Study shows that tourism workers in the Osa earn more than in other jobs

A new study put out by the Center for Responsible Tourism (CREST) finds that in the Osa Peninsula "Tourism workers earn on average twice as much each month as workers not in tourism ($710 vs. $357). Households with tourism workers average 1.6 times more income than those where no one works in tourism ($784 vs. $503).
In addition, the study finds that "Tourists list visiting Corcovado National Park as their primary reason for coming to the Osa Peninsula; park visitation has doubled since 2002. All residents surveyed (both tourism and non-tourism workers) expressed an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards protected areas which make up 80% of the Osa Peninsula. This appears to represent a substantial shift in the attitudes of Osa residents who historically opposed the top down declaration of Corcovado and other parks and the exclusion of local people who had depended on these lands for their livelihoods."
This is further evidence of the change in attitudes I have observed over the last 30 years in Costa Rica. It first people saw conservation efforts as interfering with their ways of making a living. But now, because of the economic reality that livelihoods are better because of the power of the park to attract tourists, residents' attitudes change in favor of conservation.
If local communities benefit economically from conservation, it will be successful.
For more information about the study, see www.responsibletravel.org

New study on "boom and bust" coastal tourism in Costa Rica

The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) is releasing today a new study analyzing the “boom and bust” of coastal sun-and-sand resort and real estate development on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. This multi-dimensional study, carried out over two years by some two dozen researchers in Costa Rica and the U.S., is the first comprehensive examination of the growth, trends, and impacts of tourism and tourism-related development along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, with particular focus on the years between 2002 and 2009.

At a press conference today in San Jose, CREST co-directors William Durham and Martha Honey, together with several of the researchers, presented the study’s key findings and policy recommendations. The CREST Co-Directors are also meeting with several top government officials to discuss the key policy recommendations emerging from the study.

Speaking at the press conference, Costa Rica’s former first lady, Margarita Penon, a member of the study’s eleven person Advisory Committee, said that the study’s findings are “critically important to our understanding of the risks that rapid and poorly planned coastal tourism development are posing to our successful model of nature-based ecotourism.” The study compares the increasingly dominant models of coastal and marine tourism – characterized by large resorts, vacation homes (“residential tourism”), and cruise tourism – with Costa Rica’s internationally acclaimed model for high value, nature-based ecotourism.

Over the last decade, Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has become one of the epicenters of rapid beach resort and vacation home development closely tied to the U.S. market. The research traces the origins of this coastal transformation from the 1970s to the present, with particular focus on the real estate and construction boom and bust caused by the international economic crisis.

The research project includes 18 individual studies, written in either English or Spanish, which are posted on the center’s website: www.responsibletravel.org. In addition, CREST is releasing today the Summary Report in English and Spanish, also available online, that pulls together the most salient points from all 18 studies.

Suzuki Strings entertains rural Costa Rica!

The Suzuki Strings Group from Boulder Colorado just completed a whirlwind 9-day tour of rural communities all over Costa Rica. They did two concerts in the Palmichal area, in the hills south of San José. Then they went to Montealto, a forest reserve and lodge near Hojancha, in Guanacaste Province, and performed at the Salón Comunal. They enjoyed a day at beautiful Playa Carrillo as well! Then they were off to La Casona in El Tanque, east of Arenal Volcano. They spent a day in the village of Juanilama, where organic pineapples are grown, and entertained at the local school. Another concert was at the La Fortuna Church. Canopy tours, hot springs and volcano viewing were included in their trip.
Kyra Cruz, director of ACTUAR, wrote to the group after their tour, saying "Thank you for letting us bring the Suzuki Strings to Costa Rica's communities. We heard very nice things about the concerts and I am sure that this was a very rewarding experience for the village children.  I wish we could have more visitors like you in our country!!!"
I invite the 21 Suzuki Strings participants to share their photos and stories here.

Special rice tamales at El Descanso!

