visit costa rica Archives

Blogabril 24, 2019diciembre 8, 2024 By ipacheco

How To Travel With A Baby

If you have done much traveling in your life, chances are you have been on a flight when someone’s baby has cried most of the way. This experience makes traveling with a baby a daunting experience. Having said that, this is no reason to shy away from taking a trip with your little one. While there are no guarantees that your baby will be happy the entire time, there are steps that you can take to help stack the odds in your favor. We want you to keep traveling, and of course you need to travel with your loved ones, no matter how small they are!

Travel tips from elemento natural — Travel tips from Elemento Natural

Seat Selection

There are a couple of things to consider when planning your trip, and seat selection is one of them. If you are nursing, you might want to go for the window seat. On a relative basis, the window seat will give you the most privacy. On the other end of the spectrum, the aisle seat provides practically no privacy. However, this seat can be nice if you need to get up frequently to change your little one’s diapers. Regardless of which seat you choose, there are trade offs. So, think through your priorities before booking your flight.

What To Bring On The Trip

In general, it’s a good idea to travel fairly light since you will be carrying your little one around. That said, there are a few things that you should definitely bring along. Entertainment, food, and diapering supplies all come to mind.

For entertainment, a couple of choice books can be a great start. A lot of babies love story time, and they generally don’t mind repeating the same story a few times. A stuffed animal or rattle wouldn’t hurt either.

If you’re little one is eating solids, you’ll want to bring some food. The key is to pack something that travels well, and isn’t too messy. Think something along the lines of dry cereal.

As for diaper supplies, it’s good to have just a little more than you think you will need. You do want to try and travel light. But, the last thing you want is to run out of diapers when a blowout happens. Besides, given how common flight delays are, you just never know how long your travel day will be.

What To Leave Behind

There is definitely a benefit to traveling light. So try to just bring the necessities. For example, unless you plan on doing a ton of walking on your trip, I would recommend leaving the stroller behind. Instead, bring a baby carrier, which is much lighter and more compact.

If you can make arrangements to borrow or rent a bassinet and car seat, this will save you the trouble of lugging them through the airport. That in turn might make for an easier trip.

Final Thoughts

While it can be intimidating to plan a trip with a baby, people do it all the time. Part of the key is getting into the right frame of mind. Yes, it might be a long and challenging day. But, eventually, you will reach your destination. When you do, you might just find that the journey was worth it.

By Ryan Howard, from SmartParentAdvice, a site that provides parenting advice for moms and dads.

Ryan writes about all of the different ups and downs of parenting, provides solutions to common challenges, and reviews products that parents need to purchase for babies and toddlers.

Blogdiciembre 27, 2018 By ipacheco

Costa Rica´s untamed wildlife!

Costa Rica is well known for its wildlife and its biological diversity. National Geographic has highlighted that fact many times, even by qualifying our Corcovado National Park as one of the best National Parks in the world. Now, NatGeo Wild created another great audiovisual material called “Untamed Costa Rica”. Released on November 30, there are six chapters, telling the stories of various species that live in our forests. Filipe DeAndrade was the film maker in charge of this natural masterpiece: he traveled through Costa Rica documenting a series of examples of how our wildlife deserves to be the center of the attention for all these travelers that visit Costa Rica.

You can watch the whole series in the link below!

The video is a must-see! In it you will witness the ‘arribadas’, the mass nesting of the Kemp’s ridleys sea turtles in Guanacaste, how the jaguars influences their nesting, and the high risk that the newborn turtles run on their way to the sea. But also the struggle for the survival of hummingbirds or white-faced monkeys when competing for the food, not only for themselves but also for their little ones. Then you can watch the intimate mating ritual of tree frogs and poison dart frogs; or finally how the sharks hunt in the darkness of the reefs in Costa Rica’s natural gem, the Coco’s Island.

Visit Costa Rica! Come for the wildlife…but also for the beaches, the people, the fun!

Blogagosto 22, 2018diciembre 8, 2024 By ipacheco

Experiencing Costa Rican Culture and History in San Jose

When people talk about Costa Rica they’re used to be fascinated by its nature and environment.

In fact there are lots of more things to discover like history, tradition and habits of the original people.

If you are interested in getting into that side of Costa Rica, you should probably visit the center of San Jose where you find lots of museums. That is if you dont have enough time to visit the indigenous communities in the rural side of the country.

