One of the best things about Costa Rica is that everything you hear about it, is true — in one way or another.
There are so many places in the world where the hype outweighs the reality; where so many people have been enchanted by stories and photos that they experience a steadfast desire to experience a piece of it themselves, but end up disappointed by the spectacle or stereotype that they’re eventually confronted with. Costa Rica, at first glance, might appear to be one of these fantastical getaway destinations, and that’s understandable. I mean, a country with a growing GDP, a disbanded standing military and one of the richest biodiversity rates in the world, all within a landmass that is little more than 50,000 square kilometers? If you’re skeptical, don’t waste your sorrowful sentiments of this tiny, rain forested paradise. After all, the numbers don’t lie:
According to the Costa Rican Embassy, Costa Rica only covers .03% of the earth’s surface, yet accounts for 6% of the earth’s biodiversity. This is mostly due to its favorable climate and geographical purpose as a land bridge directly from North & Latin America to South America. A system of protected national parks covers nearly 30% of Costa Rica’s available land, rendering it unable to be used for private gain, but that is nothing compared to the 46% of Costa Rica that is under forest cover (or has been reforested, due to financial incentive offered to farmers).
There are many places in the world that have been gifted with a true wealth of natural resources, that have also allowed themselves to be exploited for profits sake, but time and time again Costa Rica has been recognized for its forward-facing and effective policies that prioritize the environment and protecting its natural biodiversity. Since 1990, Costa Rica has signed more than 45 international environmental treaties and elected several different regulatory bodies that are staffed by scientists rather than politicians. At times, their policies have even violated free-trade agreements that the country had agreed to previously! You’ll see these ethical standard also play out amongst the Costa Rican people themselves — most live entirely in tune with the natural world that surrounds them, opting to live in peace with nature. In fact, most of these protective conventions stemmed from public and social demand for such measures. “Pura Vida” is such a common Costa Rica saying for a reason.
Most tourists heading to Costa Rica stay in the northern areas like La Fortuna and the Nicoya Peninsula, likely by virtue of the main international airport in San Jose, the one that’s nestled just north of the country’s center. Very few make it to Southern Costa Rica, nonetheless the Osa Peninsula; but Costa Rica’s southern reaches are lush destinations where you can experience the true authenticity of this ever-developing country. Close to the border with Panama, you get a taste of the old-world, the original paradise, and the Ticos who were born and bred to protect it.
The Osa Peninsula, in particular, is a remote spit of land that juts out into the Gulfo Dulce, in the pacific side of Costa Rica. It’s not an easy place to get to (you’re better off flying into Puerto Jimenez’s minuscule airport than driving or, if you need a more economic option, there is a ferry that departs from Golfito), but as some intrepid travelers will tell you, it’s well worth the trip. The Osa is a vast, pristine area that harbors populations of wildlife like you’ve never seen, jewel-like waves that provide optimal surf conditions, and mangroves that protect the vulnerable coastline and provide a nursery to all sorts of wetland animals.
What makes the Osa Peninsula, and the several small towns (if you could call them that) that dot its coastline, different? Well, because of the area’s remote nature, creature-comforts are sometimes hard to come by. The main town of Puerto Jimenez is the only ‘town center’ in the area, and even that is a 45 minute drive down an unpaved, rocky road to the beach areas (where travelers are likely to be staying). Almost nothing that you can consume in the Osa Peninsula comes from somewhere else — how could it? The food, the energy and power, and the immediate culture all hail from several kilometers surrounding the area. If you’re the type of person who already seeks off the grid living, then you understand the benefits of distancing yourself from technology… but it’s hard not to extoll the virtues of a life untouched by convenience. It means that you’re suddenly allowed to disconnect from the person you are when life is made ‘easy.’ I think we can all admit that our comfort zone is not when our true selves, or our best selves, shine.
Once you head away from Puerto Jimenez and down that infamous rocky road towards sleepy surf beaches like Matapalo and Pan Dulce, you’ll begin to notice that most bungalows and cabanas are powered by a plethora of solar panels, which pepper rooftops and open fields as if they were cattle themselves. This is a far cry from other rural travel destinations, which oftentimes rely to loud and gassy diesel generations to supply their resorts with air conditioning. Here, clean and renewable solar power is used for the very few things that require electricity — mostly kitchen and intermittent wi-fi. Air conditioning is almost unheard of; a wasteful luxury that takes you out of the beauty of the tropical region which you are visiting. This is just the beginning of an area which has dedicated itself to eco-friendly habits, changing the way tourists experience Costa Rica from the top, down.