At El Descanso they prepared tamales de arroz, a special form of tamales that are used on special occasions. Doña Eulalia, one of the owners of the lodge, took us to the open air cooking area behind the kitchen and showed us how they put raw, seasoned rice and meat in a leaf of the bijagua or calatea plant.
They wrap it all up in a neat little bundle, then put the tamales to boil over an open fire for several hours.
In the US, and in Costa Rica too, tamales are usually made of corn. It's beautiful how the rice expands inside its leafy package during the boiling process to make a delicious treat that was ready for us to eat when we returned from Boruca.

Why The New Key to Costa Rica leaves out the northern Guanacaste beaches

I came across a review of The New Key to Costa Rica at amazon, by a reader named M Seeley. He starts out saying "Be forewarned: this author - a seriously left-wing Socialist Greenie treehugger - has an agenda." and goes on to say:
"If you want to go to Central America and volunteer to dig ditches for the poor, this book is right up your alley. However, if you're looking to go on vacation and relax or see the country instead of seeking some kind of redemption, well you've got your nerve! (LOL). And the author has the gall (in this newest version) to eliminate EVERY hotel (green or not) in the ENTIRE province of Guanacaste because the infrastructure doesn't satisfy her eco requirements. Wow. I guess we won't be helping any poor folks in that area. So... if you looking for info on Flamingo Beach, Playa Hermosa, Coco, or Tamarindo, you're out of luck there." He further states "The author does know Costa Rica well, but It's too bad she couldn't be more objective. Yes, I'm environmentally minded and surely do want to go to eco places, but pretending other places don't exist is just silly."

M Seeley is misinformed. I have good reasons for leaving out the beaches of northern Guanacaste. Here is my reply:

Dear M Seeley,
I'd like to respond to several points in your review of my book, The New Key to Costa Rica, 19th edition.
First of all, Costa Rica's ruling party, Liberación Nacional, is a social democratic party. Why was Costa Rica not at war during the 70's and 80's like the rest of Central America? Because Liberación Nacional nationalized the banks, the telecommunications and electricity systems, insurance, and health care in 1949-50, all as a way of benefiting the population. Thus there were less poverty, better education, and better safety nets in Costa Rica, and a rising middle class. The socialized institutions have now become overly bureaucratic, but they served during the 50's, 60's and 70's to create prosperity and well-being for the Costa Rican people.
Costa Rica's reputation in tourism is built on its "treehugging" policies, with over 25% of the country in some kind of protection. So being green and understanding the value of democratic socialism are consistent with understanding why Costa Rica is what it is today.
Nowhere in my book do I mention volunteering to "dig ditches for poor people". I do try to draw the reader's attention to the network of 30 Costa Rican communities that own their own ecolodges. So rather than the Costa Ricans digging ditches and being gardeners and maids at foreign-owned ecolodges, they have the chance to build and own their own ecotourism businesses. These places are not only stunningly beautiful, but provide the experience of getting to know the people who live in the place you are visiting. Relaxation and adventure are easy to find at these and all destinations mentioned in my book.  Owning their own lodges helps people stay on their land, creates jobs for their families, and helps them preserve their forests, rivers, and traditional culture.
It is erroneous for you to say "And the author has the gall (in this newest version) to eliminate EVERY hotel (green or not) in the ENTIRE province of Guanacaste because the infrastructure doesn't satisfy her eco requirements."
My book has a 44-page chapter on Guanacaste Province, including the southern beaches. I do not include the beaches of northern Guanacaste because there is widespread agreement that the amount of tourism there has outstripped the capacity of the local infrastructure. Local communities have sued Guanacaste hotels because there is not enought water left for residents. Many beaches that formerly received the government's ecological Blue Flag rating have lost it because of high levels of contamination in the water. While this edition was being researched the government had to shut down two hotels in Guanacaste for dumping raw sewage in the sea! If anyone is pretending, it is those who trust that when they take a long luxurious shower or flush a toilet on their relaxing beach vacation, that there exists a water and sewer system that is handling it all in a responsible way. Most successful hotels in Costa Rica have their own septic systems, but there are very few sewage treatment plants. Tourism has developed rapidly, and the infrastructure has not caught up.

