tropical America come ashore. While the Naranjo beach is open to the public, Nancite beach requires special permits, particularly during the time the olive-ridley turtles are nesting.