The other thing you’ll notice as you drive along the Osa’s main drag is the plethora of farms which line either side of the road. Your transit might even be delayed for some time by a parade of cattle, being transferred from one field to another. Though cattle farming is one of the main causes behind climate change, this is not the factory-farming conditions that are the true scourge — in fact, the reason you see so many cows is rather inspiring! Since food prices are sky-high in Costa Rica, as if the price of moving of food from the mainland to a remote peninsula, most food is grown and nurtured locally. It’s not really by choice, but by necessity; but it also means that the food you consume is farm-to-table in the truest sense of the word, sometimes grown just down the street (but most often grown right on premises, or in their backyards). It’s far more than beef and pork that’s grown here. You’re also subject to different fruits and vegetables and number in a far greater variety and quality than I ever found in Costa Rican grocery stores — and some of the best pineapple and mango you’ve ever tasted.
Osa Clandestina, a small eco-lodge that sits a five minute walk away from the Osa’s Playa Pan Ducle, is a rock star in the aspects of solar energy and food production. I’ve heard from several locals that Osa Clandestina boasts the most solar panels of any hotel of its size in the area — proudly displayed in an open grassy area, to the right of where you drive up to the foot of the lush, open-aired lobby. Their locally grown produce, heavy, ripe and sweet, sit as the colorful centerpiece of the entire kitchen. It’s said often, and proudly, that they grow, harvest and process their own rice and coconut milk — in fact, nearly everything they served was either grown in the resort’s farms down the street or caught in the ocean right out back. This freshness, and respect for the earth which brought forth such ingredients is evident in the bright flavors of the chef’s amusing Costa Rican recipes. The act of being off-the-grid really does create a different environment in which you can enjoy the many different natural resources of the rain forest.
The high-regard and pride that is instilled by being eco-friendly and entirely self-sustaining in nothing less than refreshing. It’s as if respecting the planet isn’t a burden to business at all — imagine that! — it’s a pleasure, it’s a draw, and it’s necessary to maintain the secluded paradise that is the Osa Peninsula.
Something else that has grown organically is the community that has gathered along the southern coast of the Osa Peninsula. There’s a large group of expats that occupy this place, and it seems as if every traveler you meet hails from a different wild place; Chile, Germany, United States, Argentina, the list goes on and on. Everyone has something to offer, or contributes some small part of their culture to the common consciousness of this place, and it’s always unique. It’s undeniably Costa Rican, but enriched with ideas and flavor from all over the world. Your yoga teacher might have been taught in Bali, while your acupuncturist hails for Portugal, your herbalist probably learned their craft in Colombia while your surf instructor came from the cold north of Europe. Between meeting those people, the woman who invited you to use the wifi at her humble bungalow also learned how to practice reiki in Canada. The community is small, but it is diverse in its people and its offerings. Here, everyone feels as if they’ve discovered a secret — something only they know, about the Costa Rica. The best part is that the community does not want to hoard their wonderful secret, or their own secrets, but to share it freely with those who will appreciate it as much as they do.
Friday nights on the Osa Peninsula belong to Martina’s. It’s a kaleidoscopic restaurant that serves the typical, fresh fare that you can get on this peninsula, but on that particular night the community comes out of the woodworks, bringing their handmade balms and artfully crafted chocolates, to share with their friends and anyone who happens to be stopping by. Everyone is celebrated and welcomed, no matter how long or short your stay is — you’re family. At all other moments, life on the Osa is quite a leisurely thing. It really is a leisurely, funny thing, to live amongst the jungle; with no air conditioning, but with a masseuse rubbing your feet.
The Osa Peninsula. You need a Land Rover and jet to access it, an open heart to appreciate it, and a free schedule to indulge in everything that it has to offer. Surrounded by the tall and full rainforest canopy, with bright blue butterflies and white-faced monkeys everywhere, it’s easy to become accustomed to off the grid living. Living in a remote jungle doesn’t seem so difficult, when life is actually this sweet.
