Costa Rica Vacation

Late April in the Northland isn’t exactly a tropical vacation, but it may be the best time to take one. This is Costa Rica’s low travel time due the rainy season - renamed by savvy marketers as the green season - starting the

last week or so of April and running through November. Though brief afternoon showers may send one scrambling for intermittent shelter, the

great deals and beach elbowroom make it worthwhile.

Lush Manuel Antonio (home to the national park of the same name) rises up to every seaside fantasy one has while forcing a shopping cart through Duluth slush. Rows of surfboards are planted along the white sand beach next to lounge chairs shaded by thatched umbrellas.

The local fruit swears you off canned pineapple forever and gentle Ticos (Costa Rican residents) easily forgive one’s bad Spanish with wide smiles. Street vendors are not the ravenous Cancun-type that exudes fear in polite Midwesterners. Perhaps because the majority of the country’s population falls into the middle class, they are generally relaxed when it comes to marketing their necklaces, pottery and woven hammocks.

But Manuel Antonio doesn’t have to be all lying around getting massages ($40 for 60 minutes). Adventure-seekers will be kept busy crossing under the rainforest canopy on zip lines or enjoying the warm water kayaking and snorkeling. The region is renown for its bird watching and organized tours can ensure you see plenty of the 270 area species including parakeets, parrots and the 15 types of humming birds. These activities range from $30 to $100 depending on the length of tour and vendor.

Of course, the centerpiece of the region is the Manuel Antonio National Park itself, which is considered one of the most bio-diverse places on earth. The entrance is just over a small river, an easy walk south of town. Though one may be able to wade across the riverbed at low tide, a chance meeting with a crocodile makes the 50-cent boat ride from a local good trip insurance.

After paying the non-citizen rate of $10 to enter the park, the jungle trails will close a cool canopy above your head. For $39 per person, an official guide will accompany you with high-quality binoculars set on a tripod. The locals, who easily spot hidden wildlife, provide an interesting eco-tour, pointing out the renewable bamboo trees and bringing visitors up hidden trails to the spectacular views of Punta Catedral beach.

Though even without a guide, whiteface monkeys are plentiful and easily seen playing in the trees along with lazy two-toed sloths.

The park beaches are popular for snorkeling as the coral reefs teem with colorful creatures. Swimming, however, is done at your own risk and the area’s infamous riptide should keep everyone close to shore and cautious.

Getting There

The country’s major airport is located in the capital city of San Jose (SJO). Flights during low season can be under $500 – which can save you a few hundred or more off of winter rates. Traveling to Costa Rica requires a valid passport, but no visa.

Once you arrive you will be lined up for immigration processing. At the back of this room is a subtle display for pre-purchasing your departure tax. This $26 fee must be paid in U.S. dollars and is required before check-in for the return flight. Take advantage of this pre-purchase opportunity, which will take you 30 seconds and save you from a long line the day you fly out.

To get to Manuel Antonio, as most everywhere in Costa Rica, one must cross a mountain range. Several small aircraft (www.flysansa.com) will take you the scenic 25-minute flight to Quepos (6 miles from Manuel Antonio) in a Cessna aircraft for about $50 one way. Once there, a local bus can take you

the rest of the way for a nominal fee.

For those opting out of tiny planes, car rental is another popular option ($20 a day) for the three-and-half hour trip. However, given the extreme nature of driving on the mountain passes, it’s not for the faint of heart.

A compromise may be the tourist shuttle, Interbus (www.interbusonline.com) which will take you door to door in nine-passenger vans for $39 one way.

Accommodations:

When looking for a place to stay, keep in mind the area’s aggressive ocean waters; families with children will get good use out of hotel pool. Many of the establishments offer breakfast as part of lodging and other meals may be added on.

Quepos, the next town from Manuel Antonio, has many reasonably priced hotels and cottages (approximately $55 - $75 a night) and is a quick trip on a local bus to the national park. For a comfortable place in town, expect to pay U.S. style prices of $130 on up, and with a little shopping

around you may treat yourself to a water view this spring — sans ice.

Tags: ln travel, livingnorth