San Jose - The Costa Rica Capital

Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, is a busy, congested and noisy city.  Most tourists will probably only want to spend a day or two in the Costa Rica capital for that very reason.  The center of San Jose is dominated by hotels, offices, high-rises and shops.  There are some benefits to staying in San Jose, such as easier access to modern conveniences, magnificent surrounding mountain scenery, and cooler weather than in most other parts of the country.  However, if you've come to Costa Rica to see natural wonders, then the Costa Rica capital will not impress you.  I was driving and walking around some of the more popular parts of San Jose just yesterday, however, and did enjoy taking in some of its main sites.  There are a few notable buildings and plazas to be seen, and the Costa Rica capital is a great place for people-watching (30% of the Costa Rican population live in the vicinity San Jose. That's about 1.3 million people).

People and Sights on San Jose's Streets

Avenida 2,  A Main San Jose Thoroughfare

The Plaza de la Cultura is considered San Jose's unofficial focal point.  It's a great place to soak up the colorful atmosphere of the Costa Rica capital.  This is where you'll find the Museo del Oro Precolumbino (the world-class Pre-Columbian Gold Museum) and the famous Teatro Nacional (pictured below).

Teatro Nacional (National Theatre)

Across the street from the Plaza de la Cultura is Parque Central, which is San Jose's main plaza.  Here you will find a fountain, a bronze statue, hardwood sculptures, and a large domed structure where the municipal band plays concerts on Sunday.  On the east side of the park is the Catedral Metropolitana, a Corinthian-columned Metropolitan cathedral with a famous white statue paying homage to Pope John Paul II standing next to it (both pictured below).

Parque Central and Performance Dome

Catedral Metropolitano and White Statue of Pope John Paul II to the left of it

Finally, if you are in the Costa Rica capital of San Jose for a day or two, you'll probably enjoy a quick visit to the Mercado Central (the large central market). Watch out for pickpockets, but have fun exploring the stands and stalls in this fun and lively market area (pictured below).  Now leave the Costa Rica capital and move on to the rest of the country where you'll see the real beauty that is Costa Rica.

Inside the Mercado Central, San Jose, Costa Rica

Tilapia Farming in Costa Rica

You'll find the fish known as Tilapia on many restaurant menus here in Costa Rica.  Tilapia is a mild-tasting freshwater fish, with firm white flesh.  Tilapia farming is becoming a very popular backyard business here in Costa Rica.  My boyfriend's uncle began his Costa Rica Tilapia farm on an acre of land in Guacimo a few years ago.  At last estimates he was making about $2,000 U.S. a month just selling the fish to local commercial outlets and neighbors who would come to his property to catch and cook their own lunch.  You can see pictures of our visit to this Costa Rica Tilapia farm below.

Standing in Front of the Tilapia Pools

Our Freshly "Caught" Tilapia Lunch

My Boyfriend's Aunt Frying Tilapia for Us

Tilapia are high in protein and low in saturated fat.  You don't need to find a fancy Tilapia recipe to enjoy this tasty fish.  The day we visited the Costa Rica Tilapia farm, we ate some that had only been sprinkled with a little salt and fried in vegetable oil (head and everything!).  But, if you do want to get a little more gourmet, you can find more than one excellent Tilapia recipe at Allrecipes.com where they list the Top 20 best Tilapia Recipes as voted by users.  Tilapia are mild-flavored, so any seasoning you add to a Tilapia recipe will come through quite nicely in the final product.

If you are interesting in trying your hand at starting your own Costa Rica Tilapia Farm you can find aquaponics supplies at Pachamama located in San Jose or Jaco.  Or, you can try it the way my boyfriend's uncle did it, and just create your own rustic farming pools. He uses cement slabs, PVC piping, netting and his water source is the local stream that intersects his property. Tilapia require a steady supply of constantly flowing fresh water.  If the water is not continually flowing, I've been told that the fish will die.  A Costa Rica Tilapia farm will require daily attention, whether that be you as the business owner, or having to hire a helper.  I've also been told that Tilapia need to be fed 3 times a day like clockwork in order to survive and thrive.

Learn How to Start Your Own Tilapia Farm:

Arenal Hot Springs in Hotel Los Lagos

There are various hotels and facilities around the Arenal Volcano that capture the hot springs water which pours from the base of the famous volcano.  The largest of these Arenal hot springs are found at the Tabacon facility.  However, this facility is also the most expensive to visit (around $60 U.S. per person).

We heard about cheaper Arenal hot springs facilities, but when we drove by them they seemed over-crowded, with tons of large tour buses were sitting outside their entrances.  We asked a local person for a suggestion and he told us about the Arenal hot springs at the Los Lagos Hotel, Spa & Resort.  We decided to try the place out and it ended up up being a great decision.  The cost here was $20 U.S.  per person.