Especially the following ones are very recommended:

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica (National Museum of Costa Rica)
Museo de Arte y Diseño contemporáneo (Museum of Modern Art)
Museo de Oro (Museum of Gold)
Museo de Jade (Jade Museum)

Are you particularly keen on learning something about the history of Costa Rica? Then the National Museum might be the right place for you.

It presents Costa Rican history in a unique, interesting and innovative way from the beginning on to our life today. Especially kids will love it, as there is a huge place where you can watch butterflies right next to the entrance of the museum.

The exhibition starts with the original life of native people from Costa Rica. Watching some ancient houses and implements you get to know about their daily habits and the esthetic art they integrated in it.

After that part, you are going to learn about the long history of colonization which started in 15^th century and lasted until the 19^th century. Different aspects as such as religion, wars and relations to Spain are shown in many different halls you are going to pass.

At the end of the exposition you will be introduced to politics of the last 100 years and the situation of the country nowadays.

If you are more into creative things, the Art Museum is a nice place to go even if you don’t have much time. As it is a small exhibition, the visit takes about 15-20 minutes.

You will watch different kind of art, for example old advertisements, comics and modern art of various artists.

Upstairs you will be introduced to an exposition that changes from time to time. In August 2018 it was about football related to the World Cup.

Another commendable museum is “The museum of Gold” right next to the National Theatre.

That place shows the different types of coins Costa Rica had in the past years and how it changed by the independence of Spain. Did you know that the first coin was minted in 1825 in a professional mint called “Ingenia los Horcones”?

If you feel like getting deeper into this matter, give it a chance and go visit that interesting museum!

Moreover, you’re going to see different jewelry and many pre-columbean goods made of gold at the end of your visit. You will be told which meaning the different figures and objects had for them and in which area they where found.

You’ll probably like “El Museo de Jade“ if you enjoyed “El Museo de Oro“.

This one is situated right next to the National Museum and offers a huge range of jade stones from the pre-Columbian period. They show how people carved the stones and how they used them in their daily life.

As the museum was built in 2014 it is very modern and possesses many different devices to explain and show the work with jade. Therefore, you can also bring your kids, as processes are described in a simple way, suitable for children and in an interactive manner.

Furthermore, they have an exposition of “La Isla De Coco”, which is a beautiful and protected island in the Pacific Ocean. In this part of the museum they show some videos about sea animals and how ecologists try to save them from plastic pollution.

Last but not least I suggest you to go to these beautiful places if you have got some time in the capital San Jose. It is a really nice experience besides the incredible nature Costa Rica offers, so you’ll probably miss something important if you don’t go there!

Enjoy your stay and Pura Vida! 😊

By Natalie Rosenau from Germany

Blogjunio 9, 2018diciembre 8, 2024 By ipacheco

Tips and tricks about sea turtle watching in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a great destination if you want to watch sea turtles nesting or hatching. This is definitely a lifetime experience, one of those things you must do at least once in your life; although you will never get tired of it, no matter how many times you witness this wonder of nature. Costa Rica presents a combination of factors that play in your favor for turtle watching: it has a vast coastline both on the Pacific and the Caribbean side and it has 5 species of the 7 that exist in the planet. For the traveler, this means that there are many seasons, species and beaches that can be chosen to cross this milestone from your ‘must-do things before I die’ list.

Elemento Natural wants to give you a few tips and tricks to make this happen for you: we know it is not easy for a traveler and an explorer to include all the things they want to do, in a time-constrained itinerary, so with these pointers you will improve your chances to watch sea turtles in Costa Rica.

1. Choose your destination and season accordingly: remember there are several species that nest in our beaches, so you need to know where, when and who! Meaning what beach you will visit so you can figure out lodging, tour and accommodations; what is the right season for nesting and/or for hatchings; and what species you will have the opportunity to see. Visit our blog for more information on species, nesting areas and seasons!

2. It is really important that you book a tour, since most of the nesting beaches are patrolled by local guides or volunteers working for a Non-Profit, the National Parks, etc. So you can’t really go by yourself. Plus you need to keep in mind that all sea turtle species are endangered, so it is a sensitive activity that needs to be regulated.

3. Now you have booked a trip to a turtle nesting beach at the right time, and a guided tour to go look for them. So you need to dress for the occasion, and plan accordingly: wear long dark pants and long sleeve dark shirt. Dark is necessary to avoid any colors that might distract or interrupt the arrival of the turtle to the nesting site; and long pants and shirt is necessary because there are usually mosquitoes and it is not recommended to use insect repellent because the strong odor might also interfere with the turtle. Flashlights are not allowed, and if light is needed your guide will have a red light lamp or flashlight.

