Exploring Costa Rica: My Adventures in Three Different Cities
Traveling to Costa Rica for the spring and summer marked the start of an unforgettable journey. As I explored, I learned much about the country, its culture, and its people. And I learned a lot about myself. I was fortunate to travel with my partner and pets and share this fantastic experience with them, and now you. I share my knowledge and discuss what I loved and learned while adventuring through three Costa Rican cities: San Jose, Jaco, and Puerto Viejo.
A Little Bit About the Country
Costa Rica is a Central American country sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua. It is split into seven beautiful provinces: San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limon. The country is Spanish-speaking and has a Caribbean side in the Limon province. It’s a popular tourist country due to its amazing views, friendly people, great food, and respect for nature. I quickly understood the hype and fell in love with this amazing country.
City Life in San Jose
I started in San Jose, Costa Rica, the city center of the country. Coming from a big US city, this was a strategic decision to acclimate to the country before exploring its more rural and beach towns. My Airbnb was in a neighborhood just a few blocks from the city’s downtown, making it easy to explore but easy to retire after going on adventures. For additional convenience, I was near a neighborhood store, Maxi Pali, where I frequently stopped for groceries and supplies. Also close by was a busy strip filled with restaurants and shops, just a 15-minute walk away. This is where I had my first casado at a small restaurant chain, Las Delicias. In San Jose, I had plenty of food options, both native and foreign. However, US food chains have a significant presence, but seeing other options like Mexican, Thai, and Japanese food was also comforting. I appreciated the city’s diversity and variety in terms of food and activities.
I explored popular attractions, like the Central Market, the Gold Museum, and the Butterfly Garden. The Central Market is a must-see if you visit San Jose. You would find yourself downtown, experiencing the thick of San Jose’s city culture. The market has a typical farmers’ market or outside flea market set up, but I found their restaurants unique and visited their famous ice cream parlor. Aside from the market, I also explored the Gold and Jade Museums, both located downtown. Although the Jade Museum was my favorite, I appreciated both and learned much about the country’s history from my visits. Saving the best for last, the Butterfly Garden was my most cherished experience in San Jose. Remembering San Jose is Costa Rica’s city, you don’t get as much access to nature and wildlife as you would elsewhere. To my surprise, the Butterfly Garden provided an epic nature experience; it was not just a garden but came with an additional hiking excursion. This trail was far bigger than I expected, with a path crossing through a mountain, bamboo woods, and a river. Although this was my favorite memory of San Jose, I still appreciated the city’s amazing malls, restaurants, parks, museums, and everything else it offered.
While in San Jose, I experienced little culture shock, as I felt the city operated like any other city. Yes, there is a language barrier since I haven’t learned Spanish yet, and I’m a bit scared of their traffic, but other than that, I felt safe. They have sketchy people and areas like any other big city, so a little caution and awareness were necessary as I navigated the city streets.
Beach Bumming in Jaco
Jaco is in the country’s west and about 2–3 hours away from San Jose. I took a private shuttle to the town and got an Airbnb just a block from the beach. I was located in a suburban neighborhood just across the street from a park and around the corner from the main Jaco strip. Although Jaco has more of a tourist feel, the natives still preserve their culture and share it warmly with their guests. Here is where I had one of my favorite casados to date at Isaga Bar and Restaurante, located on a side street just a minute away from the beach. The Jaco strip restaurant scene is competitive, creating more unique spaces and a desire to explore more with food. When it came to aesthetic and good food, I would recommend Green Room Cafe, a bohemian, nature-themed restaurant serving organic and healthy dishes. My last shout-out goes to Aarav, an authentic Indian restaurant that is a rare find in Costa Rica. This rooftop restaurant offered a nice view of the Jaco strip while I ate my naan bread and butter chicken.
Living just up the street from the beach, I spent most of my time there. There, as a tourist, you’ll be propositioned for horse riding, drinks, jewelry, etc., depending on the person, you can barter back and get some good deals. Overall, the beach is known for its aggressive waves, and surfing is popular in the area. With Jaco’s heat and sun, I preferred to go to the beach at night. However, the beach is patrolled, and visitors are often told to get out of the water around 5pm. Besides the beach, Jaco had other incredible attractions. If you visit, you will most likely go to El Miró and Mirador de Jaco.
