This is a continuation of my series about travel Costa Rica, and the adventure we encounter here. Couldn't wait to write about this wonderful place called Mawamba Lodge located on the Caribbean Sea, bordered by a lowland tropical rainforest and beautiful beige sandy beaches. (it's located just north of the town of Limon). My husband Ken and I spent three days at this unique jungle retreat. The center piece is of course are the Tortuguero canals which run parallel to the Sea, then jut out and carve into the jungle where you see white face and howler monkeys, crocodiles, Jesus Christ lizards, green parrots, toucans, eagles, and many more species of birds. The jungle canopy of huge age old trees grow right down to and hang over the waters edge. A sight never to be forgotten is the bright soft filtered sunlight beaming through the trees, creating a mirror image onto the clear waters of the canals.
Our local guide was excellent, taking us to the little hamlet of Tortuguero where we visited a small one room school house where we were greeted with smiles and hellos (in English) by the children. They were neatly dressed in uniform.. blue trousers and skirts, crisp white blouses, and black shoes. The teacher, a young attractive Costa Rica Rican woman welcomed us and explained in English her method of teaching. No textbooks exist here. The children copy from the blackboard into their notebooks, which then become the textbook.
The people who reside here make their living in fishing and tourism. They live in modest houses built up over the water on a series of wooden stilks, because of the heavy year round rainfall. Transportation around here is only by small boats, and one can sit by the waters edge for hours just watching these colorful parade of boats going up and down the canals
Mawamba Tour company owns and operates the lodge, and I highly recommend it for it's first class service, gourmet Costa Rican food, and genuine hospitality in this remote jungle paradise.Costs: Different all inclusive packages are offered but it is best to check the web site for the current prices. My husband and I paid $350 per person for all inclusive package 2 nights and 3 days.
This included 2 canal tours , all meals which were delicious, comfortable rooms with 2 double beds, ceiling fans and hot water
And of course round trip transportation from San Jose via very comfortable motor coach.
The night tour to see the nesting green turtles was $30 per person Extra. This included a guide with a flashlight (only light allowed) no photos. We saw several turtles digging into the sand and laying their eggs. They were hugh turtles!
This included 2 canal tours , all meals which were delicious, comfortable rooms with 2 double beds, ceiling fans and hot water
And of course round trip transportation from San Jose via very comfortable motor coach.
The night tour to see the nesting green turtles was $30 per person Extra. This included a guide with a flashlight (only light allowed) no photos. We saw several turtles digging into the sand and laying their eggs. They were hugh turtles!
Fredo Fresas restaurant in Costa Rica is located on the "Touristic Route Alajuela to Poas Volcano", about four miles down from the entrance to the Poas Volcano National Park. It's the real thing in Costa Rica cuisine with all home grown ingredients from Emillio's organic garden. And 7,000 feet above sea level makes you remember to bring along your jacket because it's cool here. This is a great choice for lunch after your morning excursion into the park. A rustic wooden structure built by the owner Emillio of cypress wood locally grown in these high altitudes around the Poas Volcano is the perfect rural setting in this picturesque pastoral community of "Tico" families who live off the land and run small tourism related businesses. Emillio and his wife along with their children, nieces, and nephews do it all. The ladies do all the cooking on a wood burning stove, from homemade tortillas rolled out by hand to home made bread fresh from the oven. Typical Costa Rica food is their trademark. Lots of "picadilla" made with potatoes, corn, sweet red pepper, and cilantro (a green leafy herb grown in their own garden) and "casada" which is the plate of the day consisting of rice, black beans, picadilla de potatoes, small green salad of fresh lettuce and tomato with lime dressing, topped off with homemade tortillas, and the meat of your choice hot off the wood burning grill. My husband had a grilled chicken sandwich made with freshly baked bread-delicious! And we each had a scrumptious milkshake made from fresh locally grown strawberries. And the price was great...all for $14.00.