When is best to go?
When travelling abroad, one of the most important questions you will ask yourself is when the best time to travel is. Costa Rica’s dry season (from December to April) is a favourite for most travellers, and the time of year when many birds also make their escape to the tropics. The hot climate and summery weather make this the country’s peak time of travel, as it is the perfect retreat from the cold winter raging further up north. However, a personal favourite of Jules Verne is Costa Rica’s green season, from May to November. This is because of the green season’s hot sunny mornings, rejuvenating afternoon showers, lower prices and fewer crowds, which allow one to discover the true Costa Rica experienced by locals. However, whether you choose to travel in the country’s dry season or green season, three things remain the same year-round, and that is that the country is a tropical hot, humid and rainy destination. So, whether you decide to travel in the dry or green season, remember to pack carefully for your stay in this paradise, and bring a raincoat!
Our Favourite Haunts
Costa Rica is home to dragon-like iconic spectacles: volcanoes. On our Jules Verne tours, these mountainous natural wonders stand thousands of feet tall and boast of an impressive fiery but now mostly dormant history.
One of the most beautiful is Irazú Volcano. Known to locals as ‘Colossus,’ due to its staggering height, the volcano stands a proud 3432 metres above ground level and has several craters. The most stunning of these craters we believe is Diego de la Haya, which dips 300 ft below surface levels and boasts of a shimmering mineral-rich lake, which is an astonishing sight from one of the nearby viewing stations. Our other favourite haunt is tucked away at the bottom of one of the country’s other indomitable volcanoes. The hot springs of Ecotermales La Fortuna are a set of quiet beauties hidden underneath Arenal Volcano and are the perfect place for a hot sunset bathe. All around the hot springs the forest is alive, home to tropical wildlife and birds. If there is any place to truly feel at one with nature, it is here.
Why Visit?
The reasons to visit Costa Rica are endless. The rainbow of biodiverse ecosystems that call this small landscape home makes the rest of the world seem bleak in comparison. If scenic National Parks and rainforests alone don’t interest you, then what about the 850 tropical bird species that call this country home, and the age-old fiery volcanoes that lurk around Costa Rica’s hill tops and crater drops? And of course, we can’t forget about Costa Rica’s white sand coastline, home to nestling turtles and an array of sea life. With all this in mind, it’s not a question of why you should visit Costa Rica, its why shouldn’t you?
Tour Highlights
Jules Verne offers two tours to this exotic paradise: the Costa Rica Grand Tour and the Central America’s Garden of Eden Tour. For both tours, Costa Rica’s biodiverse ecosystems are central. Some of our favourite highlights are Costa Rica’s rainforest filled National Parks. In Palo Verde National Park, you can cruise through the park’s calming Bebedero River, which is a bird watcher’s paradise, being a migratory stop to over 60 bird species alone. In Tortuguero, you can observe young nestling turtles on the park’s beach as they gear themselves up to take their first big steps into the great deep blue ocean. The country’s magical botanical garden of CATIE in Turrialba Valley is also a highlight. Within the acres upon acres of plantation space, one might stumble upon wild toucans, or oropendola birds, butterflies and lizards. And far into the vast pacific, dolphins and whales will leave you marvelled on one of our boat tours.
Fictional Coastal Adventures
Costa Rica is a brilliant land of both the known and unknown. Your visit will be just like dipping your proverbial fingertip into all the secrets that the tropical haven holds. One such story that truly complements this incredible land of magic and mystery is Michael Crichton’s 1990 science fiction novel Jurassic Park. This, in my opinion, would be the perfect companion for your adventures to this foreign universe of biodiversity. Set on a fictional island off the coast of Costa Rica, Jurassic Park demonstrates the dangers messing with nature’s ecological pendulum. This not only allows one to truly appreciate the untouched natural beauty of Costa Rica, but also question the unseen wonders and history of such an astonishing and unique country.
