COSTA RICA – “Traveling for Pura Vida”
When I hear the term “ecotourism,” chills run down my spine. I envision hoards of Northface-wrapped families bumbling down paved jungle pathways and posing for pictures in front of caged animals. Corporate-sponsored mountains, fast food picnic areas, animatronic wildlife, air-conditioned cabins, and manmade waterfalls; all at family-friendly prices! As much as tourism may benefit a beauty-rich and economically-poor country, it can destroy the essence of what made the country worth visiting. A slight apprehension haunted me before a recent trip with three friends to one of the first and most popular ecotourist countries in the world. Had the raw beauty and unique experiences that made Costa Rica worth visiting been incorporated, diluted, and packaged for the masses? Upon reflection of our trip, my conclusion is a conflicted “sort of…”
COSTA RICA, INC
Costa Rica has developed the infrastructure to accommodate the entire spectrum of tourist styles. From the pampered fine-dining resort-dweller, to the minimalist back-country granola-eating naturephile; any savvy trip-planner will find plenty of content to craft an itinerary that appeases even the most fickle traveler. I crafted our itinerary to blend those “must see” destinations with a few off the beaten path. Almost every day of the trip included hiking around volcanoes, cloud forests, jungle coastline, and/or waterfalls. Our accommodations varied from modest cabins(complete with black scorpions), to a contemporary-styled boutique hotel. Our temperamental SUV was able to survive over 1,000kms of paved highway and rutted cattle paths (that our GPS considered to be road). My point in describing these aspects of our trip is to give a sense of the diversity of our Costa Rican experience. As varied as our experience in Costa Rica, there were a few notable experiences that helped to remind me why travel is so important to our life education.
Volcan Arenal
THE PATH LESS TRAVELED
During the course of my pre-trip research, I fell in love with pictures of a waterfall located in the heart of the lesser-frequented Tenorio Volcano National Park. At a certain point in Rio Celeste’s (“celestial river”) course, a stream carrying volcanic minerals is introduced and the river changes color from clear to teal before gracefully pouring a surreal dreamlike waterfall; I was obsessed, and I had to see it for myself. The only minor detail was its exact location was not well documented.
Costa Rican roads can be assigned one of three degrees of difficulty: paved, unpaved, and “hope-you-went-for-full-rental-coverage.” Travelers might try to save $10 a day on their rental by declining the GPS; this is not advised, as street signs appear to be outlawed in Costa Rica. With an approximate location programmed into the GPS, my three friends and I set out one morning for Rio Celeste. Our adventure began once we left the smooth 2-lane asphalt for a narrow unpaved road, which quickly deteriorated into a rutted stone-scattered cow path; verified when we became stuck behind a rancher herding his cattle. Despite my attempts at riding the tops of the ruts and avoiding road craters and stones, the bottom of our SUV slammed against the road several times. The violent scraping sound of stone gouging metal is a bit unnerving, especially when one is lost in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country. After a long series of cringes, a few wrong turns, the 12-volt charger for our GPS blowing out, and nearly giving up on finding our celestial destination, we discovered a precariously steep jeep trail leading up a side of a mountain to the grass parking lot of Tenorio Volcano National Park.
Path or Road?
GETTING YOUR FEET WET
A sense of victory fueled us as we strapped on our hiking boots, cameras, and Camelbaks. We hiked over 6kms into the park to enjoy the bubbling natural hot springs, magical color-changing river, and eventually the “coup de grace:” the magnificent waterfall. Even with significantly elevated expectations, it did not disappoint. However, as we arrived at the waterfall, it began to rain; and then rain harder; and then rain harder, until the trails that had brought us there began to disappear under newly formed streams and mini-waterfalls. Hiking through streams, mud, and over slippery rocks with waterlogged clothing and boots made the journey back to the SUV seem endless. Exhaustion had consumed all of us. It was at this point that I realized: this is Costa Rica in all her natural glory.
La Paz Waterfalls
Costa Rica has become a well-established ecotourist Mecca for travelers longing to experience its natural beauty and outdoor adventures. Although the unsigned and unpaved roads may be an attempt to subvert the locust dissent of tourism, the paths become more worn with each passing year. After all, a “beaten path” becomes worn under the feet of those who have been told the destination was worth the journey. However, at a certain point convenience and accessibility begin to erode the discovery and reward found at the end. The celestial river helped remind me that the paths worth taking are sometimes unknown, unforgiving, and unnerving. Just as in life, traveling should not always be convenient and easy. The greatest rewards are found by overcoming adversity, discovering something new, and creating an experience that is uniquely your own. It is when we stray from the all-too-familiar and well-worn path, that we discover a destination really worth visiting: pura vida (“pure life”).
-Don
Rio Celeste