No, we’re not talking about Kourtney…
We’re referring to our time in Costa Rica. Although it was a brief stay, we do feel that we fit enough activities into our week that we sampled a lot of what Costa Rica has to offer. It is a beautifully green and mountainous area, reminding us of Guatemala (but at double or triple the price!). We can definitely see ourselves going back when we have more time & and a bigger budget to spend here.
Our first activity was to hike the tallest peak in Costa Rica – Cerro Chirripó. Coons’ Boy-Scout instincts led him to start researching early – #beprepared. Long gone were the no-rules hiking we’ve become accustomed to where you can just show up and hike. Unless you want to hike up and back on the same day (24+ miles with over 7K feet of elevation gain), you have to go through the government website and hope there are still spots left for when you want to hike. You need permits to hike (yes, they’re expensive); they allow a stay of maximum three days; you must stay in the base camp lodge; you must reserve one of the 52 beds in advance); you must order your meals ahead of time should you want them (they’re expensive too); and you have to check into two separate locations the day before beginning the summit hike.
Luckily, the last three-day stretch available was during Kourtney’s birthday weekend, so we were really able to explore all that Chirripó has to offer. A big plus of this hike is that they have water stations at the mid-point and base lodge so we did not have to carry our typical four liters of water with us. Additionally, the mid-point lodge allowed Kourtney to have more coffee than usual on her b-day! The hike up to base camp was long but enjoyable, and there were cows watching people on their way up, competing with the pack horses for strongest smelling manure.
We reached the base camp after 9 miles, checked in, and found our room with four bunk beds.
The “fun” thing about this lodge located at 11,155 feet is that there is never heat and they only have electricity from 6pm – 8pm, creating a Black-Friday-esque rush for the lone power strip every day. We talked to one of the staff, also named Benjamin, and planned our next day based on his recommendations. He loved Ben and gave us a couple tickets for free hot chocolate, which helped the fact that it was around 40 degrees in the lodge during the evenings. We met our bunkmates and had dinner with them; Bernett is a Navy Seal diver who brought his wife, Ruth, back to Chirripó to celebrate their first date 32 years later (#relationshipgoals). Although they live in Holland now, they are both originally from Costa Rica where they have a big family and lots of grand-babies impatiently awaiting their return for the holidays.
They were the best trail parents to us — “Kourtney, you are coughing a lot; here’s a pack of throat lozenges. Since were hiking to the summit tomorrow at 3am, here is some trail mix from our local grocery store in Holland!”
The early-morning summit hike was one of our longer ones: 3.4 miles through the vast national park illuminated by thousands of stars. Leaving the base camp at 3am, we crunched the ice and frost covering the trail for the first couple of miles until we reached the last section that was 45 minutes straight up! We reached the summit at 5am and settled in just below the summit with a gigantic boulder that sheltered us from the wind, just in time for the sun to work her magic.
Once Kourtney lost feeling in her hands and feet, we started our descent. One of the benefits of starting your hike in the dark is that the trail looks brand new in the sunlight. We found that beautiful lakes surround Chirripo and lots of greenery. Following Benjamin’s advice, when we reached the trail junction, we left our fellow hikers and struck out towards a nearby lake where we enjoyed a snack and the view all to our ourselves.
Once again at the main trail junction, Coons thought hey, it’s only 10am, let’s hike to Cerro Terbi and through to the Crestones. So we hiked another aggressive uphill to summit another mountain and over a pass to the Crestones – a set of huge boulders looming over the base lodge.
And Kourtney just had to climb them.
The walk back was tiring and we realized we had hiked for around ten hours already. We returned to the lodge for a siesta, some lunch, and cards, impatiently awaiting dinner. Over dinner, we swapped hiking stories with a German and a French couple we had met that day at the lodge. The next morning we enjoyed our last meal, a hearty breakfast before we set out for the last 9 miles down to the town. Joining up with our bunk-mates and a Dutchman they befriended, we all set out together.
Towards the end of our hike, around kilometer four, we were confronted with an assault from above. Tree branches, leaves, and fruit were dropping onto the trail all around us. Bernett was the first to point out of white-faced monkeys making all the commotion.
Ruth wins the award for best attitude because she hiked the entire 9 miles with a bum ankle and never did the smile leave her face! When we reached the bottom we all took a selfie, and Bernett brought us a celebratory beer at one of the hostel bars nearby.
He even arranged a ride for us which saved us an extra two miles of walking back to our hostel. Seriously, best trail parents ever!
The next morning was an early one but we arrived at our next destination, a small town on the Pacific Coast called Uvita, around noon. We stayed at Flutterby Hostel, a recommendation from a long line of friends. Side story about traveling: months ago at Kourtney’s high school best friend’s wedding (hi, Nicole!), she got to reunite with a mutual friend who had just completed a serious eight-month tour around the world! The day of the wedding, Coons and Kourtney invited Beth and Matt out on a hike to pick their brains for our upcoming trip (thanks again, you two!), and on this hike we got recommendations to meet up with Matt’s cousin Mike. Cool things like this happen all of the time when you are traveling. People are always happy to take care of each other. And just like that Mike told us the coolest place to stay, gave ideas for multiple excursions, and agreed to be our free tour guide for a day (mucho gusto, Mike and Aneeska!)
Flutterby Hostel is an eco-friendly place with lots of people, a great kitchen, free fruit, surfboards to rent, and awesome tree house accommodations.
The hostel hosted a trivia night and an open-mic night which made the place a fun place to hang around and enjoy some cervezas. We walked to the iconic whale’s tail in the morning
and enjoyed an evening surf-session in a rainstorm. Our favorite excursion was the one with Mike and his wife Aneeska, however, because we got a chance to see what the locals like to do on their days off! We went to the Osa Waterfalls which is a short hike through the jungle to this beautiful swimming hole.
We took turns throwing a stick for their dog, Bella, and all enjoyed some fresh coconut. Mike showed us where the sloths hang out high in the trees and sleep. We ate lunch together and then they got ready to fly back to the states the next day for the holidays.
Our time in Costa Rica was short and sweet but full of different terrain and climates. We spent some time challenging ourselves and making new friends in an entirely new country. All in all it was time well spent.