I remember the excitement I felt when the plane touched down in San Jose, Costa Rica on a beautiful February morning. My best friend Melissa was going to pick me up and we were going to head out to the beach house in Playa Palo Seco. It was my first time visiting, so I wanted to see as much of the country as possible, not knowing that I would eventually visit several times.
The open air airport was so small that it was easy to see Melissa as she and our friend David met me in baggage claim. I took in deep breaths of air enjoying the mild humidity which was such a contrast to the snowy weather I had just left behind in Cincinnati. I couldn’t wait to explore this magnificent country in Central America and to experience the local food and culture.
We drove through the city of San Jose because we wanted to try to make it to the beach before nightfall with a couple of stops along the way. We took for a few minutes to enjoy the architecture before beginning our three-hour journey.
The drive was absolutely stunning with endless forests and majestic mountains. We drove through coffee fields and tropical plants as our rental car continued its climb heading south east towards the Pacific Coast. Before reaching Palo Seco, we drove through the mountains on 301 where the road began to narrow and hugged the steep cliffs.
Frequently the scenery would disappear as the clouds clung to the surrounding peaks. We were happy to finally reach the small town to pick up a few items before reaching the beach house. The house was not air conditioned so we relied on fans to cool us down at night. We also stopped by the local grocery to pick up some Imperial beer and food for the next couple of weeks.
We stopped short of the bridge so that we could see the local alligators and it became a favorite stop on our annual trips. We lovingly referred to the crossing as Crocodile Bridge which crossed the Pirris River. These bad boys measured over 13 feet long and there were at least a dozen of them basking in the sun as we drove over the bridge. No one dare go riverside and it’s quite obvious why.
Bidding farewell to the reptiles, we headed west towards the beach until reaching a dead end. We could see a large, abandoned water park to our left and made a southern turn here to reach the house. By now, we were traveling on a dirt road, having passed a small restaurant, we could soon see our beloved shack on the left. Across the street we had access to endless beach, so I couldn’t wait to wake up early and catch a few waves.
Our plans were to hang out at the beach for a couple of days before heading back inland and then travel over to the gulf side to Puerto Limon near the Panamanian border. I had been looking forward to exploring this amazing country, and so far, it has been spectacular.
Have you explored the beautiful country of Costa Rica? What were some of your favorite places? I would love to hear from you with any suggestions or questions if you leave a message in the comments section below. Many thanks for reading about my first visit to Costa Rica and wishing you many Happy Travels!
The Costa Rican Countryside
The famous Crocodiles