Reforestation & carbon neutrality at Costa Rica eco lodge Playa Nicuesa

Costa Rica is a small country with a big success story in reforestation.
The Central American nation was nearly devastated by deforestation by the early 1980s. Now more than 30 years later, over 52 percent of Costa Rica’s land is covered with forest between national parks, private reserves and wildlife refuges.

Costa Rica’s progressive reforestation and environmental protection earned the country the accolade of being named the third best Green Country in the World in the 2014 Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI).

In southern Costa Rica on the Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”), eco-friendly Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is doing its part to help reforest Costa Rica. The Costa Rica eco-lodge protects 95% of their 165-acre rainforest property in an undeveloped and natural state. They began a reforestation program in 2010 to slowly remove the cacao trees – from the former cacao plantation where the lodge is built – that were infected by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, or “frosty pod rot”. Instead, they are planting trees native to Costa Rica and the local area.

Planting native trees helps re-establish the biological corridor for animals between the Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfito Wildlife Refuge that border either side of Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.
Nicuesa Lodge guests can take part in the reforestation program by planting a tree when visiting. Guests who plant a tree during their stay at the lodge receive a thank you certificate that includes a photo of the person planting the tree, their name, and the description of the tree planted with the scientific and common names.

So far, approximately 150 trees have been planted by hotel guests and staff: species like Cortez Amarillo (Tabebuia ochracea, Gold Trumpet tree), Roble de Sabana (Tabebuia rosea, Pink Trumpet tree), Cenizaro (Samanea saman, Rain Tree), Espavel (Anacardium excelsum, Wild Cashew tree), and Gallinazo (Schizolobium parahyba, Brazilian Fire tree), among others. Trees are obtained by donations and seeds harvested naturally from the forest.

“Last year, we accepted a donation of 50 Cenizaro starter trees from the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). We also collect seeds from the forest on our property, germinate them and grow seedlings, which we then plant in an area we set aside for reforestation,” explained Natalia Solis, Sustainability Coordinator at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. “This project invites and involves our guests to be part of a change that helps our environment and also helps offset the carbon emissions generated during their journey and visit to the lodge.”

Besides planting trees when you stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, you can reduce the ecological impact on the planet generated by your trip by purchasing carbon credits that will be used to reforest land elsewhere in Costa Rica. The program supported by Nicuesa Lodge is with the Costa Rica National Forest Financing Fund (FONAFIFO).


Stay at a real Costa Rica Eco Lodge

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge opened in April 2003 as one of the first true eco-lodges in Costa Rica. Operating now 12 years, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge holds the highest rating in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). Playa Nicuesa recently received the important Ecological Blue Flag Award for the fifth time for having one of Costa Rica’s cleanest beaches. Additionally, Nicuesa Lodge is working to be certified a Carbon Neutral Business, and the lodge supports the Osa Campaign and the Nature Conservancy that protects the Golfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula region.

Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to visit the unique nature and adventure travel destination.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica celebrates International Surfing Day as world champions

Costa Rica is celebrating International Surfing Day on June 20 big this year. Costa Rica’s surfing “dream team” made national history on June 7 when they were crowned 2015 World Surfing Champions.

Costa Rica’s team won the overall gold medal in the International Surfing Association (ISA) 2015 World Surfing Games held at Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, competing against 26 teams from around the world. The medal, along with the Fernando Aguirre World Team Trophy and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy designated Costa Rica the world champions of surfing.

They are called the “Costa Rican Dream Team”: international surfing star Carlos Muñoz from Esterillos, Latin American champion Anthony Fillingim from Santa Teresa, 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit leader Jason Torres from Jacó, 11-time national women’s champion Lisbeth Vindas from Jacó, and Noe Mar McGonagle from Pavones who is ranked 16th in the world by the ISA, and his sister Leilani McGonagle, now a six-time world medalist.

The team won another gold medal in the ISA Aloha Cup tag team event at the championships. The brother and sister team of Noe Mar and Leilani McGonagle also brought home winning medals: the gold medal for the Men’s Open Division for Noe Mar, and the silver medal in the Women’s Open Division for Leilani – the 6^th world medal for the 15-year-old surfer. Leilani just won the gold medal at the Rip Curl GromSearch International last month in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Although a small country in Central America, Costa Rica is becoming known in the world not only for having great surf on two ocean coastlines but also for producing great surfers. This year Noe Mar McGonagle is so far ranked #12 on the Qualifying Series (QS) of the World Surf League, and Carlos Muñoz is close behind at #16. Leilani McGonagle and surfer Emily Gussoni of Jaco also are competing at the World Surf League level.