4. Now, you are ready to go turtle watching: manage your expectations and anxiety, remember this is a natural event and that sea turtles are endangered, so it might happen that during your time at the beach, no turtles will arrive. Just as possible as the chance that you will see more than one, or that you will see one when you just get to the beach, or when you are about to leave, you finally see one coming out of the ocean!

So, we hope this information will help you plan your sea turtle watching experience in Costa Rica, and that when you go you have the great opportunity to witness the amazing natural phenomenon!

#TravelWithElemento

Blogfebrero 17, 2017 By ipacheco

5 species you must see when you travel Costa Rica

[dropcap]What hides in the forests and waters of Costa Rica?[/dropcap]

When travelling to Costa Rica you are most certain to meet some species of exotic animals, even if you are looking or not. Either if you are looking to scuba dive in Caño Island, or look at the the monkeys and sloths at Osa peninsula, this country will certainly tickle your senses.

Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species which represents about 4% of the world’s species. This makes this little country one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Here are 5 different animals that live here and that you can´t miss in your Costa Rica travel.

Sloths
There are two types of Sloths in Costa Rica which is the brown throated three-toed Sloth and the two toed Sloth. The main difference on these two is obviously the toes, but there are also other differences. The three-toed Sloth has black eyes: these are the Sloths that has a “smiling mouth”. These are also a bit smaller than the two-toed Sloth which has white ringed faces and brown snouts. Their pelt is also a bit more ragged than the three-toed Sloths. The Sloths can be found all over Costa Rica but there are some places which will almost guarantee you to get a glimpse of these unique creatures, like the Osa Peninsula, Tortuguero or Manuel Antonio.

Toucans
Toucans are one of the most known birds of Costa Rica. There are six different types of Toucans that can be found throughout the country, mostly in the Pacific and the Caribbean lowlands. The different species of Toucans are: the keel-billed, chestnut-mandibled, emerald toucanet, yellow-eared toucanet, collared aracari and the fiery-billed aracari. Toucans are very important for the rainforest because of their ability to spread seeds. These birds are a must when you travel to Costa Rica, even though one of them is the national bird of Belize!

Monkeys
There are a couple of different types of monkeys in Costa Rica, most of them can be found spread out in the country. Though, Osa Peninsula is one of the few areas where you can actually see the four species at the same place. The monkeys you can find here are the squirrel monkey, the spider monkey, the white-faced capuchin and the howler monkey.

These are somehow small monkeys who usually travel in packs. They use their tails as an equipment, to hang by the trees or even swing from branch to branch. The most common of these monkeys are the white-faced and the howler monkey. Both of them are found throughout Costa Rica as long as there is some forest vegetation. So if you hear a loud monkey scream in the forest, it’s probably the Howler monkey. Their scream can be heard from one kilometer away or even more.

Strawberry poison dart frog
You will stumble upon a lot of different amphibiens when you travel across Costa Rica, one in particular is the Strawberry poison dart frog. This little frog is not more than an inch long and is bright red and has blue legs (reason why some call it also the blue-jeans frog). But the frog can also morph into 15-20 other colors. This makes it a very interesting frog to see in your trip to Costa Rica. The reason for its colors is to show that the frog is poisonous to other predators. The indigenous people used the poison from the frog on their arrows when they hunted.

Sea turtles
The coasts of Costa Rica are well known for its Sea turtles. There are different types of turtles depending on where you go in the country and they have different nesting times. You’ve got five main species around Costa Rica which are: The green sea turtle, the leatherback, the Olive Ridley, the Hawksbill and the Loggerhead sea turtle. The one that’s most seen throughout the country, and the world, is the Olive Ridley sea turtle which is the smallest of them.

Some places are of course better to go watch turtles than others, places like Tortuguero for the Green sea turtle; or some beaches of Guanacaste like Ostional for the Olive Ridley sea turtle.

The wildlife in Costa Rica is something completely different from what you will see in countries in Scandinavia, Europe or North America: you will experience a ton of new things and see both vegetation and animals you’ve never seen before. We, at Elemento Natural, are ready to plan the trip of your life, just come and visit Costa Rica with us.

#TravelWithElemento

By Alex Dahl – Norway, for Elemento Natural.

