Monday, August 30, 2010

Exploring Samara: Surfers & Mangroves

It has been almost 6 years since we have visited the sleepy town of Samara, the last time we were there, the town has very small and had no basic services for its visitors. There were no banks, there was no internet and phone service was limited.

Now it’s a completely different story.

The place has a huge tourism industry; the town now has many hotels and restaurants. We were very surprised to see that the place with so many visitors and we are in the low season!

The beaches were beautiful and perfect for surfing, in the late morning it has a place for the beach bums and many people come to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy playing in the waves. And in the afternoon & early evening it’s a whole new group that comes onto the beach, the tide comes up and the surfers come out to play.

At 5pm the beach is full of surf boards and beyond the breaks there are many sitting waiting for the perfect wave. Many places along the beach offer surfing lessons, board rentals and kayak tours.

How Samara has grown! This sleepy town has been visited for many looking a beach with very little visitors, something you can’t find very much anymore here in Costa Rica has turned into a haven for surfers.

However, there is another part of Samara that has always attracted visitors and is suffering

under the development of the area: the mangroves. For those who are not familiar with mangroves they are a special area where rivers are made up of salt water, a special habitat which many visit by kayak or small boat tours. We recommend that you take the time to take a kayak trip or in Samara they offer horseback riding tours that visit the areas briefly.

But its worth a visit to see the intricate root system the plants in the area have and their ability to withstand the salinity of the water.

Next time you visit the west coast be sure to stop in Samara!

Learning Sustainable Tourism: Workshop with the Fundación Neotropica


Recently, we had the excellent opportunity to visit the Caribbean coast to the small rural community of Cocles, here the Fundación Neotropica gave an interesting presentation on how local companies in Costa Rica can minimize their ecological footprint while running their operations around the country. The workshop was called “Menos huella, mas sostenibilidad” or in English: Less footprints, more sustainability. This workshop is to take place in many of the tourism destingation here in Costa Rica, including: the central valley, La Fortuna, Sarapiqui, Tambor & Manuel Antonio.

It was a very interesting workshop which brought up many of the plights on the companies in rural areas of Costa Rica from recycling programs to how to keep a beach clean. The hotels, restaurants and tour operators have been hard at work trying to create awareness amongst their clients however, many told a story of demanding clients that must have certain commodities in order to be able to visit a beach town. What commodities are clients asking for? Here are some examples: air conditioning, swimming pools & less humidity.

We at Veroliz Vacations have a different experience, since we are in a larger town and our municipality does recycle. What do we ask? As a possible client not only for us but for all the small and large business around Costa Rica, make it aware to the places you visit, restaurants, hotels & tour operators that you appreciate their efforts and if you have any suggestions let them know. Also, should you be in a location where they are not putting forward environmental awareness or helping

in the protection of the flora & fauna of Costa Rica is that a place you want to visit?

Here in Costa Rica we have many NGO’s that are trying to implement the importance of safe environmental practices and workshops that inform businesses of better practices that can be implemented in their operations.

With your help we can create awareness and contribute to the protection of the exact reason thousands come to Costa Rica in the first place, the natural beauty of its flora & fauna.

Should you wish to look for more information visit the web page of Fundación Neotropica www.neotropica.org and see what other projects they have going on in Costa Rica.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Exploring Orosi: Thermal Baths and Nature