One of Costa Rica’s favorite areas for surfing is Santa Teresa Beach on the southern Nicoya Peninsula – home to dream team surfer Anthony Fillingim. Santa Teresa is one of the competition beaches in the Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit. Santa Teresa also was named one of Central America’s top 10 beaches for 2015.



Visit Santa Teresa on a Costa Rica surfing vacation. If you don’t know how to surf, you can easily take surf lessons. Where to stay in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: Beachfront at beautiful Playa Carmen in Santa Teresa, Hotel Tropico Latino offers Costa Rica surf vacations, surf lessons, and also Costa Rica yoga retreats.

Article by Shannon Farley

Plan your dream Costa Rica destination wedding in the Caribbean

Costa Rica's Southern Caribbean Coast has everything could want for a destination wedding and honeymoon.

Imagine your dream wedding exchanging vows with your beloved in a stunning beachside ceremony overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, or under the canopy of a tropical garden with the ocean close by. Picture a romantic honeymoon walking on pristine beaches at sunset, torch-lit tropical gardens and balmy evenings, days full of adventure, personalized service, and Caribbean culture and warmth.


Costa Rica continues to be one of the most popular locations for destination weddings and honeymoons for couples from North America, due to its affordability, warm tropical weather, natural scenic beauty, excellent services, and ease of travel. According to wedding industry statistics, out of the 2 million people in the United States who get married each year,about 25% of those opt for a destination wedding in another country.
“And it is continuing to grow, especially with the current Millennial Generation that has traveled extensively,” commented Larissa Banting of Weddings Costa Rica . “This is a generation looking for unique, authentic experiences. The Costa Rica Caribbean Coast is a perfect location because it is a place where people can go and ‘wow’ their friends and family since it is so unique.”

The southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica features vibrant seaside towns, some of the prettiest beaches in the country, lush jungle, crystal-clear Caribbean Sea and amazing surfing waves. The relaxed lifestyle of beach towns like Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica have a unique blend of native Latino, Afro-Caribbean and Bribri indigenous cultures mixed with a widely-varied international population. Puerto Viejo has a great selection of international restaurants and delicious traditional Caribbean cuisine. The area also is known for excellent yoga studios.

“For me, the Caribbean is my favorite location,” noted Banting. “It’s still off the beaten path. The area is teeming with life with the ocean right there, and the backdrop is the mountains always green with jungle. It offers really authentic experiences and is a very magical spot.”

Banting founded her wedding planning company Weddings Costa Rica in 2003 from her personal experience planning her own wedding in Costa Rica. Weddings Costa Rica has helped more than 600 couples enjoy destination weddings in Costa Rica.

Banting said the best time for weddings and honeymoons in the Caribbean Costa Rica is from September to November during the Caribbean summer season. One of her favorite places to hold destination weddings is at the upscale Hotel Le Caméléon on Playa Cocles, a little south of Puerto Viejo.

“You have this very excellent boutique hotel with all of these unique features in a really unique setting. The lovely thing about Le Caméléon is that it offers all the comforts,” said Banting.


Hotel Le Caméléon is an Enchanting Hotel of Costa Rica presenting luxury beach accommodations in the tropical forest of Puerto Viejo. The hotel’s 23 rooms border the pool surrounded by lush tropical gardens, across the street from Le Caméléon’s beach club, La Sula Sea Lounge. Le Numu Restaurant & Bar serves creative international dishes in a contemporary, chic ambience.


For honeymoons, there is a lot to do and see in the Caribbean, including the Cahuita National Park with its amazing coral reef snorkeling, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Sloth Sanctuary, chocolate tours, zip-lines, whitewater rafting,and great beaches for surfing and swimming. Whether you want a honeymoon of lying in the sun watching parrots and toucans fly overhead and soaking your feet in the warm Caribbean Sea; or hope to try new adventures, Hotel Le Caméléon can arrange the honeymoon of your dreams.