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Blogseptiembre 28, 2016 By ipacheco

10 apps for your next trip to Costa Rica

We all know that travelling is a wonderful experience, and we also know that today technology has an important role in facilitating certain aspects of our trips to make things easier. So, Elemento Natural wants to recommend you some of our favorite apps for travelers, especially if your next destination is Costa Rica!

1. Evernote: This is an ideal app for the organized traveler: you can easily create and organize your itineraries, addresses, contacts, lists and even your first drafts with the key notes you took.

Evernote allows you to create and organize your information in different notes, you can even add audio, images or attach files with important information. You can synchronize easily several devices and then enjoy your vacatios to the fullest.

Download Evernote: https://evernote.com/

2. Waze: This is the most valuable road companion! Waze facilitará will make sure you find your destinations that you want to reach and will let you choose the best routes to avoid heavy traffic, especially during the rush hours.

If you like to drive and use your own means to transfer from one place to another, this is an app you must have in your smartphone, search your destination point and let the adventure begin!

Download Waze: https://www.waze.com

3. Instagram: Instagram is more than the filters you can apply to your pictures. It can be your perfect photo album to remember all those amazing moments during your travel: take a pic, share it with your community, show them all the different places you have been to from your perspective, share how beautiful Costa Rica is, so it becomes the next dream destination for your family and friends. Also, look for those exotic places showing up on the “trends” from the instagram search.

Download instragram: https://www.instagram.com

4. Qué Comemos?:

We can´t forget the food! How about express delivery from your favorite restaurants from an app? This is possible in Costa Rica with Qué Comemos? Order food online, with the full menu at your service and with no phone calls. Just keep enjoying your vacation while the food travels to you, and Bon appetit!

Download que comemos: http://quecomemos.cr

5. Uber: transfering from one point to another in Costa Rica can get tricky sometimes: if you need to do short trips, if you don´t want to drive or if you are just looking for a reference point to start enjoying San José´s hotspots, then Uber is your best and affordable choice for private transfer.

Download Uber: https://www.uber.com/es/cities/san-jose/

6. Spotify: We can´t forget the music! Make your favorite playlists, choose the mood of the music according to your day´s destination or have a blast with a carpool Karaoke with your friends, while you reach your next stop. In Elemento Natural we love good music, so it is a must in each one of our “rides”. Choose between thousands of songs and free music from your mobile device and may the music be with you!

Download Spotify: https://www.spotify.com

7. Yapp!: are you looking for the best optoins to eat locally, enjoy Costa Rica´s nightlife or just discover what´s on for tonight? Yapp! offers a guide of events close to your location so you can keep on enjoying Costa Rica. Additionally, through its web extension you can buy online tickets to concerts and other events available in Yapp!

Download Yapp!: http://yappexperience.com

8. Wi-Fi Finder

Today more than ever, internet access is one of the key things for a traveler, no matter where he/she is. However, access and roaming charges can skyrocket when you are not in your country or region: and this is where free wifi becomes a plus anywhere we visit.

Wi-Fi Finder helps you find free wifi close to your location, you just need to scan the area and the app will show you where to go nearby.

Download Wifi-Finder: Available for Android.

9. Packpoint Packing

Do you usually forget something when you travel? No worries! We found a solution with Packpoint, the most complete travel list for your next trip.

Packpoint will help you make a complete list, orderly, of all these items you must bring with you on your travels. First, you define what type of trip you have, your destination and the long of your stay. Then you can specify the type of activities and finally it will give you specific lists and ideas of the things you can´t forget, Et voilà!

Download Packpoint: http://www.packpnt.com

10. Ojeadores de Árboles Mágicos.

This is an app from the Magical Trees Foundation, that will help you identify tree species by the color of the flowers, by region: you can discover interesting facts about hundreds of trees in Costa Rica. It´s a perfect way to reconnect with nature and become a botanical amateur!

Download Ojeadores: http://www.arbolesmagicos.org/

If you have a smartphone and you like travelling, don´t think it twice and download all these apps that Elemento Natural recommends you. You know you can´t get tired of travelling, so you need to benefit from technology in each of your trips.

J.Tenorio, Tree Box Studio
for Elemento Natural.

Blogseptiembre 6, 2016 By ipacheco

The 5 best photography spots in Costa Rica

We, at Elemento Natural, also love photography: nature and landscapes are always the main photo objectives of our trips, so we are picking for you the places you can not miss in your list of spectacular photos of Costa Rica and therefore we are recommending: the 5 best photography spots in Costa Rica.

