During this last week of our trip, we got the opportunity to visit multiple ecotourism spots in different parts of Costa Rica. We visited Tortuguero, Arenal, Palo Verde, and Monteverde. Palo Verde was another research station so I won’t really be focusing on it in this blog post, and instead will be focusing on the other three.
My entire life I have watched tourism unfold and work its magic on tourists. I live in a small town called Lamar, which borders the tourist hotspot Santa Claus, Indiana. Santa Claus houses a popular amusement park called Holiday World and a campground called Lake Rudolph. I have worked at the Santa Claus Christmas Store for about 4 years now, so I have seen the forefront of tourism. Tourism does a lot for Santa Claus and brings a lot of attention to our area. It allows the locals to express their love for Christmas and run small town businesses during our busy seasons. Tourism however also does have downsides such as dependence on tourism income. During the months of January through May, Santa Claus is a ghost town. This can make it difficult for small businesses to survive and shift to staying open all year. However, this also just applies to Santa Claus because it is seasonal, so it doesn’t necessarily apply to every tourist spot.
Experiencing true ecotourism this past week has been eye opening. From the guides to the scenery, the spots we visited this week were truly one of a kind. Each spot showed a completely different ecosystem present in Costa Rica. Tortuguero opened our eyes to a marine ecosystem in the Tortuguero National Park. Arenal showed us a breathtaking volcano and beautiful views from hanging bridges. Monteverde presented us with stunning views of Costa Rica that I will never forget. Each place offered ecotourism in different ways, each being very unique and interesting to me.
Starting with Tortuguero, it was probably my favorite tourist attraction we visited based on its atmosphere. The boat tour of Tortuguero National Park was unlike any other national park I had visited. We saw some beautiful wildlife in the flesh and explored an ecosystem I had never seen before. However, my favorite part of Tortuguero was visiting the town. I loved strolling through the town and visiting all of the shops and restaurants. The shops in Tortuguero were different from the other shops we visited. Here in Tortuguero, I felt like I got exposed to the most authentic and local artwork than any other place on our trip. I ended up buying some beautiful handmade earrings for my mom and a gorgeous handmade tank top for myself. If I could go back to Tortuguero I would have bought much more not only to support the local artists but also because their work was beautiful. Along with the local artists, here in Tortuguero I felt most immersed in Costa Rican culture. The town was booming with locals and I even got to see a local soccer game happening at the school. The beach was also filled with locals fishing, playing soccer, and enjoying their home.
Moving to Arenal, the volcano and hanging bridges park were nothing short of spectacular. The hanging bridges park is where we started, and the first thing I noticed was that it was definitely geared much more towards tourists than Tortuguero was. However, I really enjoyed the hike we went on and the guided tour of the park that we received. The bridges offered stunning views of the Arenal Volcano and of the landscape surrounding it. At the park we actually got the chance to see a fer de lance snake through a scope. While I felt like we were crowding the snake a bit, I still was grateful for the opportunity to see such an interesting snake present in Costa Rica. I also was grateful to see the snake from a safe distance given how dangerous it is! After this tour, we rode over to Arenal National Park and got a close up view of the Arenal Volcano. We learned a bit about the Volcano and its past eruptions. This was a difficult hike up the volcano, but the view at the end made it worthwhile.
Lastly, we visited Monteverde which was a close contender in my favorite spots. The drive to get to Monteverde was brutal but breathtaking. In my opinion, Monteverde was the prettiest spot we visited. The view offered from our hotel was perfect (I swear I took pictures of it every time I walked in front of it again). In Monteverde, we visited another hanging bridges park which is gorgeous as well but I honestly didn’t get much out of it. At the time we went, it was really cloudy so it was difficult to see the views that the park normally offers. I would have really enjoyed hiking through this park early in the morning when it’s normally clearer than any other part of the day. After this park, we arrived at the lodge we would be staying at. This lodge not only had amazing views (as I mentioned), but the food here was exquisite. They grew most, if not all, of their food served at the lodge in a permaculture on the property. Every meal we had here was delicious and very fresh (obviously). The staff at the lodge were extremely friendly and very accommodating. They made our stay here super comfortable and fun.
As I reflect on all these places, ecotourism presented itself in many different ways in each spot but had the same purpose overall. Ecotourism allows the people of Costa Rica to express their culture and their identities while also financially supporting themselves. This exposure to ecotourism in Costa Rica made me see the tourism of Santa Claus in a different light. I always complain about the tourists and how they never know what a blinking yellow light means, but actually these tourists allow my town to express itself while financially supporting itself. I’m extremely grateful for everything I learned on this study abroad trip and will never forget the memories, stories, and experiences. Pura vida!
