Costa Rica Off The Beaten Path

He asked: Ligia, I want to know things to do in San José that are not a shopping center. I want to meet locals. Mr. Yves was bored in his hotel room in San José. After doing some loops in the lobby, he came to check out the tour desk. I was sitting there with […]

Wait. ecotourism in San Jose? It is not a secret that some people don’t think that San Jose is the prettiest city in Central America. People usually don’t come to Costa Rica thinking to spend much time exploring San Jose. I have to admit that, like many people, I am guilty of bad-mouthing San Jose.

*** Note: Updated July 2018. This post was originally published in March 2016 and has been completely revamped for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Supporting local economies is one of the goals of sustainable travel. However, since 1980 -1990 Costa Rica has been adopting a model of development called rural tourism. Sustainability is a trend—a good trend—that

Is “ecotourism” or “sustainable tourism” just another buzzword??  Does every destination in Costa Rica do ecotourism? In 2017, the World Tourism Board (UNWTO) celebrated the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development”  #IY2017. Also, the international campaign  “Travel, Enjoy and Respect” promoted actions that should be taken by travelers around the globe. The  UNWTO did this

When I (Ligia) was growing up, my family learned the hard way to be more mindful about what we put in our bodies. After my dad’s health problems, organic food became very important for our family. Although, of course, it can be quite challenging to eat EVERYTHING organic. However, Rodrigo and I try to be more mindful about what we eat. We try to

  Pura vida EVERYONE! Well first of all, I NEED to say: I am so happy about my first blog, I can say that this is like buying a new camera for me… (P.S: I love photography). It’s like get a new toy on Christmas. So you can imagine how I excited I feel. From

A few months ago, Poas Volcano started with new eruptions that closed the park for several weeks. Government institutions are monitoring the eruptions of gas, vapor and ashes in the area. For visitors, it is still safe to visit the zone, but there is a reasonable resistance to people going there, especially foreign tourists. Costa

Wait! Is there a place called Berlin in Costa Rica? Yes, there is! Berlin hill is one of the most visited places by locals of San Ramon, Alajuela. Over 11.2km (6.9mi) and 23min are approximately the distance from San Ramon downtown to this hill, it is pretty close! However, people from other areas don’t know

On a sunny Sunday morning, after visiting the Irazu Volcano, we came down the curvy road from the highest volcano in the country that has amazing views of Cartago and San José. We decided to stop and visit the haunting Sanatorio Duran. So many of our college classmates had stories about this place. They would