Atenas Costa Rica in rainy season transforms into a lush green paradise with plenty of fun things to do: waterfalls, natural swimming pools, coffee tours and more. 
Las Minas Waterfalls by Atenas Costa Rica

When rainy season, also called “green season”, comes to Costa Rica, regular afternoon and evening rains transform the dry, brown landscape after the long, hot dry season into green lushness. From the end of May to November, Costa Rica once again looks like the tourist posters with emerald green rainforest and flowing rivers and waterfalls. In Atenas, Costa Rica, butterflies and birds are everywhere enjoying the bountiful blossoms, fruits and seeds that the rain brings. It is a time to enjoy the outdoors in the mornings, and a cup of rich Costa Rican coffee and indoor activities in the afternoons if cooling rains come. Whether you live in Atenas, or are visiting on vacation, or are looking at Atenas real estate to move to Costa Rica, there are plenty of fun things to do this time of year. Here are a few ideas. Fun things to do in Atenas, Costa Rica in rainy season   Las Minas Waterfalls in Desmonte

 Las Minas waterfalls and pools Called “Las Minas del Desmonte” – or “The Mines of Desmonte” – on the Union River (Rio la Union), these beautiful waterfalls and natural swimming pools are a quick 20-minute drive from Atenas by the tiny village of Desmonte. There is actually an old gold mine in an upper area of the river. Once active between 1821 and 1843, the mine is now closed and the entrance gated. To get to these fabulous pools and waterfalls, take Highway 3, otherwise known as the “old road to the beach” or “Aguacate”, to Desmonte. Turn north at the restaurant Chicharronera El Minero; stay left at two other divergences and follow the river to the large bridge where there is parking. Walk up the branch of the river on the right to get to the big pools and waterfalls. I would not go here if it is raining, due to flash flood danger. And, as always in Costa Rica, don’t leave anything valuable in your vehicle. El Toledo Coffee Tour One of the best coffee tours in Costa Rica, right in Atenas on this family owned and operated organic coffee farm. Tours cost $20 per person; children under 9 go for free. Be sure to arrange to have lunch with the family after your tour!


El Toledo coffee tour Atenas Costa Rica[/caption] Finca Huetares This little hotel and recreation area in Atenas is a great place for family time. You can go for the day and enjoy their tennis courts, miniature golf course, hiking trails, horseback riding, and the enormous swimming pool with a fun water slide. Day rates vary based on activities



Finca Huetares in Atenas Costa Rica Prados Cross-fit training camp Get fit and healthy with the latest craze of cross-fit training at Prados, right in the center of Atenas. Group classes and personal training sessions available. Farmer’s Market The Atenas Farmers’ Market is so famous, it has been written about in most travel guides to Costa Rica. Called a “feria” in Spanish, the farmer’s market is held every Friday from 5:30 a.m. through the late afternoon. Here you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, herbs, baked goods, dairy products and meats, organic El Toledo coffee, and Costa Rican souvenirs. You can even get a freshly cooked gallo pinto breakfast or a casado for lunch


Atenas farmer's market[/caption] Community libraries Atenas is lucky enough to have two community libraries, besides the city library, with big selections of used books for adults and children in English, Spanish, German and French. The libraries lend books on an honor basis, and welcome book donations. Additionally, since both are located at local restaurants, you can enjoy a bite to eat while you peruse the reading selections!

• Kay’s Gringo Postres and Café
• La Carreta Restaurant

Friendship Library at La Carreta Restaurant in Atenas Costa Rica[/caption] Zoo Ave The Zoo Ave wild animal park is also the nation’s principal rescue, rehabilitation and release center for wildlife. Although it is not located in Atenas, Zoo Ave is onl y 20 minutes away in La Garita and is a very fun and educational day trip. There is a canopy zip line tour. And your admission fee goes to further their care for Costa Rica’s animals. Zoo Ave in Costa Rica

 Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica is trying to save Americans & Canadians

Essential Costa Rica’s new campaign wants to help save overworked Americans and Canadians from stressful environments and long working hours by drawing them to come visit its natural paradise.
According to its website 59% of Americans feel vacation deprived, and also leave over 500,000,000 vacation days unused. The campaign shows these workers as animals in danger that need to be saved.
Save the American’s website offers traveling ideas and tips to learn when visiting Costa Rica, it displays a map with habitat divisions by region, culture, nature and adventure in case they don’t know where to start and what to visit. These activities and adventures can be done with Horizonte Nature Tours  from visiting national parks to adventure tours all around the country.
Costa Rica is one of the world's most unique tourist destinations. Its natural beauty, pleasant climate, beautiful beaches and easy going people make the country an attractive, must see part of the world.
If you know you are an American or Canadian endangered, what are you waiting for? Act now and book your next vacation, come live paradise in Costa Rica and leave all your troubles at work.
You can watch the campaign’s video here:


By Maria Laura Charles

It's sea turtle season at Matapalo Beach, Costa Rica

We set out down the beach under a leaden sky stuffed with clouds. It was 8:00 at night, close to my bedtime (I know, I'm on Costa Rica "country" time). At first it was hard to see, with the nearly full moon sliding in and out of clouds; but soon our eyes adjusted to the dimness. A light mist began to dust us, and not a soul stirred nearby.

