Guatemala - El Salvador - Honduras - Nicaragua - Costa Rica
January 10-29, 2023
Tikal - Guatemala City - Antigua - Lake Atitlan - Chichicastenango - San Salvador - Joya de Ceren - Copan - Tegucigulpa - Leon - Managua - Granada - Liberia - Monteverde - La Fortuna - San Jose
(Skip to Part 1 - Guatemala to Leon, Nicaragua)
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| Ruins of Copan - Honduras |
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| Flags of Countries Visited |
Table of Contents
Itinerary: Granada to Liberia, Costa Rica - Today we will enjoy a hiking tour of Mombacho Volcano and Natural Reserve. Departing at 8:00 AM, we will reach the summit in about an hour. Mombacho is truly one of the most imposing attractions of the country. The Volcano Natural Reserve is covered by exuberant nature, typical of the tropical rainforest and a singular dwarf forest where you will admire the flora and fauna as well as the majestic crater at an altitude of 4,400' above sea level. Then we will enter Costa Rica, ending our day at Liberia, the second largest city in the country, where we will spend the night.
Daily Journal
Weather: 83F and sunny.
I woke up early at 5 am, had a great breakfast and met our tour director at 8 am for a walking tour of Granada.
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| Today's Travel - Granada, Nicaragua to Liberia, Costa Rica |
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| Granada - Hotel Breakfast - "Tipico" |
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| Granada - View from Hotel Balcony |
Granada is considered to be one of the oldest colonial cities in the Western Hemisphere. On the tour, we saw a number of beautiful churches, like the San Francisco Church on the central plaza and the adjoining convent built in 1529. We continued to the beautiful Merced Church where we climbed to the top of the bell tower and took in spectacular views of the city, Lake Nicaragua, and Mombacho volcano.
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| Granada - Street Scene |
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| Granada - Street Scene |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de la Merced |
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| Granada - Iglesia de Xalteva |
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| Granada -Parque Xalteva |
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Granada -Street Near Iglesia de Xalteva
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| Granada -Street Near Iglesia de Xalteva |
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| Granada - La Capilla Maria Auxiliadora |
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| Granada - La Capilla Maria Auxiliadora |
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| Granada - Main Square - Catedral |
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| Granada - Main Square |
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| Granada - Main Square |
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| Granada - Main Square |
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| Granada - Malecon |
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Granada - Malecon
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| Granada - Malecon |
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| Granada - Malecon |
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| Granada - Malecon |
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| Granada - Malecon |
After the tour, we checked out of our hotel and drove to Mombacho Volcano and Nature Reserve for a hike. Mombacho is truly one of the most imposing attractions of the country. The Volcano Natural Reserve is covered by lush vegetation, typical of the tropical rain forest and a singular dwarf forest where we admired the flora and fauna. After a steep bumpy ride up to the top in a pickup truck, we hiked a one-mile trail around the volcano crater. It was too foggy and rainy to see anything but the trail was beautiful. A solo traveler from Switzerland tagged along with us on the hike around the crater. She was the third girl we met in Nicaragua who was traveling alone. They all said it was safe for them to do so. We also met a man from Dallas living in Managua who also said the country was quite safe. That's been my experience here too, particularly in Leon and Granada. But maintaining an awareness of your surroundings is always a good idea where safety is concerned.
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| Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve |
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| Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Rough Ride |
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| Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve |
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| Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Bad Weather |
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve - Crater Walk
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve
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Nicaragua - Mombacho Volcano Preserve
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After the tour, we met our guide and headed to the Costa Rica border. The border crossing went relatively fast after sliding the Nicaraguan border guards several $20 bills.
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| Scenery Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica |
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| Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Crossing |
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| Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Crossing - Migrants Coming to US |
Around 5 pm, we ended our day in Liberia, the second largest city in the country, where we spent the night. After checking into our centrally-located hotel, we ventured down to the central plaza for dinner and people-watching.