My main point is that tourism has a direct effect on the communities you visit. Communities can choose to take responsibility for their relationship with tourism. They can choose to maintain it at a sustainable level, but if they let it get beyond that, they have to pay for appropriate infrastructure.

After 28 years of writing and updating this book, I am saddened to see village after village lose its soul to the monster of mass tourism. I support community tourism because I hope that it can give pristine villages a fighting chance to determine what they want from tourism rather than being overwhelmed by it. The beaches of northern Guanacaste long ago lost any pretense of being Costa Rican. My book is for people who would like to experience Costa Rica while they are there. If they would prefer to relax in an atmosphere that is more like Florida or California, then there are plenty of Costa Rica guidebooks and glossy brochures to meet their needs.
Learn more about my travel planning services at www.keytocostarica.com

Staying at El Descanso

The cabins at El Descanso are made in the traditional style, with thatched roofs. A reforested area beside the cabins creates cool, fresh air that is very relaxing. When we got there, the women of Térraba were making rice tamales, wrapping them in leaves, and putting them to boil on an open fire behind the spacious, open air dining room.
Our guide, Asdrubal Rivas, took us to the village of Boruca, about 18 kilometers (half an hour) away, where we could see how the native brown cotton is spun and dyed with natural pigments. Boruca is also known for their masks of "diablitos", scary spirits which are part of their annual dance, held at the end of December. The Térraba masks feature animals more than spirits.
When we got back to el Descanso, the tamales were ready. What a treat! After that, a gentle swing in one of the hammocks was just the right thing to do.
El Descanso is about 4 kilometers west of the Interamerican highway. The turnoff to the village of Térraba is about 5 minutes by car south of the town of Buenos Aires. Go thorugh the village and turn left at the soccer field. Follow signs to El Descanso. At El Descanso you can learn about how chocolate is processed, then visit the weavers at Boruca, then go to BriBri Pa Kaneblo, about 35 minutes away, to learn more about traditional indigenous life and culture.
Make this experience part of your trip to Costa Rica with a customized itinerary from CONSERVacations, www.keytocostarica.com

El Baile del Toro y de la Mula in the village of Térraba

From December 24 to January 2 each year, the village of Térraba devotes itself to the Dance of the Bull and the Mule. The village stopped doing this traditional festival about 25 years ago because of pressure from churches, but for the last ten years, they have found that the dance gives meaning to their lives and they no longer feel that they have to choose between their churches and their mission to revive their culture.
Each of the young men who perform the dance carve their own masks eah year, and take on the qualities of the animals and spirits that their masks represent.
One of the "grandmothers" of the Térraba oversees the preparation for the dance. The animals and spirits (parrot, goat, jaguar, eagle, boa constrictor, etc) go down to the river in search of the Bull. They drink the sacred chicha. "Everyone is equal when we drink chicha", says Asdrubal Rivera, who is largely responsible for encouraging the young men of the village to revive the celebration. At dusk the dancers sound the conch shell, and they all enter the village and whirl around the Bull, taunting him. He goes after them. Flutes, drums and shouts accompany the dance. The dancers go from house to house, where they eat tamales and drink chicha from 6 until about 10 p.m. each night. The popularity of the celebration has grown so that there are around 50 dancers each night.
You can accompany them as they make their rounds of the village. Contact beatrice@keytocostarica.com (that's me in the photo.

BriBri Pa Kaneblo is one of the best places to learn about Costa Rican indigenous culture. It is a member of ACTUAR, the Costa Rican Rural Tourism Association. They will soon have cabins so that you can stay overnight. Tomorrow we will tell you about El Descanso, in the village of Térraba, about half an hour west of Salitre and BriBri Pa Kaneblo.They do have cabins.

As with most ACTUAR members, it is best to make reservations in advance, and to go with one of ACTUAR's excellent bilingual guides, so that you can really exchange ideas with the people in the communities you are visiting, if you don't speak Spanish.