Mirador de Jaco is where you would take a picture with the iconic Jaco sign and walk down to the rocky beach. The views here are amazing, and it’s a must-see. Another must is El Miro. This hike was unforgettable, but it can be intense, so come prepared. Most visitors will hike up to the ruins, which doubles as an observation deck. It took me about 30 to 45 minutes to get to the ruins, and I was met with this amazing structure that was fun to explore and offered cinematic views of both the beach and woods. After leaving the ruins, I opted to take the other trail, which led me deeper into the woods. For another good hiking location, check out Parque Nacional Carara. Exploring this park allowed me to become fully immersed in the woods and improve my hiking skills. Here is where I spotted an agouti and heard howling monkeys for the first time. I also spotted a few native birds.
I’ll wrap up my Jaco visit by sharing the attraction that impacted me the most, another butterfly garden. This one differed from the one in San Jose; it was less commercial and was on someone’s personal property. The owner took years to get his butterfly garden flourishing and taught us exactly how he did it. I also learned a lot about the different butterfly species and the host plants they need for survival. He expressed the importance of these host plants and trees, and how the butterfly population is decreasing every time we ruin their habitats. Also on his property are a variety of unique trees and plants you can learn about. I was inspired by what he did with his land and how he’s just one individual supporting a variety of butterfly species. He also had this incredible treehouse Airbnb.
Jaco allowed me to connect more with nature and ground myself on new levels. Everything from the freshly squeezed juices to the casados made with love, and the fantastic views made this a heartwarming experience.
Slow Living in Puerto Viejo
Puerto Viejo is a small city located in the Limon Province, on the country’s east coast. Since it’s on the opposite side of Costa Rica, it took about 6 hours by private shuttle to get there from Jaco. Although another popular spot for tourists, I appreciate that this area was not as accommodating, preserving the land’s natural appearance, food, and culture. I also loved that this was the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, and it was comforting to see more black Costa Ricans, as a black traveler. I fit in and was often mistaken as a native until I revealed I couldn’t speak Spanish. However, most are understanding as long as you try to speak their language and try to learn some key words.
This time, my Airbnb was not located in the hub of everything; instead, I lived on the outskirts, away from most, near a tiny home community. In my area, water conservation was necessary as water tanks and well water are popular, and spotty Wi-Fi was a thing; all this took time getting used to. Another adjustment was not having Uber or Uber Eats, like I did in the past two cities. Here, if you need a ride, you need colones to get a tuk-tuk, and if you want food delivered, you will need to WhatsApp someone who operates a personal delivery service. However, what I loved the most about Puerto Viejo was its walkable small town, fun nightlife, and fantastic food.
The town is beautiful, and the neighborhoods are filled with colorful homes. It’s normal to see chickens, cats sleeping on tables, stray dogs roaming around, and if you are in the right places, you’ll spot monkeys and sloths. You’ll also see kids playing ball barefoot and natives riding their scooters and bikes. Overall, everything feels homey, comfortable, and free. But most importantly, everything feels interconnected. The unique thing about the homeowners here is that many sell from their houses. Sodas are extremely popular and have become my new obsession. Sodas are family-owned restaurants that serve traditional Costa Rican food. They are literally some of the cutest restaurants I’ve seen and are generally woman-owned. Here I had my first Caribbean casado served with oxtails at Soda Shekina, and another great culinary experience at Restaurante Lidia’s Place. I also frequented a patty stand, where I would order a chicken patty and a tamarindo drink for only 2,000 colones.
Besides eating, my next favorite thing to do was to go to the beach. I must admit that the beach here is better than Jaco’s, but that’s my opinion. The water is clearer, and you can enjoy a nice swim without harsh waves. You can easily swim with fishes, just throw on some goggles and look for them near the corals. I made regular visits to the beach and acclimated to swimming with the critters, and mastered avoiding the sting rays. I also enjoyed night swims because unlike Jaco, the water wasn’t restricted after 5. On a Friday night it was normal to be at the beach with other families, people getting food and drinks from the shore restaurants, kids and dogs running around playing, and everyone just having a good time.
Similar to the butterfly garden man in Jaco, I met an herb garden woman in Puerto Viejo, Amy. Amy hosted a herb and medical plants class and took us for a tour around her garden. She introduced us to plants we never heard of and taught us valuable information we would use for the rest of our lives. I learned how to treat small illnesses with plants I can easily find anywhere in Costa Rica, I also learned about medicinal teas, tinctures, and even creams. Amy showed me how she sustains herself with the land around her, and ends her class by sharing cacao fruit, and giving a remedy for the mosquito bits you’ve collected throughout the class walkthrough.
In Puerto Viejo I learned to slow down and enjoy what I have. I also learned the importance of community and enjoyed how everyone did their part whether they fed their neighborhood or did everyone’s laundry. Here being fast isn’t necessary and being flashy isn’t a thing, it’s just about being who you are and it’s something I will always cherish about this city. Pura Vida.
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