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| Liberia, Costa Rica - Hotel |
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Liberia - Immaculate Church of Concepcion de Maria
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| Liberia - Immaculate Church of Concepcion de Maria |
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| Liberia - Immaculate Church of Concepcion de Maria |
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| Liberia - Nice Costa Rican Beer |
It was rather bittersweet leaving Nicaragua. The politics is still a mess and another revolution may be coming. But until this trip, my impressions of Nicaragua had been shaped by Cold War politics and Reagan-era propaganda. The country is still poor like the others we have visited over the past two weeks, but infrastructure and daily life are on the upswing. And the people couldn't be nicer.
Then we went back to the hotel.
Itinerary: Liberia to Monteverde - After breakfast, we will drive to Monteverde Natural Reserve. We will take the Skywalk, a spectacular combination of suspension bridges with easy and well-maintained walking trails built in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and above the tropical forest canopy. Enjoy the natural surroundings and relax. Overnight at Monteverde.
Daily Journal
Weather: 91F and overcast.
I woke up earlier around 5:30 am, showered, packed my suitcase, and went down to breakfast at 6:30 am. Once again, there was no hot water at the hotel but it was at least warm enough to take a shower.
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| Today's Travel - Liberia to Monteverde, Costa Rica |
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| Liberia - Hotel Breakfast |
Around 8:30 am, we met our tour director and departed Liberia for Monteverde 70 miles south. Around 10:30 am, after driving up a steep, snaking mountain road, we arrived at Monteverde Nature Reserve where we went on a two-hour nature hike on the Skywalk with our guide Daniel. The Skywalk is a spectacular combination of suspension bridges and easy, well-maintained walking trails built above the canopy of the cloud forest.
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| Monteverde, Costa Rica - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Suspension Bridge |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Zipliners |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Our Guide |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Scorpion |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Rain Forest |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Spider Den |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Tarantula is Home |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure |
Around 1:30 pm, we rode the Skytram up the mountain for panoramic views of the cloud forest below. It was windy, drizzling and rather cold, so we stayed on top of the mountain just long enough to get a few pictures and then came back down.
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| Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Tram to Zipline |
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Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - Tram to Zipline
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Monteverde - Skywalk Adventure - No Real Sloths This Time
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After the Skytrain, we had a late lunch, coffee and dessert at Taty's Bakery in downtown Monteverde. Then we checked into our hotel before wandering the town over the balance of the afternoon.
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| Monteverde - Lunch |
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| Monteverde - Hotel |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
By 6 pm, it started raining so we headed back to our hotel. Then it started coming down heavily with thunder and lightning so we stayed in the rest of the night.
Itinerary: Monteverde to La Fortuna - We will drive to the town of La Fortuna in northern Costa Rica, near Arenal Volcano National Park. We will take an informative, beautiful walk, where we will learn about the behemoth Arenal Volcano, the secondary and primary tropical forest surrounding it, and the interesting wildlife of the area. Once we finish the walk, we’ll head to a viewpoint to see more of this famous volcano. We will also visit La Fortuna waterfall before returning to town. Late afternoon, we will relax at the hot springs. Overnight at La Fortuna.
Daily Journal
Weather: 91F and overcast. On-and-off rain.
I woke up at 6 am, had breakfast at 7 am, walked downtown Monteverde taking photos, met our tour director at 8:30 am, and drove 3 hours northeast through the mountains to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park.
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| Today's Travel - Monteverde to La Fortuna, Costa Rica |
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| Monteverde - Breakfast |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
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| Monteverde - Street Scene |
The road up to La Fortuna was slow going. The road was littered with potholes and very windy. At 10 am, we stopped for coffee along the way at Cafe Y Macadamia and enjoyed the stunning views of Lake Arenal.
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| Road to La Fortuna - Lake Arenal |
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| Road to La Fortuna - Lake Arenal |
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| Road to La Fortuna - Lake Arenal |
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| Road to La Fortuna - Lake Arenal |
Around 11 am, we arrived at Arenal Volcano National Park and took a brisk walk through the virgin forest. The top of the volcano was partially obscured by clouds so we really didn't get to see the top of the volcano. But the hike through the forest and halfway up the volcano made our visit worthwhile.
