[GUANACASTE] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 25 November 2021

jetBlue (New York - Liberia) - 86,503.40

Taxi (Airport - La Choza de Laurel) - 5,000.00

La Choza de Laurel (1/4 Grilled Chicken w/ Rice + Coke) - 5,600.00

Airbnb (4 Nights) - 123,413.56

Uber (La Choza de Laurel - Manuel Córdoba) - 3,900.00

Uber Eats (McDonald's) - 10,534.00

CRC234,950.96

[LIBERIA] Trekking La Leona in Boxers and Flip Flops

Liberia was not really on the itinerary but considering how challenging it has been to find cheap flights or even just a flight to and from Nicaragua, it seemed to me that the only option left was to fly to Costa Rica and take the bus from there. Finding a $100 flight from New York to Liberia on jetBlue, I didn’t need a lot of convincing to book it given how it usually costs so much more. Landing in Liberia means painting Guanacaste on my Costa Rica map red. Now I’m left with just Alajuela and Heredia to paint the entire country velvet.

[PUNTARENAS] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 22 October 2021

Transportes Jaco (San José - Jacó) - 2,475.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 73,107.62

KFC (Chicken Popcorn w/ Fries + Coke) - 4,400.00

Rapid 24 Hours (Mineral Water) - 2,800.00

CRC82,782.62

[PUNTARENAS] Tell Them Manuel Antonio Sucks

A.K.A “How to Pick a Fight with Your Costa Rican Friends”. I don’t think you will go that far, though. There’s just no hating Manuel Antonio. No, Manuel Antonio is not a campy villain from a Costa Rican telenovela. Manuel Antonio is a national park located in the southern region of Puntarenas, a small tropical jungle along a beach on the country’s Pacific Coast. Ask anyone, may they be local or tourist, which one place you should visit while in Costa Rica and Manuel Antonio will most likely be the definitive answer.

[LIMÓN] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 18 October 2021

Bus MEPE (San José - Puerto Viejo de Talamanca) - 5,995.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 98,286.00

Hot Rocks (Steak + Pizza + Coke + Water) - 15,529.00

Taxi (Downtown - Playa Negra) -  6,000.00

CRC125,810.00

[LIMÓN] Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

There are two prominent national parks in Limón along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast: Cahuita and Manzanillo. You will reach Cahuita first coming from San José, while Manzanillo is farther to the northeast almost at the border of Panamá. I wanted to visit both but alas, after many days of long-distance bus travels and sleep deprivation, my body suddenly demanded that I pay some sleep debt or else. And so I had to give up one national park and decided to go to Manzanillo instead.

[SAN JOSÉ] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 14 October 2021

Avianca (Toronto - San Salvador - San José) - 154,573.80

Airbnb (4 Nights) - 126,625.00

Taxi (Airport - Bambú Rivera) - 14,500.00

CRC295,698.80

[CARTAGO] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 17 October 2021

Bus Metropoli (San José - Irazú Crater) - 2,350.00

Irazú Crater Park (Admission) - 10,710.71

Bus Metropoli (Irazú Crater - Cartago) - 1,305.00

Lumaca (Cartago - San José) - 595.00

CRC14,960.70

Estimate of CRC100 = PhP8.00

TOTAL – PhP1,196.86

[CARTAGO] Mount Foggy Foggy

So, you want to go to Cartago to see Irazú's lovely volcano’s crater? Based on numerous anecdotes from those who have already visited, you are bound to end up with either of these two views: lovely blue water or fog. What I find weird is that I found neither one. Instead, what I saw there was an arid crater, as it should be, with neither water nor fog. It was just a dry crater, pretty much like what you would probably see on the moon or on the face of your dermatologically challenged friend. No water. No fog. Just a huge hole.

[SAN JOSÉ] Just How Pura Is the Vida?

If we are talking about the laidback vibe, then the vida is indeed pura here in San José. I can’t put a finger on it. You just feel it, how chill the city and the people all seem to be. But that doesn’t mean that I love the city. In fact, if I were to rank the capital cities I’ve been to in Central America so far, SJO will rank low, a bit above San Salvador and probably tied with Guatemala and Panamá. So, what’s the deal, then? I see myself residing here. I mean if I were to find a studio at Bambú Rivera where my Airbnb was, then by all means, go. But as a tourist destination? The vibe is very Manila. The city, not the metro.