Cindy Southgate’s Travels
Life is What you Make it!
Vacationing around Costa Rica
Costa Rica
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 15
Tulemar, Manuel Antonio For our first full day at Tulemar, we decided to spend the day at the resort. We walked up the hill to TuleCafe for breakfast. Mike asked if the chef could make our favourite breakfast dish, even though it was no longer on the menu, and he kindly made it for us.… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 13
February 22 This morning we headed out for another hike down along the beach. The plan was to do a similar distance to the day before, and then return to the hotel for lunch and relaxation. We headed out the front door of the hotel and headed down the gravel road that would take us… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 12
February 21 With our tours cancelled, we now had a couple of days to relax. We started the day with breakfast at one of the two cute tables for two that were tucked into the corners of the pool patio. We had several options to chose from – breakfast was included with the price of… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 10
February 19 Today we went on a hike in Piedras Blancas National Park. We purchased our pass at the resort’s front desk and were told to bring it with us. We assumed we would have to show our pass at the park’s ranger station. The trail head was just a short walk up the road.… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 7
The post details a challenging and exciting hike through Corcovado, with encounters like a Caiman and Puma tracks. The trek was physically demanding, with rugged terrain and encounters with wildlife and nature’s elements. The day ended with a refreshing river cool-down, a bumpy van ride, and a change of accommodations to a nicer cabin. Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 6
In Costa Rica, an early start led to a day filled with wildlife sightings. From small Anoles to majestic birds and monkeys, the diverse flora and fauna of the region captivated us. We covered 8.5 km on trails, spotting fascinating creatures along the way, before ending the day with a beautiful sunset at the beach. Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 5
On February 14th, we embarked on a challenging yet exciting hike to Corcovado Park, a biodiverse oasis. Guided by Josue, we navigated through rainforests, beaches, and rivers, spotting various wildlife like bats, monkeys, and even a tamandua. Despite the rugged terrain and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, the unique experience was well worth the effort. Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 4
On February 13, the day began with a tranquil breakfast of cereal and yogurt on the patio, followed by a bike ride to a secluded beach in Costa Rica. Despite encountering some challenges, such as bumpy roads and smoking at the resort, the day concluded with a memorable evening snorkel tour, complete with dolphin sightings… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2023, Day 3
February 12 I was up around 5 a.m. which would be the trend for most mornings. We enjoyed breakfast on our patio while watching a squirrel chow down on some fruit that was hanging on a nearby tree. I had tentatively booked a snorkelling boat tour for today but discovered that the owner of Cabinas… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 11
Monday, February 21 Instead of going out for breakfast today, we ordered in ahead of time. Two women brought us an amazing meal and set it up for us. It included eggs, pancakes, yogurt, granola, hash browns and back bacon. There was so much food we ended up saving a lot of it for the… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 9
Saturday, February 19 Today was our last full day at Tango Mar. I was feeling energetic so I went for a run on the beach before breakfast. For you Strava users, I became the “local legend” of this beach segment! Mike came with me to take some pictures. After taking some pictures of this bird… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 5
Tuesday, February 15 Today was a quiet day. I had had very little sleep since I had been sick the night before. I felt a bit better in the morning and was fine to go on a long drive. We were heading to our second location – the south east side of the Nicoya Peninsula.… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 4
Monday, February 14: Valentine’s Day! Today would be our most action packed day ever! We booked the tour ahead of time through our hotel, Hacienda Guachipelin. They run several exciting tours which are very close to or on their property. We chose the “One Day Pass” which included a variety of activities. After breakfast we… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 3
Sunday, February 13 Today was another day of exploring on our own. We were very happy to have a car because we had three different places to visit. Our first hike was a short one on the resort property before we went for breakfast. We found a trail right across the road from where we… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 2
Saturday, February 12 The nightly rate at Guachipelin included breakfast so we headed over to the restaurant when it opened at 6:30. We were up at 5:30 because the time there is one hour behind ours at home. They had a nice buffet set up with glass in front of the food and servers ready… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2022, Day 1
Friday, February 11 I was so excited to be heading back to Costa Rica! We didn’t travel in 2021 because of the pandemic. Last May we booked this trip for February 2022, hoping it would be over. It wasn’t, and I thought about postponing our trip, but with all the safety measures in place we… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, March 2, Day 14
Monday, March 2 Today, sadly, was our last full day in Costa Rica. We had two exciting tours planned for today. While waiting for the restaurant to open we walked around and took a few pictures. We started the day with breakfast at TuleCafe. This morning we tried a different egg dish – it was… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, Day 13, March 1
Sunday, March 1 Today we were supposed to be going on an adventure tour to do ziplining and rappelling. A couple of days earlier I received an email asking if we could change our date but being at the end of the trip, it wasn’t possible. We ended up having an unexpected free day but… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 29, Day 12
Saturday, February 29 Today we said goodbye to Drake Bay and the Osa Peninsula. We gathered our things and Erik drove us down to the restaurant where we had our breakfast each morning. It is right on the beach so we could wait here for the ferry that would take us back to Sierpe. Again… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 28, Day 11
Friday, February 28 This was one of our favourite days. We spent most of the day hiking along the coast towards Corcovado Park. We covered 8 kilometers on the way out but that included all of our stops to explore the beaches and climb over the rocks. The hike back was only 6 kilometers. We… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 26, Day 9
Wednesday, February 26 Today would be our second visit to Corcovado Park. This time we were headed to the Padrillo Ranger Station. My original plan was to visit the Padrillo area and to do the Llorona waterfall tour. Unfortunately the latter was the location of some illegal activity, so we were not permitted to visit.… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 25, Day 8
Tuesday, February 25 For Mike and I a free day rarely means a lazy day. This was our opportunity to do some exploring on our own. After breakfast we loaded up our packs with water and snacks and set off to explore the trails that lead towards Corcovado park. Being long distance runners, we have… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 24, Day 7
Monday, February 24 Today we went on a snorkeling tour to Cano Island (pronounced Can-yo). It’s a small, uninhabited island that is very popular for snorkelling and scuba diving. It’s about 16 km from the shore and it took about 45 minutes to get there. We were very lucky to have the same tour guide… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 23, Day 6
Sunday, February 23 I was really excited to finally be going to Corcovado National Park! I had read about all the different types of animals and birds we might see there. The variety of species here is very diverse. It is a pathway between North and South America so there are many animals from both… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 22, Day 5
Saturday Osa Peninsula On day five we were picked up by our driver at 8:30 a.m. to take us to the dock in Sierpe. We arranged this through the hotel we stayed at at the end of our vacation – http://tulemar.com. I was most excited to head to the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado Park which… Continue reading
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Costa Rica 2020, February 18, 19 and 20
Tuesday, February 18 Mike and I decided to go to Costa Rica last April. It had been quite a while since we had gone on a vacation, other than Disney World and Hawaii. Before deciding on an itinerary, I did hours of research. I devoured a couple of tour guides and learned as much as… Continue reading
About Me
My name is Cindy Southgate and I love to travel and try new things!
My husband Mike and I love to explore new places and try out new experiences. We prefer warm places so we can escape some of the cold during the winter. (We live in Canada) I love mountains, oceans, wildlife and adventure! Both of us have run numerous marathons and completed at least 2 Ironman races. We have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren.
Cindy Southgates Travels 