1. Cultural city center in San José

If you visit Costa Rica for the very first time, you will likely start your trip in the capital city, San José, which is an ideal place for taking short distance pictures of some of the most recognized city landmarks of Costa Rica: the National Theater, the Gold Museum, the Melico Salazar theater, the Costarican Center for Science and Culture (Children Museum) and the National Museum are all uniquely beautiful and colorful, which will make a good set of photos. On top of making excellent photography spots, you will have the experience of learning deeply the history and culture of this centralamerican country.

If your field is documentary photography, don´t skip the Central Market or the Artisans Market where you will find lots of friendly and Pura Vida people! You can engage with people, talk to them and have meaningful conversations and of course take their pictures; “ticos” are often accesible and friendly so you will probably get a good smile and a good impression, on top of the photos.

2. Poás, Alajuela

Definitely the main attraction of the area is the Poás Volcano crater: not a bad start for your tour in Costa Rica´s northern region! If you want to get a good shot of the crater, our first recommendation is to make an early visit to the national park so you can get the morning light: the park opens at 8:00 am so you will still get a good lighting for your shot. During the hike on the trails of the park you will enjoy the plants and wildlife and the beautiful lagoon.

Once you leave the Poás Volcano National Park, you will notice a spectacular view from atop the mountain, with the greenest country side, strawberry fields and a few traditional houses; just a perfect set up for a surprisingly good photo.

As you continue going down you will reach the Heredia crossing, and you will take the road to Vara Blanca and Nueva Cinchona, to reach the amazing La Paz Waterfall, visited by thousands of tourists that come here every year.

3. North Pacific
Some of our favorite destinations to photograph the beach life and the astonishing sunsets are located in the north side of Puntarenas, taking the ferry boat to cross the Nicoya Gulf, and in a couple of hours you will get to paradise! Once in Cóbano just take the road to Playa Del Carmen, Santa Teresa and you will start getting a landscape of the ocean with many surfers, a pet-friendly beach, and that will be your first photo objective.

Schedule your route and make sure to include the rocky beach at Mal País, where the sunset with its incredible colors virtually poses for your pictures. You will also profit from the different animals that wonder around you and the shells and beach rocks on the beach.

Last but not least, don´t forget Montezuma, where the forest and the river with its spectacular waterfalls will complete you collection of Costa Rica photographs. Take a break, a short walk on the beach, visit the little village, taste the local food, enjoy the nightlife and the crafts of the local artists: in the end you will have a good set of ´lifestyle´ photos, that will make a good fuzz in your social networks!

4. South Caribbean culture

The costarican caribbean is rich because its afrocaribbean culture, where the color is king and the smiles of its people are always present: the South Caribbean is a must for photography lovers because it gives you a combination of beach, rainforest and abundant wildlife, on top of the carismatic people and the flavorful gastronomy.

A good start is the beach at Manzanillo, with animals, birdwatching, trails and beach: once you get to the ´mirador´, you will know you have to take that picture of the coastline!

Continue on to Punta Uva, another exquisite combination of rainforest and ocean, ideal for some underwater pictures (if you have the right equipment). Howler monkeys might show up for your wildlife photos. Keep going and visit Cocles Beach, the meeting point for surfers, so your perfect spot for sport photography: you can spend here many hours capturing lots of action!

5. Chirripó Hill

If you want to indulge your wanderlust, then you must plan a trip to Costa Rica´s highest peak. However, a visit to Chirripó National Park has to be carefully and timely planned, since this is one of the most remote protected areas, the entrance must be authorized and the spaces in the lodge inside the park and the guides are very limited.

The journey starts with a highland forest and outstanding trees; save your energies and your pixs since you are only starting! You will see from water springs, to dryer landscapes, including the forest of the burned trees, and the ´old man beard´lichens…just to mention some of the exiting photo objecitves in this 14.5 km route to the lodge.

Once you reach the lodge, you can continue hiking to Crestones Hill, Ventisqueros Mount, Las Morenas, the Lions´Sabana or the Rabbit´s Valley! This national park offers too many different landscapes for your photographs!

But the biggest reward will be unveiled once you reach the highest peak in Costa Rica at 3820 meters above sea level! A picture will probably make it to one of the main walls of your house!

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If you want to visit this destination in Costa Rica, or any of the others we suggested, just contact us for more information at info@elementonatural.com and we will help you plan your travels and vacations!
Jose Tenorio for Elemento Natural.

