Tag: Safari

Costa Rica: Top Seven Things To Do

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A couple years ago Aaron and I took a two week road trip around Costa Rica. We started in Liberia and spent time in Monteverde and Arenal before taking a few days to relax at the beaches in Manuel Antonio. From there we headed to Guanacaste and finished our trip in San Jose. Though our road trip route ended up being a bit wonky, we loved every minute of it.

Here are our top seven highlights from the trip:

Horseback Riding in Monteverde

One of the many activities offered to tourists in Monteverde was horseback riding through the surrounding hillsides at sunset. We’d never taken a horseback riding tour before, but the price ($35 per person) was right so we decided to go for it. I’ll admit I was a little nervous since I had only ever been on a horse once in my life.

Our hotel in Monteverde, the Rainbow Valley Lodge, arranged a sunset horseback riding tour for us with Equus Farm, which included transportation to and from the hotel.

Once we arrived we were each given a horse and some very basic instructions. Then we were off! Thankfully, my horse knew exactly where to go, allowing me to relax a little and enjoy the ride.

Horseback Riding in Monteverde Costa Rica
Horseback Riding in Monteverde

Though I was nervous in the beginning, this experience turned out to be my favorite part of the entire trip!

La Fortuna Waterfall in Arenal

Aside from some spectacular views of the Arenal Volcano, the highlight of our time in La Fortuna was a day spent at the La Fortuna Waterfall.

La Fortuna Waterfall Arenal Costa Rica
La Fortuna Waterfall

This popular attraction was located not too far from the center of town and had well developed locker room and restroom facilities at the entrance. It also had a series of souvenir shops to commemorate your trip to the falls.

Once we purchased our tickets and changed into our swimming suits, we joined the stream of visitors and descended down the nearly 500 steps to the pool beneath the waterfall. Going down was the easy part!

At the base of the waterfall we gingerly scrambled over the slick rocks at the edge of the pool and slipped into the refreshingly cool water. We stuck to the edge of the pool and admired the sheer force of the waterfall as it cascaded down the 200 foot cliff in front of us.

Also, be sure to check out the area below the falls where a drainage stream provides sandy beaches and a more gentle place to swim!

Zip Lining in Manuel Antonio

Costa Rica is well known as one of the pioneering countries for eco-tourism. As such, many of the available tourist activities involve both adventure and spending time in nature. Zip Lining is a prime example and can be done on many parts of the country.

We chose to zip line with El Santiario in Manuel Antonio. Our tickets included pickup from our hotel, a two hour guided zip line tour, and a traditional Costa Rican lunch afterwards.

We didn’t see many animals while whizzing through the trees, but we had a blast! This tour was perfect for anyone who loves a rush of adrenaline in a gorgeous setting.

Zip Lining in Manuel Antonio
Zip Line Tour in Manuel Antonio
Zip Line Tour Manuel Antonio Costa Rica
Aaron Finishing the Zip Line Course

Sunset at Tamarindo Beach

Who doesn’t love watching a beautiful sunset after spending the day at the beach? Our top pick for sunset viewing in Costa Rica: Tamarindo Beach in Guanacaste on the west coast.

Sunset at Tamarindo Beach Costa Rica
Tamarindo Beach

Also, be sure to catch some waves while you’re there. Tamarindo is quite popular for consistent swells that are ideal for beginner surfers.

Irazu Volcano

On our very last day in Costa Rica, we hired a taxi to drive us from San Jose to the Irazu Volcano. It turned into a full day excursion since we made a couple other stops along the way at an unfinished church in Cartago that kept getting destroyed by earthquakes, the Irazu Volcano National Park, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Angels.

The most unique aspect of our trip to Irazu was the fact that we were able to drive all the way to the top of the volcano. I mean, where else can you do that?

The drive was almost as impressive as the volcano itself. Once we got to the top, there were two observatory platforms that afforded us views into the volcano. The views of the adjacent volcanos and mountain peaks rising above the clouds made me feel like I was standing on top of the world.

Top of the Irazu Volcano Costa Rica
Annie at the Top of the Irazu Volcano

Jungle Walks

Anyone visiting Costa Rica is pretty much obliged to go on at least one jungle walk to experience the country’s abundant rainforests and wildlife. We enjoyed these guided tours so much that we did a few during our two week trip.

Monteverde Cloud Forest & Night Walk

We took two jungle walks in the Monteverde area. One was a private tour of the Curi-Cancha Reserve, where we saw the elusive quetzal, and the second was a guided group night walk at Refugio Vida Silvestre.

