Costa Rica

Costa Rica, the land of rice and beans, capuchin monkeys and where everyone says pura vida.

We fell in love with the Tico way of life after travelling and house sitting in Costa Rica. From the misty volcanoes of Poas and the deep jungle of Manuel Antonio, to the beach vibes of Puerto Viejo and the thousands of turtles nesting on Ostional, Costa Rica is a land of natural wonder.

 

Why Quepos is the Ideal Place to House Sit for Travellers

We had an inkling that Quepos would be an ideal house sitting location for travellers, and it turns out we were right.

During our first house sit in Costa Rica, we were living well for less up in a small mountain town called Pursical. The house sit was completely incredible, however we weren’t able to explore much of Costa Rica and instead contentedly wiled away our time ambling around the local farmer’s market, drinking coffee on the porch and watching Mad Men.

6 mins read

Vanilla Beans, True Cinnamon & Cacao Pods: Exploring a Costa Rican Spice Farm

I have quite an affinity with spice. Ginger, turmeric, chilli, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, I love them all. When it comes to food, people often say that I over spice, but I just can’t get enough of the distinct flavours and the delicious heat.

As you can imagine, touring a spice farm here in Costa Rica was right up my street. Villa Vanilla is a sustainable spice farm located in Quepos, Costa Rica. The farm’s main product is vanilla, though they do produce a variety of other herbs and spices, as well as cocoa.

6 mins read

Discover Costa Rica’s Wildlife (the Right Way)

Costa Rica’s wildlife is undeniably incredible. The country has one of the highest densities of biodiversity on the planet, which means that you can see all kinds of monkeys, lizards, parrots and even jaguars if you know where to look. One of the reasons that Costa Rica is so rich in wildlife is because it is home to a variety of different ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests and other worldly mangrove swamps. Costa Rica also has 12 different climatic zones, enabling a whole host of plants and animals to thrive.

6 mins read

The Truth about Costa Rican Eco-Lodges

With the rising popularity of eco-travel, it’s hard not to question what accommodation is truly an environmentally-friendly eco-lodge as opposed to those who label themselves as ‘eco’ because it’s fashionable.

When we were researching our travels in Costa Rica, our web searches were inundated with eco-lodges and eco-retreats. With such a vast number of places to stay labelling themselves as eco, it was difficult not be skeptical. Were they all as genuinely green as they claimed to be, or are some of them greenwashing because eco-travel is on trend?

4 mins read

How Much Does It Cost to Travel Costa Rica on a Budget? [Infographic]

Costa Rica is not a cheap country to travel, although it is possible to travel Costa Rica on a budget.

We’ve kept our travel budget really low here in Costa Rica thanks to house sitting, but during our travel breaks we have to be more conscious about what we’re spending. Our travel budget is near to the rock-bottom expenditure for a night’s accommodation, 3 meals per day, local transport, and minimal costs for activities. This travel budget does not include flights.

3 mins read

Living Well for Less in Costa Rica

We came to Costa Rica by chance. Open to house sitting anywhere in the world, Luke and I were fortunate enough to find a temporary home in the mountains overlooking San José. We don’t have much – a close to empty bank account, a backpack each, and just a couple of ideas between us. After 10 days living in Costa Rica, we’ve realised that we don’t need much more than that. We’re living a good life for much less than you would think.

5 mins read

Is Indefinite Travel in Central America Going to Work For Us?

All we’ve got is a one-way ticket to Costa Rica, a house-sit lined up for the first few months, and a lot of ideas.

It’s our first time travelling indefinitely. By indefinite travel, I mean travel which is open-ended, which continues until something either goes wrong – whether that’s running out of money, being kicked out of a country because of an expired tourist VISA, or running out of ideas – or something comes up, like just deciding we want to go home to our families.

7 mins read