I can help you plan an itinerary that includes these memorable experiences of Costa Rican indigenous culture. And because BriBri Pa Kaneblo and El Descanso are owned by their communities, you can be sure that your money goes right to the people.

Don Eliecer took us up to a hilltop, the sacred place from which the Salitre BriBri can view the high Talamanca mountains, home to most of the indigenous tribes of Costa Rica,

He took a stick and drew the two triangles that explain the BriBri cosmology, two triangles connected at their bases to form a diamond shape, the two worlds with their different levels of manifestation. Even though the high mountains separate the BriBri of Yorkín and Kekoldi on the Atlantic, from the Salitre BriBri near Buenos Aires, close to the Pacific, they share the same legends and cosmology.

Preserving Costa Rican indigenous culture at BriBri Pa Kaneblo

After we took a turn at using the heavy rock to grind corn, the elders at BriBri Pa Kaneblo took us to a beautiful spot in the forest that has been traditionally used for purification ceremonies, especially for mothers and newborn babies.

BriBri Pa Kaneblo is in the BriBri Salitre Indigenous Territory near Buenos Aires, in Costa Rica's southern zone. When we visited there in February 2010, the elders greeted us in their native language and took us on a walk through their rainforest reserve, telling us the uses of the plants, and showing us native customs along the way.
In order to prove themselves ready for marriage, young men have to find a huge, flat rock for grinding corn, and carry it to their new home.
We all got a chance to grind moist corn kernels on the grinding stone, and got to taste the results of our efforts (the stone is heavy!) after lunch, when we sipped a warm corn atol (corn made into a sweet, soupy porridge).

Getting to Tortuguero on the public boat from La Pavona

I took the back way to Tortuguero, down the Río La Suerte. I actually like this route more than the trip from Caño Blanco or Moín, which the bigger hotels use. It is also a lot less expensive, because it's the way local residents get back and forth from Tortguero.
You take the 9 a.m. bus to Cariari from the Caribe Terminal in San José. The San José-Cariari trip takes about 2.5 hours. When you get to Cariari, walk about 4 blocks down the main street to get to the local bus terminal and catch the 12 noon bus to La Pavona. The 2700 colones that you pay gets you two tickets: one for the bus to La Pavona and one for the boat to Tortuguero. The Cariari-La Pavona bus ride takes about an hour and a half. The boat waits until the bus gets there. At the Río La Suerte is a still-under-construction building where there are bathrooms, etc. The boats are covered and quite comfortable.
Do not bring big luggage on these boats. You can leave your major luggage at your hotel in San José. Anything that you cannot have at your feet on on your lap will be piled on the front of the boat, and they do not seem to be that concerned about whether it will fall off or not.
The trip is pretty, down the winding Río La Suerte. It gets more jungly as you near the National Park. The boat trip takes about an hour.
Cariari-La Pavona buses leave daily at 7 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m. The Hotel Sura is a nice place to stay right across from the Plaza in Cariari. Return boats leave from Tortuguero at 6 a.m., 11:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. to go to Pavona. Buses to Cariari meet the boats.
There is another boat that leaves from La Geest, but you have to go through a banana plantation and it's more complicated. You also have to walk through this disinfectant solution before you can enter the plantation.
Boats from Moín, Limón's port, cost about $35 or $40 per person as opposed to about $5 from Cariari.
Miss Junie's is definitely the most pleasant place to stay in Tortuguero village. It is the only hotel that has a park-like area in front of it, so there is a nice view of the waterway from the hotel. Miss Junie's cooking is famous, and she has a breezy restaurant, also with a nice view of the water. The new, wood-paneled rooms on the second floor of the hotel are also pleasant.

Here is an example of how communities, conservation and ecotourism are working together in the high mountains of Costa Rica. If you are interested in hiking, trekking, volunteering, recycling, or just spending time in a beautiful mountain community at very affordable rates, read on.
Find out more about our customized ecotours and travel planning advice.