Male Quetzal with Insect in Beak Curi-Cancha Reserve Costa Rica
Male Quetzal

The night tour was a trip highlight for me. It felt so adventurous and also kind of insane to be tromping through the jungle in the pitch black. We saw a ton of animals including sloths, tarantulas, scorpions, and leaf cutter ants.

Our biggest tip is to ask the locals which reserve you should visit. They will be able to tell you where the most birds and animals can be seen at the time you are visiting based on current available food sources.

Glow in the dark Scorpion in Monteverde
Scorpion Seen on Night Walk in Monteverde

Arenal Tropical Forest

If you visit Arenal, it is worth taking a guided tour around the volcano. You will get to see enormous chunks of lava from past eruptions as well as many wild animals in the primary rainforest around the volcano’s base.

On our tour we saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, a baby pit viper, toucans, and a plethora of frogs to name a few!

Arenal Volcano Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano

Manuel Antonio

This coastal Costa Rican oasis is known for its beautiful beaches and national park. The best part of a visit here is that you can tour the park to view its wild animals and then spend the afternoon at the pristine beaches within the park.

Make sure you arrive early because entrance into the park is limited and tickets sell out fast! Also, we realized many people skip the rainforest tour and head straight to the beach…

Manuel Antonio Beach Costa Rica
Manuel Antonio Beach

Gold Museum in San Jose

San Jose was a bustling capital city with a hopping downtown area full of shops and restaurants. It had some interesting historical sites as well including the National Theater, the Jade Museum and the Gold Museum.

We felt that two days was sufficient to see most of the tourist track, and our favorite stop was the Gold Museum. The main exhibit walked us through the history of how gold was used by the various groups who inhabited Costa Rica over the years from the Olmec to the Spanish Conquistadors.

What impressed me the most was how intricately the gold was worked by hand. The craftsman and designs were superb!

Gold Museum in San Jose Costa Rica
Gold Museum in San Jose

Happy Travels!

-Annie, Your Friend at Orange Backpack Travel

Botswana: Safari – The Untold Story

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Chobe National Park:

Many people dream of going on safari. The idea of jumping in an open-sided safari vehicle and racing to see as many wild animals as possible is where most safari dreams begin.

As someone who had dreamed of experiencing a safari first hand for as long as I can remember, I was beyond thrilled when the stars finally aligned for us to take a trip to South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.

Herd of Elephants with Baby Elephants in Chobe National Park Botswana
Chobe, Botswana

Safari Wake Up Call:

Most safaris begin long before dawn with a brutally early wake up call at 4:00am. When the alarm sounded, I groaned, rolled my eyes, and thought to myself “I can’t believe I paid for this type of vacation!”

Bleary-eyed with our camera slung over my shoulder, my husband and I made our way down to breakfast in the hotel lobby. It turned out that breakfast meant a cup of tea and a to-go box of breakfast treats that we could eat on the drive to the park.

Hippo Wallowing in Mud Chobe National Park Botswana
Hippo Wallowing in the Mud

Traveling to Chobe National Park:

Temperatures in the early morning out in the African bush lean toward the cool side. The air felt even cooler as the wind whipped against my skin while the open-sided safari vehicle raced toward the park entrance. All thoughts of eating my boxed breakfast disappeared as I threw on every layer I had thought to bring and huddled against the cold.

Fortunately, the adrenaline rush fueled by a promising day of wildlife photography was more than enough to remind me why I signed up for a safari vacation.

Entrance Sign at Chobe National Park Kasane Botswana
Entrance of Chobe National Park

The Impala Lesson:

On our very first early morning safari drive, our first animal sighting was a small herd of impalas. We expressed our excitement with a series of “Ooohs, ahhhs, and Look at that!” and asked our driver to pull over so we could take photos.

He obliged, but he didn’t bother to hide his exasperation. He told us he would stop this one time specifically for impalas but that was it. He said they were so common that we would likely see hundreds more before the day was over.

We all happily snapped away, thrilled at photographing such a magnificent creature so close to the road.

Male Impala on Grassland in Chobe National Park
Male Impala

The further we drove into the park, the more we realized our guide was right. Impalas were everywhere!!! It dawned on us that our excitement over seeing our first impala was akin to being ecstatic over seeing a cow on the side of the road in the Midwest!

Breakfast on Safari:

When we finally did stop for-breakfast, it was the side-of-the-road quick bite variety. My appetite had long-since vanished with the excitement of the drive, but it was nice to enjoy a hot cup of tea provided by our guide.

Safari Guide Serving a Bush Breakfast in Chobe National Park Botswana
Breakfast in the Bush

I will admit that the boxed breakfast provided by the hotel went untouched at the bottom of the safari vehicle. Oh well. I suppose the lesson here is that sometimes meals get forgotten in the excitement of travel.