Blogagosto 12, 2016 By ipacheco

What does Pura Vida mean…

Costa Ricans (Ticos) use this term to say hello, to say goodbye, to say everything’s great, to say everything’s cool. This is the Ticos way of life. Not surprisingly, Costa Rica has been named one of the happiest countries in the world, mostly because its inhabitants don’t get too stressed about things in general. Ticos have a very relaxed, simple way of looking at life. No worries, no fuss, no stress.

But where did Costa Ricans take this phrase from? According to a study of the expression, by Anna Marie Trester a film called Pura vida came to Costa Rica from Mexico in 1956, directed by Gilberto Martinez Solares. In the movie, “Pura vida“ is the expression of eternal optimism used by a comic character knowed as “Clavillazo”, played by the actor Antonio Espino, who unfortunately can’t seem to do anything right. People started using it then, and it kept growing until the phrase “Pura vida” was used nationwide by 1970. Nowadays, it represents the national motto, which identifies the Costa Rican spirit and our way of being.

Pura Vida somehow manages to be versatile enough that it fits in almost any situation and it makes you feel cool for “pulling it in” when you have a lack of options.

We want to share 6 meanings of “Pura Vida” with you:

1. #PuraVidaMeans “Hello”, “How are you?” “Hey what’s up?” It is used both as an informal greeting and a pleasant farewell.

2. #PuraVidaMeans: “going great”. It is a synonym for “excellent”. It reflects happiness, gratitude and satisfaction towards a situation. “Pura Vida” means that people need to be grateful for the things they have instead of dwelling on the negative things that they don’t.

3. #PuraVidaMeans: “in good health”. It is equivalent to having “well-being”. It represents a deep appreciation of your environment and your surroundings.

4. #PuraVidaMeans: “take it easy” or “no worries”. It is believing things will turn out all right. It means looking at the bad stuff with cheer optimism. It’s synonym of the Kenyan Swahili phrase “hakuna matata”.

5. #PuraVidaMeans : “this is real living”. In essence, life is what you make of it, so enjoy life while you can. It implies a sense of Carpe Diem. Enjoy the moment in your life, while this moment lasts. It is loving life to its full extent. So begin to live because life is short…

6. #PuraVidaMeans: a state of mind and a philosophy. It represents the Costa Rican way of life. It means we are all at the same level. That no matter what your current situation is, it is all good. So you need to consider that maybe…just maybe, your situation isn’t all that bad and that no matter how little or how much you have in life, we are all here together.

The real Pura Vida can only be experienced by personally interacting with the people who created it. So, if you want to know what living a peaceful, simple, uncluttered life with a deep appreciation for nature, family and friends feels like, we at Elemanto Natural invite you to visit Costa Rica. Book your trip with us and experience Pura Vida for yourself!

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Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

Sources:

http://www.repretel.com/actualidad/los-significados-de-upe-y-pura-vida-2256

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpIoxofbzjw

http://www.bestcostaricantours.com/about/puravida.html

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pura%20Vida

Blog Learn Spanishagosto 12, 2016 By ipacheco

Learn Spanish while visiting Costa Rica

At Elemento Natural we want you to learn spanish while taking a trip around Costa Rica. We offer a 2-week program were you we will give you the basics. Enough for you to have a meaningful conversation with any Costa Rican.

You will enjoy small intensive lessons while visiting the main spots of Costa Rica. We offer the full cultural experience: language, travel and gastronomy!

Our excursions enable students of any age to fully absorb the Costa Rican culture while taking in all that this country has to offer.

On your first lessons, we will take a city tour after your classes. You will visit San José downtown and its main attractions, including the beautiful National Theatre, the Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and the Central Market, among others.

Early morning we will also visit the Poás Volcano and its huge active crater. You will be blessed with the cloud forest of the national park and the small hikes to the craters. After the visit, you’ll have more fun at your Spanish classes.

Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica.

What a better way to teach our students than giving them the opportunity to communicate with locals! This is done in the field trips. During this learning experience you will visit one of Costa Rica’s most popular national parks: . You will have the chance to talk with locals, admire the rainforest wildlife and take a stroll at the beautiful white sand beach.

On the cultural side, we also offer a tour to the oxcart monument in Escazú. Here you will realize the importance of the traditional oxcarts. We will also take you to an old sugar cane mill were you will see how sugar cane is processed and the products that are made from it. You will also find out about wood crafts made in a responsible way and have chance to buy some artesanías (souvenirs).