We were on sea turtle patrol.

Five of us were decked out in dark colors to blend with the night. Sea turtles don't like bright lights – and, ergo, light-colored clothes – which distract and possibly dissuade them from coming ashore to lay their eggs. Cell phones on low ring, and backpacks and water bottles in hand, we started along the smooth, dark sand for a 6 km reconnaissance of Matapalo Beach.

The long, tree-lined Matapalo Beach is halfway between Manuel Antonio to the north and Dominical to the south on Costa Rica's Central Pacific Coast. There is nothing here but a small community, unspoiled beach, and the Matapalo Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Project. Run by the non-governmental, not-for-profit Association of Volunteers for Service in Protected Areas in Costa Rica (ASVO), the project protects Matapalo Beach for the three species of endangered sea turtles that come here to lay their eggs.

Being in the tropics, Costa Rica's Caribbean and Pacific Coasts are a major breeding, nesting and hatching ground for five of the world's sea turtle species, all of which are endangered – Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas), Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Pacific Black Turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizi), and Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea).

The Sea Turtle Conservation Project began in Matapalo in the 1990s. In 2005, ASVO took over and used its large volunteer base, in the form of college students from both Costa Rica and abroad, to grow the project.

Every year from June 1 to the beginning of December, several hundred Olive Ridley, Hawksbill and Pacific Black turtles come to Matapalo Beach to nest. The peak arrival time is from August to October. Only female sea turtles return to the beaches where they hatched; male turtles never return to shore.

On patrol, we were watching for any movement or tell-tale tracks across the sand that signal the presence of a sea turtle laying her eggs. We also were watching for the possibility of poachers coming to steal turtle eggs or kill the turtles, though that isn't as frequent at Matapalo as it is on Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast, assured Daniel Segura, head of the Matapalo Sea Turtle Conservation Project. "Here people don't kill turtles for meat. Sometimes people steal eggs, but we have excellent relations with the Coast Guard and the community here," Segura said. Turtle eggs are thought to be an aphrodisiac and are stolen for consumption and sale.

Sea turtles in the world are threatened by poachers, pollution in the water including plastics, fishing lines (causing entanglement and drowning) from shrimp nets and long-line fishing, the loss of habitat due to beach development, and global warming causing the sea water temperature to rise. Last year, volunteers at Matapalo found 20 dead turtles.

Project volunteers patrol 5.4km of Matapalo Beach every night during turtle season; they monitor the turtle hatchery 24 hours a day, and do beach clean-up. When a nest is found, volunteers wait for the sea turtle to return to the ocean, and then recover the eggs carefully in plastic bags to bring them to the hatchery to be safe from predators. Incubation lasts from 45 to 60 days and a nest will have from 80 to 150 eggs. Female turtles lay two to three nests per season.

Around 80 to 100 baby turtles hatch from the average nest. However, only one in 1,000 sea turtles survives to adulthood. On average, turtles live to about 50 or 60 years. According to ASVO data, they have freed tens of thousands of baby turtles over the years. To celebrate the turtle project and baby hatching, an annual Turtle Festival is held on Matapalo Beach in late November with music, food, parades, surfing contests and a small fair.

Volunteering:

Volunteers come from all over the world to help at the Matapalo Beach Turtle Conservation Project. The night I was visiting, there were 46 volunteers in house – from the USA, Canada, England, Spain, New Zealand, Belgium, Colombia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. There is space for 60 volunteers. Help is needed in the turtle nursery, patrolling the beach, beach clean-up, and teaching turtle conservation to schoolchildren and the community. Volunteers stay from one week to six months (or longer). Corporate groups from Costa Rica are welcome for weekend volunteer projects.

Turtle Tours:

There are two tours. One involves an educational talk and turtle release, depending on whether there are births in the nursery. The other is an educational talk and patrol, where visitors walk a sector of the beach with a guide to hopefully see a turtle nesting. Tour groups can be from two to seven persons.

Tour cost is $25 per person; three or more in a group and the price lowers to $20 each. All funds go directly to the turtle project.

What to bring: Wear dark-colored clothes apt for walking the beach at night and comfortable shoes. Bring a water bottle, small flashlight (can only be used on the road to get to the beach and not out on the sand), and camera (no flash allowed). No smoking or perfumes allowed – turtles have a sensitive sense of smell and can be repelled by strong scents.

Where to stay in the area:

Stay 5 minutes away from Matapalo Beach in pristine rainforest at Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Community. The sustainable residential community has vacation rentals and properties for sale. Its 1,300 acres offer private trails in the jungle, rivers, waterfalls with natural pools, comfortable lodging, and spa services.

Portasol is a key supporter of the Matapalo Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Project. Said Portasol owner Guillermo Piedra about the project's tour: "Offering this tour is very important for our guests to inform them about the importance of preserving endangered species and their significance to the environment. The Matapalo Project is aligned with our community work and our mission and vision to work toward a better world."

By Shannon Farley