From Pacific to Atlantic.Coast-to-coast. Costa-Rica. january – 2008
Дата 16 June 2010

At this time get very, very far away – to no ones known country of Costa Rica. The handbook includes many unpleasant diseases.
In fact everything was just great – no diseases, the population speaks English and Spanish, everybody knew where it is Ukraine and Kiev, everything.
And where is San Jose?
This – the capital of Costa Rica)))
Our adventure we not quite normal – the traverse by Non-motorized modes of transport and also by legs of Central America. From the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast.
And this campaign began.
I do not know why they asked me whether we want to be part of a group or will make a trip alone. Fearing that we would by a part of Olympic game team, I ordered a personal tour.
During this trip we have not met a single tourist … As it turned out, Costa Rica, the very mountainous country, with beautiful and noisy rivers, with lots of birds, flowers and animals. About 850 species (!) Of birds live at all high-rise floors of Costa Rica. During the way we met an infinite number of large and small birds. All of them are very funny and noisy. The forests are filled with they voices all day. And so the journey started. We rode on bicycles from the resort town of Quepos and headed east toward the center of the country. Passing by bicycle on the conventionally good mountain road 25 km, we then trek another 15km.
Our schedule was approximately like this (all in mountains!!)
Day 1 – biking – 25 km
Trekking – 15 km
Altitude – 0 – 200 – 100 – 1000 – 800.
Day 2 – trekking – 13 km
Bike – 13 km
Altitude – 800 – 1200 – 1000 – 1500
Day 3 – biking – 49 km
Altitude – 1500 – 2450 – 1600 – 1900 – 1250
Day 4 – Rest
Day 5 – Bike – 9 km
Trekking – 13 km
Altitude – 1250 – 1800 – 900
Day 6 – Rafting – 10 km
Bike – 20 km
Altitude – 900 – 800 – 950
Day 7 – Bike – Rafting 18 km – 10 km
Altitude t – 950 – 1000 – 200
Day 8 – Rest
Day 9 – Rafting – 17 km
Altitude – 200 – 50
Day 10 – kayaking – 40 km
Altitude – 50 – 0
The worst was the third day. We should have done 50 km and to overcome up and down 1300m. We thought that we will die! It was really hard. When we finally reached the Continental Divide (the road passing through the North and South America), our happyness was endless. We did not know that this is only halfway …. Then the guide said that the previous pair in the middle of third day left the bikes and next day took the aircraft and left the country for more pleasant pastime.
All this time we were with a guide. Parallel paths rode an old pickup truck and drove our belongings. When it was time, he appeared and we loaded our bicycles or changed clothes. In the water parts pickup, naturally did not appear.
We spent the night in tents at Campsites or in small local hotels. Most of this species were wonderful places.
Weather in Costa Rica is very diverse. For trekkers – it still would not be so, but for cyclists – just a disaster!
Periodically, we fell on some mountain trails, on which we not only could not leave, we hardly can walk, it was so slippery. But we need to roll with the bike! Local clay is very smooth and slippery!
Vivid memories left unplanned departure from the raft in rapid of fourth category of complexity. We had rafting only the second day in our life. Bored only one thought – not to lose an oar! We were thrown from rapid very quickly and painlessly – we were in diving suits and helmets. We were scaried – ahead was the next rapid. But there is always a BUT! With us was the safety kayaker. He like a blizzard dash to us. We clung together into his kayak. Kayakers named was Walter. He was a Nicaraguan and spent 5 years in the jungle and in general, I have never seen more person look like Tarzan in my life! Tarzan led us through the rapid and gently pulled to the shore. Personally, my gratitude limits was endless!
Then there were 40 km of kayaking on the river, with a crocodiles, rested in the shallows. With a small kayak quenching from Mr. Bryzgalov, we were able come to an end point 1.5 hours ahead of schedule!
Atlantic ocean met us with a group of pelicans. It was wonderful!
The rest of the trip took place on a very beautiful, but not abandon places.
Tortuguero is a Conservation Area – a real Mangrove Amazonia with an endless number of birds and animals. And people. Many tourists. Basically – Americans.
Arenal volcano is constantly erupting and smoking. Unfortunately we didn’t see his nocturnal eruption – everything was covered with clouds. But in this place we lived in the hotel of unprecedented beauty with a window-wall and the apparent views on volcano.
Monte – Verde – the reserved area in the center of the country conquered us with the wonderful mountain horseback riding and observations of a rare bird Mot-mot Rufus, who ate the local cockroaches. Monte Verde has also a lot of toucans.
Well, the final stage was diving on the Pacific coast.
Personally I like this diving very much. Water was warm. Visibility was beautiful. Just few people. Around- mantas and ugly of aratrones. Aratrones were so much that sometimes you could not see the reef. With such amount of aratrones and their plaintive eyes diving more look like a visit to kindergarten. Aratrones fondly looking at the divers and cling to the hands ….
But the highlight of a dive with the whales. More specifically, I have not seen them, but I heard them! All 2 dives! They were singing – loudly, quietly. Symphony worthy of the highest praise! And if at the same time you still swim with a mantas ….
Whales, turtles and jumping manta rays, we have seen on the surface.
Still, the most important – We have done it – crossed Central America!

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