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park - Can't See Volcano from Here |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park - Partial Volcano View |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park |
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| Arenal Volcano National Park - Poisonous Snake |
After the volcano and hike, we drove into La Fortuna and checked into our hotel. After that, we drove to nearby La Fortuna Waterfall. Visiting the waterfall involved walking down 500 steps to the bottom of a deep gorge. At the bottom were two waterfalls and a swimming area. The climb back up was a challenge. Once we got back up to the parking lot, it started to rain hard.
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| La Fortuna, Costa Rica - Waterfall |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall - Long Walk Down & Up |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall - Long Walk Down & Up |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall - Long Walk Down & Up |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall |
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| La Fortuna - Waterfall - Swimming |
We then drove to nearby Paradise Hot Springs spa for a relaxing 1-1/2 hours soaking in the different pools. There were several different pools containing water of varying temperatures.
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| La Fortuna - Hot Springs Spa |
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| La Fortuna - Hot Springs Spa |
After the hot springs, we went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff, change clothes, and walk a short distance into downtown La Fortuna for dinner and shopping. The town had tons of tourist hotels, shopping and restaurants.
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| La Fortuna - Hotel |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
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| La Fortuna - Street Scene |
After dinner, we stopped at a grocery store for water and snacks, then went back to our hotel for a drink at the bar before calling it a night. I was starting to have an acute gout attack so was glad to have my indomethacin with me to stop my knee from swelling up like a volleyball. It was starting to seem like anything that could go wrong physically on this trip was going to happen.
Itinerary: La Fortuna to San Jose - Today, we are on our way to San Jose, Costa Rica. We will admire the beautiful scenery, arriving around noon. In the afternoon, we will take a city tour of San Jose, which immerses you in the rich Costa Rican culture and history by experiencing the beautiful museums and historical sites of San José. It begins with an orientation drive through the beautiful Sabana Park. Next, we visit the historic National Theater. Completed in 1897, the theater is a masterpiece of art and architecture. Afterward, we will visit one of the many unique museums of Costa Rica. We will continue heading to the University of Costa Rica, the Supreme Court, and various sites of interest. A brief stop will be made in a beautiful art craft shopping store allowing you to browse through it before returning to your hotel. Overnight at San Jose.
Daily Journal
Weather: 69F and partly sunny.
I woke up at 2 am to the sound of rain pounding on the metal roof of our hotel. It did this on and off yesterday afternoon and evening and somehow we did not get caught in it. The rain lulled me back to sleep and I eventually got up at 6 am. After breakfast at 7 am, I took a stroll around La Fortuna. I've never seen a town more devoid of charm than this one. Along the way, I saw our tour director having breakfast at the Rain Forest Cafe. After my walk, we met our guide at 8:30 am and drove south 80 miles south from La Fortuna to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. We didn't see much along the way given the dense fog and rain.
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| Today's Travel - La Fortuna to San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Drive La Fortuna to San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Drive La Fortuna to San Jose, Costa Rica |
We arrived in San Jose at 11 am. Since our hotel room was not ready till 2 pm, we went on a 3-1/2 hour walking tour of downtown San Jose.
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| San Jose, Costa Rica - Hotel |
We parked the car in a garage and set out on foot to the center of San Jose.
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Workers Memorial |
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San Jose - Street Scene
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San Jose - Street Scene
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San Jose - Central Market
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| San Jose - Central Market |
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
Our first stop was the very interesting 3-floor Museo De Banco Centro. The first floor chronicled currency and coin minting in Costa Rica. The second floor had modern art and a fine collection of ancient indigenous artifacts from Costa Rica. The third floor contained a rich collection of ancient gold artifacts.
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro |
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro |
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro |
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro - Gold Exhibit |
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro - Gold Exhibit |
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| San Jose - Museo de Banco Centro - Gold Exhibit |
After the museum, we strolled Chinatown and had a quick lunch followed by Mcdonald's ice cream. At McDonald's, I tried to ignore a persistent panhandler. He called me a heartless motherf****r and told me to go back to my country. Nice.