How to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Daily 30-minute flights on Nature Air or Sansa Airlines between San Jose and Limon; then drive less than an hour to Puerto Viejo and Playa Cocles. Driving from San Jose to Puerto Viejo takes approximately 4.5 hours.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

Small hotels in Costa Rica offer unforgettable travel experiences

When I travel I prefer staying in smaller hotels rather than large franchise chains. Small hotels in Costa Rica offer unforgettable travel experiences. They enrich your journey with something different – history, culture, remarkable architecture, outstanding surroundings, new friends or unusual charm.

If you’ve ever stayed at a small boutique or family-run hotel, you understand what I’m talking about. Instead of an impersonal homogenous chain hotel, you get a distinct place where design is intrinsic to the experience, where hotel staff gives personalized service, where details and quality count, and where charm eases you into relaxing even before you’ve checked in.

Small, out-of-the-ordinary hotels are easy to find in Costa Rica, where major international hotel chains have only showed up in force during the past ten years. Before that, hotels were started by families or couples or individuals running their own business in some beautiful location where they lived in the country. Many of the hotels are environmentally responsible, taking care of the planet before it was popular to do so.



One of the attractive aspects of the Costa Rica travel agency Horizontes Nature Tours is that, for the most part, they only work with distinctive, smaller-sized hotels in Costa Rica. The 31-year-old agency is impeccable in making sure the hotels, tours, restaurants and transportation services they use meet their standards for comfort, accessibility, quality, safety, and sustainable practices.

Your Costa Rica vacation will be unique, customized and unforgettable when you travel with Horizontes Nature Tours. The agency offers six day to 12 day vacation itineraries.



See the highlights of Costa Rica at Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and the Osa Peninsula staying at hotels like Casa Corcovado bordering the world-famous Corcovado National Park, luxury hotel The Parador by the Manuel Antonio National Park, and the lovely Bougainvillea Hotel just outside the capital city San Jose.

Go off the beaten path in nature to places like Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Golfo Dulce, El Silencio mountain retreat, and the riverside eco-friendly Pacuare Lodge on the Pacuare River – renowned for whitewater rafting.


Experience Costa Rica’s outstanding national parks when you stay at places like Arenal Manoa Lodge at the Arenal Volcano, Pachira Lodge by the Tortuguero National Park, and Arenas del Mar Resort close to the Manuel Antonio National Park.

Enjoy unique travel programs like yoga and wellness or bird-watching, staying at boutique hotels like Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa Beach, Xandari Resort & Spa in the Central Valley, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge, and Villa Lapas Nature Reserve and Resort by the Carara National Park.



Be adventurous on Costa Rica adventure tours, visiting places like Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula, and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast.

Costa Rica honeymoons couldn’t be more romantic at charming Costa Rica hotels like Finca Rosa Blanca Inn on a coffee plantation above the Central Valley, El Establo Mountain Lodge in the Monteverde cloud forest, Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa in front of the Arenal Volcano, award-winning Hotel Punta Islita on the beach in Guanacaste, and Si Como No Hotel and Spa in Manuel Antonio.



The whole family will have fun at places like Selva Verde Ecolodge along the Sarapiqui River, and Punta Leona Resort and Nature Reserve close to Jacó Beach on the Central Pacific Coast.

Contact Horizontes Nature Tours for your travel in Costa Rica.

Article by Shannon Farley  

 

Best wildlife tour in Costa Rica Central Pacific region

If you love the idea of roaming through a rainforest looking for monkeys, snakes, exotic birds and wild cats, then this Costa Rica nature adventure tour is for you.

On your next Costa Rica vacation, you definitely need to take the Bushmaster Adventures rainforest wildlife tour. This is one of your best bets in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica to see an incredibly diverse array of wildlife.

Private or group guided tours visit the coastal rainforest at Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living, located between Manuel Antonio National Park and the surf town of Dominical. Tours by Bushmaster Adventures also are available from Dominical to the Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce.

Portasol is a residential eco-community that has Costa Rica vacation rentals, set on 1,300 acres of pure rainforest a few miles from the beautiful uncrowded beaches of Playa Linda and Playa Matapalo. The sustainable community’s property spreads up the narrow Portalón River Valley to high ridges of primary rainforest that are protected in Portasol’s private biological reserve. An incredible range of plant and animal species live in the area.

“There is an abundance of biodiversity in Portasol. It is one of the best areas in the whole Central Pacific from Manuel Antonio to Dominical to see wildlife,” said Bushmaster Adventures owner and naturalist guide, Gary Kritzinger. “It’s really old forest and I’ve had great luck at finding lots of different species of animals here.”