Costa Rica is a beautiful country with many volcanoes.
Since being part of the Pacific Fire Ring Circle, the volcanic formations found in Costa Rica can be dated back over 65 million years.
Nowadays only 100 or so show actual volcanic activity, while only five are acutally classified as "active" volcanoes.
The most visited volcano is the Poas located just o
utside of San José, for the best panoramic view we recommend a visit to the Irazú volcano, while the most famous o
f the volcanoes here has to be the Arenal volcano, with the city of La Fortuna exploding with tourism thanks to this natural wonder.
But one of the volcanoes which has been recently making headlines is the Turrialba volcano.
Standing an impressive 3,340m (10,958 ft) above sea level, this magestic volcano has just woken up over the last few years and in January 2010 had a small eruption sending ash over the areas outside of Cartago and San José.
But volcanoes are not all dangerous when active, one of the best parts of an active volcano is the heat and with the Turrialba / Orosi area so rich in rivers, there has to be hot springs!
We decided to take a side trip to the Orosi valley another beautiful destination here in Costa Rica often overlooked due to its location.
The small town of Orosi has been a place where the towns folk grow coffee, sugar cane & have a small niche for tourism.
Only recently is the town receiving more fame for the tourism activities and the outdoor adventure you can find in the area.
There are ATV adventures, rafting, visit to the Tapanti National Park (the road is rough!) located outside the town but worth the visit for the abundance in species of birds.
But another great reason to visit the town other than the delicious food is the natural hot springs.
They are not easy to find and driving directions are necesary, available from locals and local business's but the place is a natural beauty.
There are public pools in Orosi that also have hot spring water, one of the better places is called Los Pati
os on the main road heading out of Orosi.
But we were able to find the natural ones, beside a nice cold flowing river, small pools with amazingly warm water.
Most people find the pools busy on holidays and weekend, as locals do take advantage of the natural pools but is a very relaxing atmosphere and who wouldn't like to be surrounding by nature, relaxing in a hot spring!
We invite you to enjoy the area that few tourists visit, but offers amazing views, great nature and pleasant people.
Looking for somewhere to eat while in Orosi, we recommend Restaurante Coto, the food was delicious, casados are piled with amazing local treats and hit the spot after the hiking the swiming we did that day.
The service is very friendly and the location give a great view of the town and the rolling hills around it!
Want to stay the night in Orosi, we recommend Orosi Lodge, this intimate little lodge offers 6 rooms beautifuly decorated with a small balcony overlooking
the area and the volcanoes with organic coffee in the rooms, another option is the Tetey Lodge located just south of the colonia church, this lodge is offers comfort and the family atmosphere makes you feel at home.
Orosi valley is definately a gem and worth a visit even if just for the day.


Thursday, August 5, 2010

Exploring Turrialba: Proyecto Viborana

When looking for something interesting to do in the area of Turrialba many things come to mind and the majority have to do with the natural resources of the area.

In Turrialba there is the Turrialba volcano, the Irazù volcano, the Pacuare river, the Pejibaye river & the Guayabo National Monument. There are also the countless natural reserves in the area such as Copal & La Marta.

A couple of weeks ago we went to a place that already has a great reputation among the foreign visitors to Turrialba, however none of us have
been there. So we checked it out!
Proyecto Viborana was born from Minor Camacho, who after working for the University of Costa Rica was looking to continue to educate the public about his passion: Reptiles & Amphibians.
Based just outside of Turrialba near the town of Pavones, this simple reptile exhibit offers a wealth of information about reptiles that many of us fear: venemous snakes.

Minor clearly has a passion & understanding for these friends, a general concern for their well being in Costa Rica and the effects global warming has on their polulation. His focus is on education and the prevention of harm to local plantation workers and children.
But the best part is getting the chance to see these snakes and frogs up close & personal.
For my son it was the first time he has actually held a sname (which took some convincing) and the beauty of being able to see such venemous species as the Fer de Lance (bothrops asper)
or the Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schleggi) and one that I have never come close to the Jumping Viper (Atropoides mexicanus). Don't get scared its not all venom!
Minor also has Boa Constrictors (Boa constrictor), Green parrot snake (Leptohis ahaetull) and kids can appreciate the Brown blunt headed vine snake (Imantockes cenchoa).
Let's not forget the collection of frogs that Minor has: Poison dart frogs (Dendrobates pumillio) and the beautiful Red Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas). A beautiful frog if you can get up close to see the bright coloration.

Minors project though low scale, has an educational value beyond words and his message is clear: only through education will we understand the complexe world of the tropics and the reptiles and amphibians which share the little rainforest that is left in the world.