INNOVATIVE COMMUNITIES: COOPESAVEGRE, PRESERVING THE BEAUTY OF PROVIDENCIA
In 1998 the Government of Spain launched a far-sighted program to preserve the watershed of the Savegre River, deemed one of the purest rivers in Latin America. The extensive oak forests of Alto Savegre had long been familiar to the Spanish as the source of the oaken casks used to age their famous wines. Most of the campesinos who lived in the high forests made their living from turning ancient oaks into charcoal, until the Costa Rican govenment stopped the practice in the 1970s.
Around the turn of the century, a Spanish delegation visited 36 communities from the river´s headwaters in Providencia down to where the Savegre meets the sea south of Manuel Antonio National Park. They built simple suspended bridges to help people get around in this steep, mountainous area, and trained many campesinos to be environmental advocates.
Today these efforts are bearing fruit as many of their trainees manifest their commitment to this beautiful river in a number of interesting projects throughout the watershed. Two of them are described here. This is one of the few regions in Costa Rica that is actively working on a zoning plan. Restaurante Las Cascadas del Savegre (2226-6376, coope_savegre@yahoo.com) serves well-prepared fresh trout as part of a elegant four-course meal. The welcoming exterior decorated with hanging flower baskets and the clean design of the interior are unexpected in this isolated mountain village. Owner Juan Francisco Aguero takes off his chef´s hat and leads you on a short, fascinating tour of Providencia, to see the ecologically-run coffee processing plant, the waterfalls in the crystalline river, and La Piedra, the cave where the first campesino settlers stayed after discovering this glorious area. The tour, lodging and three great meals cost around $50-$60/person.
Albergüe Las Cascadas, about a kilometer down the road are simple and clean rooms ($20/person, including breakfast, contact info above). They rent a new 2-bedroom house for $60-$70.
Armonía Ambiental ((shared baths, heated water, $40/person including meals and tour, 2226-6376, coope_savegre@yahoo.com) has fantastic views of 14 mountains and the rich oak forests of Parque Nacional Los Quetzales. For breakfast, Doña Noire serves artistic arrangements of the great variety of tropical fruits grown on her farm. When we were there, calalillies were in bloom and lent a touch of elegance to the humble charm of her dining area. Accommodations are in her home or in a new cabin up the hill with great views.
Creative recycling: In this pristine mountain village, as in most gorgeous rural areas, there is no garbage disposal facility. Doña Noire addresses this problem with creativity and enthusiasm. She and her family stuff plastic soda bottles with more plastic, and use them as building materials. She makes planters out of old bleach bottles and washing machine innards. She builds garden terraces out of tin cans, Even though villagers bring her all their discards, she can´t find enough garbage to satisfy her creative ideas. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Volunteers are welcome at Armonia Ambiental, as are vegetarians. The family can take you on hikes or horseback rides in the forest above their farm. Armonía Ambiental is located a couple of bumpy kilometers beyond Restaurante Las Cascadas.
SAVEGRE TREK: Coopesavegre (2226-6376, info@coopesavegre.com) can take you on a 6-day, 5-night trek starting on the páramo at 11,350 feet above sea level and hiking down to San Gerardo (7150 feet). The next day you hike to Providencia (5688 feet). The third day has an 8-hour hike up to 6250 feet, descending to La Chaqueta at 2300 feet, The fourth night is spent at El Brujo Tent Camp at 800 feet. On the fifth night you arrive at El Silencio before marching into the sea at Playa El Rey, part of Manuel Antonio National Park on day six. The trip can also be done by horseback. The whole 6-day trek costs about $400/person including naturalist guide, lodging and meals, and offers many opportunities for birding, fantastic vistas, refreshing dips in the river, and visiting communities along the way. You have to be in good shape to do this rigorous by rewarding trek.
To enjoy these adventures on your own, it is best if you speak Spanish. Or see www.keytocostarica.com. We can provide you with excellent bilingual naturalist guides and drivers.