You can choose either a day or a night tour that will take you hiking on Portasol’s well-kept trails. On the day hike, Kritzinger said people have good chances to see birds such as hawks, parrots, toucans, tanagers and trogons, along with squirrels, tayras, white-faced and howler monkeys, peccaries, iguanas, coatis, and lots of different kinds of snakes. People can go for a swim in a crystal clear creek halfway through the two to three-hour tour; or Kritzinger said he can extend the tour to visit Portasol’s Cazuela Waterfall area for swimming and more wildlife viewing.


The night tour is particularly fascinating since most people don’t usually see what comes to life at night in a rainforest. Kritzinger said he usually spots assorted snakes, spiders, frogs, toads, salamanders, night hawks, owls, agoutis raccoons, and if very lucky an ocelot or an anteater.



The private guided tours cost $65 per person (both the day and night tours). Kritzinger supplies drinks and snacks, and for night tours: headlamps, flashlights and rubber boots. Bushmaster Adventures has never had any incidents but for those who are timid of snakes and want peace of mind, he has snake-protective chaps that you can wear over your pants for protection. ​Bushmaster Adventures can tailor any tour to suit guests' schedule and interests. Kritzinger is an accomplished nature photographer and is always happy to help people with their photos during his tours.



Bushmaster Adventures was born out of Kritzinger’s love for nature and wildlife. He traded the concrete jungle of Johannesburg, South Africa for the rainforest jungle of Costa Rica two years ago along with his wife, Shayne Mrazek, and their two dogs and two cats. Kritzinger specializes in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians). He and Mrazek kept 18 snakes in South Africa, and both are certified there for venomous snake handling and snake removal from houses and other establishments.

“I fell in love with Costa Rica two years ago while on vacation from my home country of South Africa,” explained Kritzinger. “I chose Costa Rica specifically as it is well known for being one of the best places in the world to find a wide variety of snakes, birds and other animals. As a child, I always wanted to experience the jungle first-hand, and so with my research, Costa Rica ended up being the perfect place.”
The couple own four acres of rainforest with ocean views at the sustainable eco-community of Portasol Living; they plan to build a home there. In late 2013, the couple operated an impromptu rescue project for the red-eyed tree frog at Portasol.


Other Costa Rica nature and adventure tours offered by Bushmaster Adventures include a mangrove kayaking tour, a cave tour, and a boat tour to see dolphins, whales and sea snakes. Bushmaster Adventures also has longer rainforest expeditions between two and four days.

Contact Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community or Bushmaster Adventures to reserve a tour. Stay for a vacation in one of Portasol’s Costa Rica vacation home rentals, or stay forever on your own rainforest property in Costa Rica.

Article by Shannon Farley

Make your stay in Nosara Costa Rica eco-friendly at L’acqua Viva Resort

Eco-friendly travel and sustainable tourism are some of the top buzzwords today in the travel and tourism industry worldwide. “Go Green” is the slogan you hear most often nowadays. Planet-conscientious travelers are more frequently seeking out eco-friendly lodging wherever they travel.

In ecotourism hotspot Costa Rica, L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa is a leading eco-friendly hotel in Nosara Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Bali-style Costa Rica luxury hotel is located between the beautiful white sand beach of Playa Guiones and forested foothills, full of wildlife like frequently visiting howler monkeys.

The Nosara, Costa Rica area was recommended as one of the best places to go by CNN and National Geographic. Playa Guiones at Nosara is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast and is renowned for some of the best surfing in Costa Rica.



L'acqua Viva Resort is owned by a family company that makes sustainability practices part of the hotel’s daily routine.

1. Recyclable materials are taken to the Nosara Recycling Association, a local woman-run community organization.

2. Energy saving programs include modern technology appliances in the kitchen and laundry areas, and special switches in hotel rooms that turn on the electricity only with the electronic room key card.


3. L’acqua Viva Resort places particular attention on its gardens since the hotel borders the Nosara Biological Reserve, which in turn adjoins the community-protected strip of land bordering the beachfront. L’acqua Viva’s gardens have become an integral part of the Playa Guiones biological corridor – which makes for great wildlife viewing right at the hotel. Howler and white-faced monkeys pass through the trees, and other animals like coatis walk in the gardens (posing no risk to guests who leave them alone).


