John Ruler is a specialist writer on horse holidays and
joint author of Great Riding
Holidays available through
him on rulered@btinternet.com
Feeding your horse fresh mangoes, let alone getting bogged down in a grove
of them is scarcely an every day occurrence.
But then thatıs Costa Rica for you - where you simply donıt know whatıs
around the next jungle vine.
Talking of which thereıs nothing more refreshing than casually cutting off a
section and pouring a good half cupful of trapped water down your throat...
But Costa Rica, a tropical country around twice the size of Scotland
sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama , is no Conan Doyleıs lost world.
This Latin American country has not only escaped the civil upheavals of its
Central American neighbours but abolished its army in 1948, in favour of
training teachers instead. The result: a literacy rate of around 98 per cent, a strong health system
and a life expectancy of between 72 and 75.
Better still it boasts over 800 species of birds, more than all of North
America, ten per cent of all the worldıs butterflies and over 150 species of
edible fruit.
Donıt ask me about the beach resorts. Costa Rica is a country to explore, to
watch howler monkeys in the trees, making sure not to be s*** on from a
great height, to jump as an iguana crashes across your path or sit back in
hotel style comfort as the rocks rumble down the side of the Arenal Volcano,
one of nine still active.
Off its west coast laps the Pacific and off the east the Caribbean, helping
create more than a dozen climate zones.
Excuse the geography lesson, but Costa Rica needs explaining to get grips
with its juicy ingredients, experienced in my case on horseback; equally you
can walk, cycle, back pack, fish, surf or dive.
You positively trip over the flora, including some 1,200 species of orchids,
your head spins constantly to catch a sight of yet another bird while bright
yellow butterflies dance in formation above sections of swampy grounds, in
which we briefly got bogged down on day one.
This was in the so-called dry Central Pacific area, riding along the coast,
close to where the Spanish started their conquest, with a long gallop along
a virtually deserted Bajamar Beach. It ended at Maravilla Ranch where we drank juice from coconuts cut straight
from the tree.
A mini-van ride to Monteverde, provided a peep into the humid Cloud Forest
region descending - as many other tourists do by horseback- along a long
trail into the Arenal Volcano area, the lushness of ferns and lichen, the
rolling green valleys and shady trees, reminiscent of the West Country or
Wales: giant morpho butterflies, red and orange orchids act as sharp
reminders, that this is a country possessing no less than five percent of
the worldıs total bio-diversity.
The fact you can see, sense and taste this for yourself makes it even more remarkable, a fact I pondered over while sucking a fresh orange picked from
a tree in the Guanacaste National Park, whose diversity of flora and fauna I
found the most fascinating.
This was no doubt helped by our guide, whose cheeky grin and razor sharp
machete, produced magic moments such as the water bearing vine, combing your
hair with a curious spiky fruit or tasting a leaf which for all the world
smelled of garlic salami.
It was also helped by the location of Los Inocentes Lodge, whose cool cabin
style accommodation complemented the 2,600 acres of grounds. This is cattle
ranching country, reflected in the fine Criollo horses we rode.
It was
here a toucan joined us for a buffet breakfast of fresh fruit, studiously avoiding the ubiquitous fare of gallo pinto (painted rooster)
comprising red and white beans, sometimes served with scrambled eggs or
similar.
It is said it comes in various forms - either as beans and rice or rice and beans !
Although Costa Rica lies between 8 degrees and 11 degrees north of the
equator, temperatures, governed by the vastly different altitudes, can
dip to below zero at high altitudes. However, despite local micro climates,
there is afternoon rain and sunny mornings from around May to November. The
rains are heaviest in September and October. In the dry season from December
to April it is dry, with north winds in January and February helping keep
temperatures down.
Average temperatures in San Jose and the Highlands varies between 60F (14C)
and 80F (27C), along the Pacific coast between 72F (22C) and 86F
(29C).
There is no Costa Rica tourist office in the UK: consult their comprehensive
website www.tourism-costarica.com
The nine days/eight nights riding holiday is available through www.ridingholidays.com
at £1160 .
This is inclusive of all riding , guides, transfers etc as well as most meals and drinks but not flights from the UK:
see below. This and alternative riding options, as well as specialist tours
are available through Ecosafari, Apdo. 13132, ZP. 1000. S. J. Costa Rica.
Central .tel (506) 428-8850 / (506) 428-6879
Further riding holidays are offered by Unicorn Trails
tel 01767 6000606 e-mail info@unicorntrails.com website www.unicorntrails.com
from £600 six
nights, five days for hacienda based exploratory rides. Again flights from UK are not included.
GENERAL TOUR OPERATORS: (Covering beach, hacienda, fly-drive and nature and
adventure tours).
See Guide to Latin America 2002 available from the Latin American Travel
Association tel: 020 8715 2913 or order through www.lata.org
Allow from around £1500 for typical ten days nature/adventure tour,
including air fare from UK.
If travelling independently, most companies can arrange flights at around
£480 return, including taxes etc; British Airways in conjunction with
America Airlines, operate to San Jose from Gatwick via Dallas Fort Worth or
Miami, also Continental Airlines from Gatwick via Houston. Flying time:
approximately 14 hours.
There is also a Heathrow via Madrid service with
Iberia. Flights
with Continental Airlines Gatwick - Houston, www.continental.com
In UK Telephone 0800 776464
RECOMMENDED READING: Rough Guide to Costa Rica (£12.99)
John Ruler is a specialist writer on horse holidays and joint author of
Great Riding Holidays available through him on
rulered@btinternet.com
You positively trip over the flora, including some 1,200 species of orchids,
your head spins constantly to catch a sight of yet another bird while bright
yellow butterflies dance in formation above sections of swampy grounds, in
which we briefly got bogged down on day one.
possessing no less than five percent of
the worldıs total bio-diversity.
The fact you can see, sense and taste this for yourself makes it even more remarkable, a fact I pondered over while sucking a fresh orange picked from
a tree in the Guanacaste National Park, whose diversity of flora and fauna I
found the most fascinating. 
It was
here a toucan joined us for a buffet breakfast of fresh fruit, studiously avoiding the ubiquitous fare of gallo pinto (painted rooster)
comprising red and white beans, sometimes served with scrambled eggs or
similar.