Photography on Safari:

Before we left for Southern Africa, I invested in a brand new Nikon DSLR camera with an extra 200mm zoom lens. They were totally worth it. I can’t stress enough how important it was to have that extra zoom.

The reasons for this are twofold: First, the zoom lens allowed me to capture photos of animals at a respectful distance. Second, the zoom lens served as a pair of binoculars, magnifying the wildlife for the best views possible.

Three Young Male Lions Seen on Safari in Chobe National Park
Young Male Lions

Safari Sunset Cruise:

Another option for viewing Africa’s stunning wildlife is by boat on a safari cruise. In Botswana, we were able to take several sunset safari cruises on the Chobe River in Chobe National Park.

In my opinion, a safari cruise is more relaxed than a safari drive. When viewing animals overland the ride can get quite bumpy due to imperfections in the road. The locals called this an “African Massage.” Sailing serenely on a river alleviates those discomforts entirely. Plus, on a boat we had the option to get up and move around for better views.

Even though we saw many of the same animals on the cruise and drive, I appreciated the different perspective of each. For example, on the boat we were able to get much closer to hippos, and we witnessed elephants swimming across the river.

Hippos Photographed on Sunset River Cruise on Chobe River Botswana
Hippos in the Chobe River
Sunset over Chobe River in Botswana
Sunset in Chobe National Park

Safari is Worth It!

Overall, despite the early mornings and sometimes uncomfortable conditions, I wholeheartedly believe that going on a safari is well worth the money and effort! It is unforgettable. If taking a safari is on your bucket list, I say “Go for it!”

-Annie, Your Friend at Orange Backpack Travel

Zimbabwe: A Lesson in the Rules

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Recently, we journeyed to Southern Africa on an adventure to experience the cultures and natural beauty of the African continent. One of our stops was an incredible safari lodge in Zambezi National Park adjacent to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The lodge stood alone, several miles out of town overlooking a flourishing watering hole.

We spent our several days there with our eyes glued to the water, fascinated by the warthogs, kudu, baboons, and elephants who came to quench their thirst.

View of Water Hole from Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zambezi National Park Zimbabwe
Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe proved to be quite a hot and dry country with temperatures easily soaring past 100°F. The heat drove the hotel guests to mimic the animals and wallow in the hotel pool. The pool itself was delightful, a small two-tiered set of pools with a waterfall in between. It was designed to look as natural as possible, stone trimmings and plants flanking the slightly murky water.

On our first evening at the lodge we decided a late night swim under the stars was just the ticket. Unfortunately, we discovered that the pool closed at 4pm each day, preventing our midnight dip. The rebel in me wanted to say, “What are they going to do if we do go in the pool after hours? Kick us out? Nah!”

That rebellious side was forced to simmer down, however, in the face of fatigue from a day of touring the area surrounding Victoria Falls. Instead, we agreed to be rule-abiding hotel guests and visit the pool the following day during its open hours.

Annie and Aaron at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The wait was worth it! The cool waters served as a healing balm on my scorched skin. Watching the wild animals frequent the watering hole as we sipped cold beer and lounged pool-side was the highlight of a fabulous safari lodge experience! Thanks Zimbabwe!

On our last morning, we were enjoying a scrumptious breakfast on the open veranda, when we noticed several concerned hotel staff members peering quizzically into the depths of the pool. The staff piqued our interest even more when they produced a long pole with a substantial wire loop protruding from the end.

We started discussing the possibility of a drowned monkey or the like when Aaron saw a relatively small (5 foot!) crocodile slither across the bottom of the pool. This revelation was made even more shocking by the dawning realization that we had been swimming in that same water not twelve hours before. To make matters even more disturbing, I am absolutely positive that we hadn’t checked the pool for unexpected visitors before we dove in. It turned out that the crocodile crawled into the pool sometime after it had closed the day before. Fortunately, we had not broken the rules and gone for that evening swim. We might have unwittingly disturbed a toothy crocodile!

We were highly entertained for the next hour watching the crocodile extraction. It was quite a process.The crocodile escaped the first time staff managed to drag it to the pool deck and dove back into the waters of temporary freedom after the metal loop broke! The staff finally succeed in removing the reptile from the pool on the second attempt and returned it to the great Zambezi River where it belonged.

This experience taught us two very important points to keep in mind during your travels. One, rules are often set in place for good reasons that may not be apparent to mere tourists. Two, always check the bottom of the pool before jumping in!

-Annie, Your Friend at Orange Backpack Travel