The Arenal hot springs at Hotel Los Lagos may not be as majestic as those at Tabacon and elsewhere, but my boyfriend and I thought the site was fantastic.  The hotel Los Lagos offers five different Arenal hot springs pool areas which are surrounded by lush vegetation. The crowds here were not excessive, which was nice. Below are pictures of our visit to the Arenal hot springs at Hotel Los Lagos.

Entrance to Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Regular Pool Area with Wet Bar on the way to the Hot Springs

My boyfriend and I in one of the hot spring pools

Another Arenal Hot Springs Pool

View of Arenal Volcano as seen from the Los Lagos hotel grounds

The Arenal hot springs at Hotel Los Lagos are fed directly from pristine rainforest springs into natural looking hot tubs.  The Arenal hot springs water is said to be full of healthy minerals which chemical, physical and biological benefits, including total relaxation of tense and tired muscles. I can attest to that last part at least!

You do not have to stay at Hotel Los Lagos to use their Arenal hot springs.  But you might consider it, since Hotel Los Lagos offers many other features in addition to the Arenal hot springs, including a restaurant, a spa, horseback riding, a souvenier shop, butterfly/ant/frog/crocodile exhibits, and absolutely amazing views of the Arenal volcano.  Definitely worth a look into if you are thinking about staying in the area.

Arenal Volcano Costa Rica

Our visit to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica couldn't have been more perfect.  Although we are almost in May, rainy season hasn't kicked in yet, and so we had picture perfect views of the cylindrical cone of the Arenal Volcano while experiencing little to no cloud coverage.  Arenal Volcano is Costa Rica's most active volcano.  It frequently experiences explosions of incandescent rocks, ashes and lava flows which can be seen from far away.  The last major eruption was in 1968.  It was an eruption that killed 78 people and which could be felt as far away as Boulder, Colorado!

We did visit Arenal Volcano National Park and walked on some of its trails (see pics below).  There are five separate trails in the park, but the one that would put you the closest to the volcano was closed off on the day that we arrived.  There are many signs throughout the park warning visitors not to trespass.  It was not surprising to see tourists crossing these barriers to get as close to the volcano as possible, despite the possible risks to their lives.  We decided not to take any unnecessary risks, but I dont think we missed much since, in my opinion, the best views of the Arenal Volcano were experienced from other locations around the vicinity of the park, just driving along the main highway in the area (see pics below as well).

Heliconias Hiking Trail in Arenal Volcano National Park

On the Trail

More on the Trail

Arenal Volcano as seen from main highway



Arenal Volcano as seen from another vantage point on the highway

Lake Arenal Costa Rica

As we were heading to the famous Arenal Volcano yesterday, we would have taken the regular route trodden by most visitors from San Jose's capital in Costa Rica which puts you through the town of La Fortuna.  But on the advice of a friend, we took the alternate, and much longer, route that passes through the towns of Cañas and Tilaran instead.  Boy, were we glad we made this deviation!  This route introduced us to the amazingly beautiful Lake Arenal. My boyfriend has lived in Costa Rica all his life, but has not explored much.  So this area was actually new to him as well.  Lake Arenal is a huge, majestic, picture perfect lake.  Circling Lake Arenal on our way to the Arenal Volcano probably took about an hour, but this extra time was well worth it. I was reminded of the lake and mountain scenery that I've witnessed on my visit to the Swiss Alps.  It also reminded me of some of the landscape I saw when I drove around Lochness Lake in Scotland so many years ago.   The splendid Arenal Volcano can be seen looming over Lake Arenal to the east (see pics below).

View of Lake Arenal Costa Rica

Lake Arenal with Arenal Volcano Looming in the Background

The only town along the entire perimeter of the Lake Arenal is Nuevo Arenal.  But you will still find a variety of eateries and lodging along most areas of the lake, including an actual German Bakery (photo below).  You'll also notice a lot of signs trying to sell you lakeview properties.  Several prominent signs were offering a home on a lake lot starting at just $149,000 U.S. dollars.

Due to the windspeeds here, Lake Arenal Costa Rica has become one of the world's top windsurfing spots.  November - January are the best months for windsurfing.  Other recreational pursuits available on Lake Arenal include kayaking, boat tours, wakeboarding behind speedboats, and fishing.

The beauty of the Lake Arenal district included more than just the lake itself.  There were rolling hill pastures with cows grazing, beautiful Swiss-like homes and churches, and a variety of rivers feeding into the lake along the route.


Church and Home Along Lake Arenal

German Bakery in Nuevo Arenal

Cute River Criss-Crossing Into Lake Arenal

My boyfriend and I absolutely fell in love with the Lake Arenal district of Costa Rica yesterday.  We plan on making it a retreat for future romantic get-aways.  It's a true gem in this marvelous country of natural beauty.

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