The property on which the hotel was built hosts important native tree species of the northern Pacific region of Costa Rica. Hotel construction has worked around the trees in order to conserve them; more trees have been planted over the years, creating the virtual oasis of green that is a big attraction for hotel guests.
Additionally, the hotel has a fruit and vegetable garden that supplies the restaurant kitchen and the bar with ingredients for meals and drinks. A hotel nursery supplies the gardens and also allows for donations to community organizations.

4. Residual waters and sediments produced from the hotel’s sewage treatment plant irrigate and fertilize the gardens – part of the secret why the gardens stay beautiful all year long.

5. L'acqua Viva Resort maintains the public land around the hotel by cutting back vegetation that hinders visibility along the public road, and that interferes with electrical lines.



6. L’acqua Viva Resort helps sponsor the Green Coasts Conservation Association that is restoring the coastal ecosystem at Playa Guiones by reforesting the beach area with native tree species.

7. Being part of the Playa Guiones community means helping with local programs like the Costa Rica Ecological Blue Flag Award, which Playa Guiones, Playa Nosara and Playa Pelada recently received for continuing to be some of Costa Rica’s cleanest beaches.


8. L'acqua Viva Resort supports the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, the second largest nesting site in the world for Olive Ridley sea turtles, with naturalist guided tours. Turtles nest at Ostional all year round, but from July to December is the time for the mass arrivals of tens of thousands of turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs, called “arribadas” in Spanish. This amazing phenomenon has been called one of the most spectacular nature events that you can witness in the world.

Contact L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa to arrange your Costa Rica beach vacation at beautiful Playa Guiones at Nosara in Costa Rica. L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa is an Enchanting Costa Rica Hotel.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

15 Tips to Prepare Your Home in Costa Rica for Rainy Season

Rainy season in Costa Rica is here, and with it, changes in weather and the environment that can potentially wreak havoc on your home in Costa Rica if you’re not prepared. These 15 simple tips from Atenas, Costa Rica realtors Pure Life Development will help you stay safe, dry and protected this time of year.

1. Clean your roof gutters. Dry season winds have probably blown a lot of leaves, dirt and debris into your roof gutters. If you don’t clean them thoroughly, the first big rain could cause an overflow, leading to roof damage, leaks, or breaking your gutters.
   
2. Clean your ground drainage gutters. Rain in Costa Rica can range from soft steadily falling drizzle to torrential “the-end-of-the-world-is-near” downpours. You want to make sure all run-off is being diverted away from your house and not going to cause flooding.
   
3. Trim those trees hanging over your roof. Wind and the extra weight of water from rain can cause limbs to break, which could damage your roof or parked car.
   
4. Fix your roof leaks. After the first hard rains, you’ll know if you have any roof leaks. Get them fixed as soon as possible so they don’t expand and become an even bigger problem.
   
5. Clean slippery surfaces. The increase of humidity causes mildew to grow. To avoid dangerous slips and falls on your driveway and pathways to your house, wash them regularly with a power washer to take off any green slime. You can also sprinkle lime powder (calcium hydroxide – called “cal” in Costa Rica) to kill off the mildew.
   
6. Paint, varnish and seal. Protect the outdoor surfaces of your home from inclement weather. Use anti-corrosive paint for metal gates and railings; and varnish to seal wood.
   
7. Buy battery back-ups. You will want to connect all of your fragile electronics – flat screen TV, DVD player, computer, iPod or iPad, high-tech cappuccino maker, etc. – to UPS battery back-ups with surge protection, or at the very least a surge protection powerstrip. Lightning storms and electrical outages are as common in Costa Rica as rice and beans. If a lightning storm is happening close to where you live, it’s better to unplug everything for complete protection until the storm passes.
   
8. Remember your pets. Have a safe and dry place for your pets to go during rain storms.
   
9. Watch your pool PH. Extra rain and the acid in rain (Costa Rica is a volcanic country) can throw off your pool’s PH, causing the water to turn green. During rainy season, check your pool’s PH frequently and consult with your pool supplies store for help.
   
10. Fumigate around your house. When the rains bring Costa Rica back to life that includes the millions of insects that seem to hatch overnight. Fumigating around the perimeter of your home (natural or otherwise) will help keep the critters out of your living space. There also are many natural remedies for controlling the leaf cutter ants that like to voraciously destroy your garden this time of year.
    
