July Vacation Recap

It’s been awhile! As I alluded to in the previous update, I was headed towards the much-needed July school break here in Costa Rica. Students (and teachers) get 2 weeks off in between semesters, so it functions kind of like our winter break in the States. Fortunately, my parents were already planning a July trip to Costa Rica, and I’d accumulated quite a few days of annual leave as well, so I was able to take advantage of the school break to travel the southern part of the country with them.

Our first stop was a tiny town on the Osa Peninsula called Drake Bay, or Bahía Drake. I’d heard rave reviews for Drake Bay, and knew it was a haven for seeing wildlife, but I didn’t appreciate just how remote it was until we got there. We took the 7 hour drive there in a rental car from San José, only to later learn that boating there is the preferred mode of transport. The final hour of the drive was a 20-mile gravel road that required extensive 4x4 usage, but we made it there (and back) without getting a flat tire or getting stuck. Our primary goal in visiting Drake Bay was SCUBA diving. Drake Bay’s access to the nearby Isla del Caño, which is Costa Rica’s premier diving location, makes it the stopping off point for most divers in Costa Rica. It had been about 6 years since my last dive trip, so it took some time to get re-familiarized, but it was great to dive again with my parents. We swam alongside several sharks while underwater, but also saw whales, dolphins, and turtles while on our way to the dive site. Despite Drake Bay’s remote nature, we had some really great meals in town and I enjoyed running on a great public nature trail. It’s a beautiful area and it was the perfect antithesis to my city life in San José.

From Drake Bay, we drove about 90 minutes to Puerto Jiménez, which is the primary port town on the Osa Peninsula. More importantly, it’s considered the gateway to Corcovado National Park, which boasts over 2 percent of the world’s biodiversity. In Puerto Jiménez, we stayed in a really cool nature-themed Hilton called “Botánika”. This is the first real resort in that region, opening in 2021. As someone who has been staying almost exclusively in hostels and backpacker lodges for the last year, it was a real treat for me to stay at a place like that. During our first full day in Puerto Jiménez, we went to the aforementioned Corcovado National Park. To get there, we had to ride a boat 90-minutes each way in some pretty choppy water before being marooned at a beach. From there, we joined 4 other visitors and a guide (having a guide is mandatory to visit Corcovado) and hiked through the jungle. The highlight of the day probably came just 5 minutes into the hike when we saw a huge Tapir - Corcovado’s signature mammal. Our final day in Puerto Jiménez was mostly spent relishing the resort’s private beach access and its luxe pool; however, we also did a really cool sunset kayak excursion focused on observing bioluminescence in the local bay. 

Seeing Drake Bay and Puerto Jiménez were our main priorities traveling Costa Rica’s Zona Sur, but the distance between San José from the Osa Peninsula is large, and we had a couple extra days, so we decided to spend a pair of nights in the Uvita/Dominical area on the way back north to break up the drive. This area was much more touristy compared to the Osa Peninsula, but we had a great time nonetheless. We had a fun beach hike at Marino Ballena National Park, which is known for having a land mass that resembles a whale’s tail in low tide. We also ate really well. Our first stop was at a microbrewery in a complex resembling a tree house in Dominical. But the culinary highlight in Uvita was an early birthday dinner my parents took me out for. We went to a restaurant that was recently named a top 50 pizzeria in Latin America as well as #1 in Costa Rica. They offered a special “pizza omakase” menu in which unique slices were handcrafted by the chef over 6 separate courses. It was a really unique experience and great to share with my parents. 

Classes resume tomorrow morning, so I’m writing this recap back in my community. Although it’s always bittersweet to return to work after traveling, I feel really fortunate that my parents came to Costa Rica and spent so much time here with me. After a year away from the States, it was really invigorating to see a new part of Costa Rica with them. I’ll be sad to see them go, but I’m ready to get back to work with my students on some exciting projects ahead.