I decided to take an extended weekend trip to Costa Rica. It was one of my dreams to explore a tropical jungle! I did this trip on my own, using local tour companies that I found on the web and booked before arrival. My B&B and base was in San José, the capital. Although the rainy season can cause problems traveling to the mountainous regions of the rainforest, my week was blessed with good weather, mostly sunny. Arriving late at the B&B, I dined on my vegan travel supply of trail mix and fruit bought at home and at the airport. Bedtime.

Early the next morning, I chose to first visit the Tortuguero rainforest in northeastern Costa Rica with a local tour company. We were lucky with great weather…no blocked roads! Along the way, my tour stopped at an animal reserve in the forest. We saw red-eyed poison dart frogs up close, multi-colored toucans, wonderfully vibrant flowers and native fruits. Well worth the stop! When we arrive at the starting point of the tour, we board a small boat with an awning and sail slowly through the channel to our destination. During our trip, there were many sights to behold: sloths among the trees, horses and flamingos along the water’s edge, birds on the grassy shoreline, and many native plants. Why there was even a family of crocodiles in the water. One of them jumped, opened his jaw wide and closed his mouth before he could get close and eat us!

Finally, we arrive at Tortuguero Rainforest. We got off the boat and headed for a walk into the woods. I was lucky enough to see several white-faced capuchin monkeys running through the treetops! That was the absolute highlight of the trip! After walking along the beach, we got back on the boat and headed to a stop at a small nearby island to fill up the tank. We were given coconuts with a straw and were grateful to have this relaxing drink to fuel us as we sailed back in the tropical heat.

It was a late night arrival in San Jose. Before my trip, I had found a couple of vegetarian restaurants on happycow.net, but they were closed when I got to town. Instead, I found a small cafe where I had a salad and a side of vegetables. Vegans don’t despair! I had the mission of doing a lot of tourism in many destinations, during a short weekend trip. There wasn’t much time for dinner… it wasn’t my goal. I enjoy spending my long weekend trips running around like the energizer bunny, soaking up as many sightseeing tours as I can!

I will be honest. Costa Rica is not the easiest place to find vegan cafes in small towns. However, there ARE vegetarian food establishments in the city. San José has about a dozen vegan or vegetarian restaurants. Some examples are Food to Feel, Nirvana, Mantras Veggie Cafe and Tea House (Costa Rican cuisine) and Soda Amitabha.

The next day, I jumped on another tour bus, this time for a private tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. A cloud forest is found at a higher elevation than a typical rain forest. Private tours, although a bit expensive, are nice because you learn a lot about the people and culture through your private tour guide. The roads to Monteverde were bumpy as the elevation increased. However, it was very impressive. We arrived in good weather again. Now Monteverde was EXACTLY what I had dreamed a rain forest would be like, gigantic huge trees with gigantic leaves in a thick forested landscape that went on and on.

At first glance, a big monkey in the trees holding her baby! So precious! There were various colorful flowers and plants along the way. Instead of a fast zipline, I decided to walk on the suspension bridge in the treetops so I could see more and really get as deep as you could at a slower pace. From the bridge, I could look down at the ancient giant trees and jungle trails. We saw the fluffy moss used in the food scenes. There were dozens of species of vibrantly colored birds in the trees. I stopped at the sign signifying the continental divide! We noticed beautiful butterflies, large colorful beetles and caterpillars.

After the tour we stopped at the rainforest cafe for lunch. Vegans don’t have to starve! There were vegetable options. In fact, the town of Monteverde has a vegan restaurant called Café Flor de Vida.

At this point we proceeded to return to the city. Along the way, we stopped for drinks and snacks at an outdoor cafe. It became adjacent to coffee growing plantations. very picturesque. Costa Rican coffee is known for being of good quality. I bought a Britt cashew sandwich, chocolate covered cashews. The Cafe Britt company makes coffee and dark chocolate covered walnut sandwiches that are very popular throughout the country and can even be purchased at the airport. It is a great snack for vegans while traveling on a long trip to the rainforests on tour buses.

I saved the last two days of my long weekend for sightseeing around San Jose and the nearby town. At this point in my trip, I was already able to see beautiful landscapes and adorable wildlife, so now it was time to explore the cultural side of the country. I first found a taxi driver who was willing to take me to an artisan town 20 minutes away and waited for me to do my searching. I bought the typical tourist souvenirs of statues of jungle animals and statues of indigenous people. After a few hours of shopping in these artisan stores, it was time to return to San José.

I spent my last day exploring the past and present at local San Jose museums. I joined a tour of the beautifully ornate National Theater in San José. My stops for the rest of the day included the Gold Museum and the Art Museum. The locals were amazed at how much activity I was able to pack into a long weekend vacation. After a short trip, I feel like I know the landscape, people and culture of Costa Rica! Plus…vegans can go to this remote, jungle country and find enough food options to satisfy them.