11. Avoid dengue fever. Make sure not to have any standing water in your garden or around your property (buckets, unused flower pot plates, etc.) to avoid breeding places for mosquitoes, which can carry dengue fever in Costa Rica.
    
12. Turn off irrigation systems. If you have irrigation systems on timers, you can turn them off during rainy season to avoid wasting water.
    
13. Bring in the garden furniture. Outdoor patio furniture and cushions are best brought in under cover to not get ruined by excess moisture.
    
14. Buy rain gear. New door mats help keep your floors clean. Having an umbrella stand by the front door keeps track of your umbrellas so you always have one when you need one. Owning a pair of rubber boots in Costa Rica is a must.
    
15. Use a dehumidifier. A great method of battling humidity is to use a commercial dehumidifier or GoldenRod dehumidifiers in closets. Or if you have air-conditioning, run it an hour a day to remove moisture.

LIVE IN ATENAS, COSTA RICA



In beautiful Atenas, Costa Rica, Pure Life Development of Atenas specializes in Atenas homes for sale, Costa Rica properties for sale and Costa Rica vacation rentals. See this video for an idea of what it would be like to live in Atenas, Costa Rica or to visit on vacation.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

The swimming pool in the ocean at Santa Teresa Costa Rica

I slipped from the rocks into the cool placid water, refreshing even at 7:00 a.m. compared to the heat and humidity beginning to rise from the beach and rainforest. I couldn’t believe how clear and still the water was, especially when big, frothing waves pounded only a dozen or so yards away.

I was swimming in the giant tide pool between Santa Teresa Beach and Hermosa Beach – better known as “Playa Hermosa” – on Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula. The larger-than-Olympic-sized shallow sea water swimming pool is one of the best-kept secrets of the area.



Since Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa – listed by TripAdvisor as Top 10 Beaches in Central America and Top 10 Beaches in Costa Rica for 2015 – are better known for being some of the best surfing beaches in Costa Rica, the tide pool often gets over-looked for great waves. Also, you can only find the tide pool at low tide, when the long, flat beach widens immensely. It is located between Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat and “El Peñón,” or the big rock, where Santa Teresa Beach turns into Playa Hermosa.

The sun-warmed clear water ranges from knee-deep to about chest-deep and is filled with all kinds of interesting sea creatures that get trapped when the tide goes out. You can find sea anemones, sea stars, crabs, mussels, hermit crabs and lots of little brightly colored fish. Rocks and volcanic reef create the structure around the tide pool. Since the water is shallow and it’s right off the beach, this is a perfect swimming and snorkeling site for families with kids.



You will want to wear water shoes, or strap-on beach sandals that can get wet, to be able to walk and stand up on the rocks. Keep in mind when you are snorkeling in Costa Rica that the country is located very near the equator and the tropical sun reflecting off the water will fry your skin faster than a fish over fire. Wear a T-shirt or nylon shirt, a hat, and a generous layer of SPF 30 or 50 waterproof sports sunscreen.



Playa Hermosa by Santa Teresa, Costa Rica The long, curving beach of Playa Hermosa is known to be the most beautiful beach of the Santa Teresa area. Officially called “San Martin,” visitors to the beach commented so often on how beautiful it was that it became known as Playa Hermosa, or “beautiful beach” in Spanish. Playa Hermosa recently was honored once again with the Costa Rica Ecological Blue Flag Award by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being one of the cleanest beaches in the country. Walking down the pristine beaches of Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa, you see no high rises or crowds, only trees, jungle, sand and surf.

Where to stay at Playa Hermosa, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Very near the giant tide pool and also the great surfing breaks of Playa Hermosa is award-winning Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat. The beautiful Bali-style beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa is a wonderful place for a relaxing Costa Rica beach vacation. Pranamar Villas specializes in Costa Rica yoga retreats, and Costa Rica surfing vacations, with daily yoga classes for hotel guests and the public.

You can’t go wrong with these recommendations: Pranamar Villas received TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence, and was named a Top 5 Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Santa Teresa Beach was chosen one of the Top 15 Places to Go in 2015 by Condé Nast Traveler.

Article by Shannon Farley  

 

Protecting Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica on World Oceans Day 2015

Out on the calm, clear, jade green-blue water of the Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”) in southern Costa Rica, it is easy to think this must be one of the most pristine, beautiful places on Earth. And it is. This inner sea is a critical habitat for endangered migrating southern Pacific humpback whales, dolphins and sharks, among other marine life.