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| San Jose - Chinatown |
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| San Jose - Chinatown |
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| San Jose - Chinatown |
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| San Jose - Chinatown |
After lunch, we went back over to the historic National Theater for a guided tour. Completed in 1897, the theater is a masterpiece of art and architecture.
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater - Guides |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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San Jose - National Theater
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| San Jose - National Theater |
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| San Jose - National Theater |
Following the National Theater, we wandered the bustling pedestrian areas and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral and two churches before strolling through the Central Market.
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Metropolitan Cathedral |
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| San Jose - Metropolitan Cathedral |
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| San Jose - Church of Our Lady of Mercy |
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| San Jose - Church of Our Lady of Mercy |
After the tour, we went back to the hotel to rest before heading out to a nearby Peruvian restaurant for dinner called Machu Picchu. Best meal on the entire tour.
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| San Jose - Dinner at Machu Picchu |
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San Jose - Dinner at Machu Picchu
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After dinner, we took a short stroll before returning to the hotel for the evening.
Itinerary: Irazu Volcano - In the morning, we will take the Pan-American Highway to ascend the large “Iztaru.” The winding road travels through fertile lands cultivated with all kinds of vegetables as we observe a lovely panoramic view. At the top of Irazu Volcano, you can observe the main craters, and on a clear day, both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As we descend to the city of Cartago, we will stop at the Virgin of the Angels Basilica, which according to religious custom, is a pilgrimage site for many believers. Return to San Jose midafternoon for overnight.
Daily Journal
Weather: 73F and partly sunny.
I woke up at 6 am, had a great breakfast at 7 am, met our tour director at 8:30 am and drove southeast one hour to Irazu Volcano National Park. We drove up to the summit of 11,400' Irazu Volcano. It was only 48F at the summit and very windy. Some cars did not have enough clearance to navigate the ruts and potholes and had to turn back. It was too cloudy to see both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But the views were spectacular and worth a visit.
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| Today's Travel - San Jose & Environs |
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| San Jose - Hotel Breakfast |
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| Drive to Outskirts of San Jose |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Windy! |
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| Irazu Volcano National Park - Summit - Terrible Road |
After the volcano, we drove down and back towards San Jose, stopping in the former capital city of Cartago. We visited the beautiful Virgin of the Angels Basilica, a pilgrimage site for the faithful. |
| Cartago, Costa Rica - Street Scene |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica - Holy Water Store |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica - Offerings |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica - Offerings |
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| Cartago - Virgin of the Angels Basilica - Offerings |
We stopped for lunch in Cartago before heading back to San Jose. Around 2:30 pm when we were almost to our hotel in San Jose, a motorcycle cop flagged us over and cited our tour director $225 for his tinted front windows, which apparently is illegal in Costa Rica. By 3:00 pm, we were back at our hotel. After dropping off our backpacks and jackets, we set out on foot to stroll the pedestrian zones, visited the Blue Marlin Bar at the Hotel Del Rey, then walked back.
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San Jose - Street Scene
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| San Jose - Street Scene |
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| San Jose - Hotel del Rey |
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| San Jose - Hotel del Rey - Blue Marlin Bar |
By 6:30 pm, we were back at the hotel packing our bags and preparing for a 4 am transfer to the SJO airport the following day.
Itinerary: Departure Day - Transfer to the airport for your trip home.
Daily Journal
Weather: 63F and sunny in Costa Rica. 15F and overcast in Milwaukee.
I woke up at 3 pm and got picked up at our hotel at 3:45 am. We arrived at the SJO International Airport at 4:15 am, had a quick check-in and were at the gate waiting for our 6:30 am flight to Houston.
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| Today's Travel - San Jose, Costa Rica to Houston & Milwaukee USA |
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| San Jose, Costa Rica International Airport |
Our Boeing 736-800 departed on time at 6:30 am and we arrived in Houston at 10:15 am.
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