How about a taste of authentic Costa Rican cuisine? What better way to understand about the local foods and gastronomy than by making it yourself! One of our classes includes a cooking experience of customary Costa Rican cuisine.

Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna de San Carlos.

To roundup this experience, our course includes a weekend getaway at La Fortuna, home of the Volcán Arenal. There you can hike on the Arenal Old Lava Flows or swim and kayak on lake Arenal. You will also have some free time to explore the town of La Fortuna. You might choose to try other activities like the canopy tour or to experience the world famous Aguas termales.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to travel and learn Spanish in Costa Rica! Book your tour here:

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Blog Learn Spanishagosto 6, 2016 By ipacheco

9 Words to speak like a local in Costa Rica #TheTicosSay

In Elemento Natural we know how important it is to plan ahead. In order to get your way around the country, start by learning what “#TheTicosSay”. If you speak these words to any “tico” they will totally understand and empathize with you. These nine words are an essential part of Costa Rican culture and key to understanding local people and their sayings.

Let’s begin:

Chepe: Costa Rica’s capital, San José, is referred to colloquially as “Chepe”. The word is also used as nickname for people named José.

Examples of use: Today I have to go to Chepe. My friend here is Chepe (José).

Chiva: It is used as a local expression to communicate that something is nice or “really cool”.

Examples of use: That’s really “chiva”! We went on a trip to the mountain it was chivísima (superlative of the word chiva).

Chunche: This word is used to refer to anything, any physical object or thing can be referred to as “chunche”. This expression is often used when forgetting the name of an object. Carlos Gallini, author of the book “Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos” states that the word “chunche” is a derivation of the Quechua word ‘chunchulli’.

Examples of use: Give me that chunche that’s above the table. I have bought many chunches.

Diay: This is a typical tag word (or pet phrase) used by Costa Ricans in conversations. It can be used as a greeting or as a complaint and replacing the word “because”.
Examples of use: -Diay, How are you? – Diay, I’m doing fine. – Diay, I was travelling, that’s why I am happy.

Mae: One of the most popular slangs. It is used as a noun concerning a person, for example: “that mae” means that boy or girl. It is similar to the word “dude” in English. However, it is also a catch phrase used in any sentence.

Examples of use: Mae , how interesting! It’s raining, mae.

Tuanis: It is, as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE www.rae.es), a thing of excellent quality. It is also used to express that a thing or situation is “just fine”. Some people believe that the word ‘tuanis’ comes from a derivation of the expression in English “too nice” (or very good), but it actually comes from Malespín, a code of war from the XIX century by the Salvadoran General Francisco Malespín, which changed the letters of the word “Bueno” (good in Spanish).

Examples of use: This is tuanis! Everything is tuanis? (fine)

Upe! This word is used when knocking on someone’s door or entering a house. According to historian Costantino Lacariz, in his book “El Costarricense” the announcement comes from the Spanish Colonial period and has a religious background. This greeting, announced at the doorstep of houses, was typical in Nicoya, who annexed it to the celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, their Patron Saint. Devotees would knock and ask for charity. ¡Upe! is the shortest version of the long expression: ¡Una ayudita para nuestra Patrona la Señorita de Guadaluuuuupeeeee!

Examples of use: Upe! Hello.

Yodo: Meaning a cup of brewed coffee.

Examples of use: Brew up some yodo this morning. Want some yodo?

These words, called “Costarriqueñismos” are a group of slang phrases that have been adapted or invented by our ancestors and that our generations have inherited. Many of them remain in our colloquial language and are generally accepted and understood by all “ticos” alike. When someone hears them they know they are talking to a “tico”. We invite you to use them. They are history, part of our living language.

Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

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Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/costarriquenhismos/?pnref=story 11 de Julio

http://el-callejon-m.blogspot.com/2007/03/diccionario-de-costarriqueismos-largo.html

https://www.facebook.com/notes/costa-rica-y-su-historia/el-origen-de-algunos-de-nuestros-t%C3%A9rminos-m%C3%A1s-populares/452420708139774/

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/Dichos-pura-vida-origen-tuanis_0_1231876914.html

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/par-lectores-preguntan_0_1164683557.html

http://www.crhoy.com/mae-yodo-y-macha-algunas-de-las-palabras-que-aprenden-los-extranjeros-con-el-tico-talk/