Shorts

When you're traveling in Costa Rica, you might encounter traces of pre-Columbian civilizations. While there aren't large pyramids and ruins like in some other Central and South American countries, there are certainly interesting archaeological sites and artifacts to be found.

If you're visiting the Turrialba region, the Guayabo National Monument is highly recommended. The remains of this city date from 1000 BC to 1400 AD. The site covers approximately 20 hectares and includes stone foundations, roads, and aqueducts. It's estimated that only 10% of the city has been excavated. Little is known about the people who lived there.

'Las Bolas' are also unique. These (almost) perfectly round stone spheres from the southwest of the country range in diameter from a few centimeters to over two meters. They likely originate from the Diquis culture, from 500 AD to 1500 AD.  If you're traveling to Drake Bay via Sierpe and have some time to spare you can visit El Sitio Museo Finca 6, an archaeological site with several of these spheres. The stone sphere in the photo is from the Museo Nacional in San José.

In addition to the Museo Nacional, San José also has the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum). This museum has an impressive collection of pre-Columbian gold artifacts discovered in Costa Rica.

Anyone who has visited La Fortuna has surely seen it. The Arenal volcano, a magnificent cone-shaped stratovolcano that, at over 1,600 meters high, defines the landscape. For a long time, it was assumed that Arenal was an extinct volcano. Locals even referred to it as Cerro Arenal, which means Arenal Mountain.

Fifty-seven years ago today, on Monday, July 29, 1968, at around 7:30 a.m., disaster struck unexpectedly. Arenal erupted suddenly and violently. The eruptions continued for days, burying more than 15 square kilometers under rocks and lava. When the eruptions finally stopped, over 230 square kilometers of land were covered in ash, including the towns of Tabacon, Nuevo Arenal, and San Luis.

During my first trips to Costa Rica in 2009 and 2010, you could still see lava flows coming from the volcano in the dark.  Today, Arenal is once again a silent, stately giant, but at places like Arenal 1968 and El Silenció, the hardened lava flows from 1968 can still be admired.

Travelling between the South Caribbean Coast and the Central/South Pacific Coast? You might want to consider taking Ruta 2 on the Pacific side via San Isidro de el General, driving through the mountains via Cartago and taking Ruta 10 via Turrialba to the Caribbean side. 

Ruta 2 is a windy mountain road taking you past Cerro de la Muerte which translates to "The Mountain of Death" which, as I was told, a name that was given back in the day when the cold and foggy conditions in these higher mountains could be life threatening to unprepared travelers. Now days you can cool down from the tropical heated coastal regions and enjoy amazing panoramic views of the Pacific.

Driving from one side to the other is a long and exhausting ride, therefor spend one night or two half way is recommended. You can stay in San Gerardo de Dota to visit Los Quetzales National Park or the Turrialba area where you can explore highlights such as the Irazú volcano, the Guayabo archaeological site and the Orosi valley.