My Eco Tourism Trip to Costa Rica

There are lots of aspects of ecotourism. Traveling to places that are not overwhelmed with tourists is one aspect. Some places are overly developed and so many tourists can strain the environment. Negative results of overtourism include pollution, littering, damage to the sites, strains on the local people due to rising costs of living, and housing shortages. Some U.S. National Parks, such as Yosemite and Zion National Park have too many visitors and the government is looking to limit the number of tourists allowed in the park at any one time. Places such as Iceland, Machu Pichu, and the Galapagos Islands, while generally sustainable places, are also becoming too popular for their own good. If you want to visit these places, it is best to go in the off-season, stay in locally owned hotels rather than hotel chains or Airbnbs, and consult with sustainable tour guides.

Costa Rica is a country that is dedicated to the environment and sustainable tourism. It’s a small country with a lot of biodiversity and many different climates. Over 25% of the land is set aside as National Parks, reserves, or protected areas. Costa Rica practices “pura vida”, translated to English as pure life or simple life. 

There are a lot of adventure things to do in Costa Rica - like white water rafting, ziplining through the forest, and walking on hanging bridges in the cloud forest. You can also see wildlife and plants that are unique to the country. Many celebrities go to Costa Rica and I assume they stay in luxury all-inclusive resorts or own property. You can concentrate on Costa Rican culture, relax at the beaches, devote yourself to wellness activities, or any number of focuses to your trip. I wanted to see wildlife, practice ecotourism, relax, and learn a little bit about the culture.

I generally don’t like to book tours when I go on vacation. I don’t like to have to adhere to a schedule, I think most tours are kind of lame, and I want to explore on my own timetable. I did schedule quite a few tours during this vacation, though. Many things I read before traveling said that having a guide take you through the park is invaluable because you just won’t see the animals, or know about the plants you are looking at without one. I have to say that is very true. All the tours I took were very worthwhile. Offering tours provides jobs for local residents, encourages them to learn more about the ecosystem, and allows for touring with minimal impact on the environment. So even if you don’t like tours, bite the bullet and schedule at least a few if you visit Costa Rica. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

I'm not trying to advertise for anyone, but I am telling about my experiences in Costa Rica - most of which were absolutely fantastic.

The hotel I stayed in near Monteverde National Park was called Valle Escondido. It’s a permaculture farm that has lodging and educational opportunities. You can read about my stay at this hotel on the Valle Escondido page. I also have a page about the guided day tour and night tour with Dennis, a sugar cane/chocolate/ coffee tour, and some solo adventures I had in the area.

I spent several days in a delightful cabina by the shore in Puerto Jimenez at a hotel called Corcovado Beach Lodge on the Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific coast.  I had a bunch of really great adventures in the Puerto Jimenez area. I have a special page for the tours I went on - a day hike, a night walk, and a cooking class, and the Perica Sloth Garden. There is also a page about the hotel and other places I visited.

My last observation is that there were tons of dogs running around unleashed, which is not done at all in the US. Many of the dogs seemed happy frolicking around with other dogs or by themselves, in both rural areas and in the city. I even saw people bring their leashed dogs to the mall. There were lots of cats running around as well, and I even encountered a horse that seemed lost on the road. Some of these animals seemed well taken care of, others seemed skinny to me, but none of them were aggressive and they just went about their business. Unless you gave them food. They paid attention to you if you gave them food, but not obnoxiously so.