Then our boat passes a small patch of floating plastic bottles, chips bags and other random flotsam. Trash. Human trash. And we are reminded that if anything were to ruin this amazing creation, it would be humans.



World Oceans Day on June 8 reminds us to honor and protect the beauty and life of the world’s oceans. The annual event by the United Nations focuses this year on the theme “Healthy oceans, healthy planet” and especially on eradicating plastic pollution.

“The ocean and its wildlife are choking on plastic, and we need to both stop this pollution at the source, and clean it up from the coasts,” states the World Oceans Day information. “The ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. The ocean regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces oxygen, is the home to an incredible array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and so much more! In order to ensure the health and safety of our communities and future generations, it’s imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us.”



On the inside of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, Golfo Dulce is approximately 50 km (31 miles) long and 10-15 km (6 -9 miles) wide with a steeply sloped deep inner basin. It is this depth, bottoming out around 215 m (705 ft.), and low human impact of the remote, sheltered gulf that attracts large marine life.



Endangered Pacific humpback whales from the southern hemisphere migrate here every August to October to breed and give birth. The gulf is vital to the species’ survival, according to the Center for Cetacean Research of Costa Rica (CEIC), which is lobbying with other environmental organizations to create a Marine Protected Area within Golfo Dulce.



Dolphins – Bottlenose Dolphins, Spotted Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, and occasionally-seen False Killer Whales – and also sharks live in these waters. You can find tiger sharks and different species of hammerhead sharks in Golfo Dulce. The area is particularly key for hammerhead sharks, which also come to the gulf to breed and give birth – usually beginning in May. Juvenile sharks then grow for four years in unprotected areas in the Golfo Dulce, according to Andrés López, investigator for the organization Misión Tiburón (Shark Mission) in Costa Rica.

“Every day we are convinced more about the importance of Golfo Dulce for sharks. Today at dawn we marked 13 hammerhead sharks and two tiger sharks,” reported Misión Tiburón on their Facebook page.



Visit Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica

See amazing marine life in the Golfo Dulce when you stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica. Set in the rainforest on a remote beach of the Golfo Dulce, the Costa Rica eco-lodge offers boat tours in Golfo Dulce to see marine life and during whale-watching season. You also frequently can see beautiful bioluminescence in the gulf on clear nights.

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge holds the highest Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) in Costa Rica, and recently received the Ecological Blue Flag Award for the fifth time for keeping one of the cleanest beaches in Costa Rica free of trash and pollution.
Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to visit the unique nature and adventure travel destination.

Article by Shannon Farley  

 

Celebrate World Environment Day 2015 by living & traveling sustainably

Living, working and traveling sustainably have become big topics of conversation it seems everywhere. This week on June 5, the United Nations Environment Program celebrates World Environment Day 2015 (WED) and focuses this year on how we live and how it impacts the planet.

This year’s theme is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care” focusing on the main things people consume and waste: water, food, energy, and all natural resources like forests and animal products.

The theme is a powerful one, because it is an opportunity for everyone to evaluate our consumer habits: how we shop, eat, live and travel. The United Nations urges that every person is responsible in his or her own way to care for the Earth. We can combine “individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet,” states the UN.

“The well-being of humanity, the environment, and the functioning of the economy, ultimately depend upon the responsible management of the planet’s natural resources,” states the UN on the WED website. “By 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the same and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three planets to sustain our way of life.”
“Consuming with care means living within planetary boundaries to ensure a healthy future where our dreams can be realized,” says the UN. “Living sustainably is about doing more and better with less. It is about knowing that rising rates of natural resource use and the environmental impacts that occur are not a necessary by-product of economic growth.”



A travel company that really cares about sustainable tourism and employs sustainable travel practices is Horizontes Nature Tours in Costa Rica. Eco-tourism in Costa Rica is a big deal all over the country, and Horizontes Nature Tours does their best to design low-impact travel programs that positively impact the communities they visit. They promote Costa Rica’s national parks and natural areas and maintain small travel groups to minimize impact in natural areas.


Horizontes Nature Tours has been honored with the highest level of certification in the Sustainable Tourism Program of the Costa Rican Tourism Board. In addition, they participate in the Rainforest Alliance Verified Program and the Blue Flag Ecological Program.
Design your Costa Rica vacation with Horizontes Nature Tours today, and care for our planet with how you travel.
Article by Shannon Farley