Phoning Costa Rica and free map offer

Some practical information here:

Problems phoning Costa Rica? Telephone numbers in Costa Rica changed this year from seven to eight digits. Many websites have not been updated yet.
If you are trying to call Costa Rica directly, first dial the access code and area codes: 011 506, then add a 2 to any number that begins with 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9 (land lines).
Add an 8 before any number that begins with a 3 or an 8 (cell phones).

Examples: if a number in your guidebook or on a website is 645-5223, you would dial 011 506 2645-5223.
If a number is 397-3489, you would dial 8397-3489.

Excellent free Costa Rica map: When you buy the current edition of The New Key to Costa Rica at mapcr.com you get a free copy of their excellent waterproof map! This is the most complete and accurate Costa Rica map we have found. It shows roads to out-of-the-way places, and enlarged street maps for popular destinations like San José, Escazú, Alajuela, Heredia, the Central Valley, Monteverde and Santa Elena, Manuel Antonio and Quepos, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Puerto Jiménez, Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna, with hotel, restaurant and activity locations in each place. Amazing! It was created by a pair of very savvy cartographers who first toured the country by bicycle on their honeymoon and have gone on to provide a map like no other.

Introduction
I've been writing and updating The New Key to Costa Rica since 1982, when I inherited it from my mother, Jean Wallace. When the book became a best seller in 1989, I was afraid that it might be aiding and abetting the destruction of the natural wonders it was extolling. So, with co-author Anne Becher, and the help of many other people, we developed a system that rated lodgings on their commitment to conservation, to preserving local cultures and fostering local economies. As far as I know, it was the first “green rating” to be published in a guidebook.
A rating system similar to ours was adopted by the Costa Rican government in 1998 and has developed over the years. It is called the Certificación de Sostenibilidad Turística (CST). After the CST became established, I stopped including our Sustainable Ecotourism Survey in the book, because the government system was making people and businesses more aware of sustainable practices and they had a lot more resources than I did.
In the last ten years, the Small Grants Program of the Global Environmental Facility has funded campesino and indigenous conservation organizations all over the world to build their own ecolodges and create trails and other nature tourism attractions within their forest reserves. These destinations represent what I had always wanted to see in Costa Rican tourism: locally-owned lodges that preserve natural resources, provide great adventures, and give visitors a chance to meet real Costa Rican campesino conservationists. Now I feature these lodges in my book. In addition to practicing conservation and sustainable practices, they are owned by community organizations. The lodges that have made the highest ratings on the CST are often owned by non-Costa Ricans. Since the issue of land tenure is crucial all over Latin America, I felt it was important to bring travelers' awareness of this new phenomenon which offers the possibility of supplementing farm income, while providing authentic ecotourism experiences.
The community ecolodges that had been funded by the Small Grants Program banded together in 2001 to form ACTUAR, the Costa Rican Association for Rural Tourism. I have formed an alliance with ACTUAR in which I use the knowledge and reader trust that I have developed over the 26 years that I have written and updated The New Key to Costa Rica, to familiarize tourists with the benefits of community-based tourism. In addition to featuring ACTUAR member destinations in The New Key, ACTUAR and I have collaborated to make this unique form of travel more accessible to visitors.
The first idea was for me to lead groups to visit ACTUAR destinations. I gathered the first “pilot” group together in 2003 and led two other tours in 2004. By the end of 2004, ACTUAR started hiring excellent bilingual naturalist guide/drivers, and I started planning customized itineraries for the many readers and web browsers who contact me for travel planning advice. I am now the North American sales representative for ACTUAR and I answer their 800 number in the US. People who contacted me for travel planning advice have generated over $250,000 in income for ACTUAR over the last year and a half. That income allows ACTUAR to serve as an interface between the communities and tourists, and provides income for ACTUAR members and their families.
I am currently working on the 19th edition of The New Key to Costa Rica, published by Ulysses Press in Berkeley, California. Information from my latest research trip to Costa Rica will appear on this blog.

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