Summer’s here and it’s rainy season in Costa Rica. But while a few rainy afternoons might keep some travelers away, there are plenty of reasons to put a Costa Rica trip on the list of great summer getaways. 1. Prime Turtle Time From late March to late August sea turtles make their way to Costa Rica’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts to lay their eggs. May, June & July offer excellent [...]
The boardwalk in La Paz’s Malecon district is ideal for strolling. And following our 5-day camping adventure in the sand and sun of Magdalena Bay, a day casually walking the boardwalk was welcomed. We were up early to try and beat the height of the afternoon heat — 9:30 AM and it was already in the mid-eighties. The kids had a handful of pesos burning a hole their pockets and [...]
I strolled the beach with my companions: a steaming cup of coffee and a groggy four-year-old Faye. It was our final morning at our Magdalena Bay campsite and Faye and I quietly walked the shoreline as the sun burned off the last of the early-morning clouds. Our stride was slow. There was no rush. We dipped our feet in the water, carved our names in the sand with our big-toes, [...]
Turtle monitoring begins! The camp buzzed with energy. The turtle monitoring was a much anticipated highlight of our Baja camping adventure and the Conway family was anxious to get up-close with the region’s black sea turtles. This monitoring program is part of Grupo Tortuguero‘s community and sea turtle conservation project — the information gathered provides data on health, migration patterns and habitat use of sea turtles in Magdalena Bay. Leading [...]
We were in our kayaks by 11:00 am. Paddle-talk included insight from our guides, Charo & Nolberto, on the ecological make-up of mangroves, the local fishing industry, as well as an animated conversation about our overnight coyote visit. Our tents provided the perfect place for dew to gather, and a few thirsty four-legged friends provided the most unique wake-up call I’ve ever encountered. After breakfast, four curious coyotes reappeared at [...]
The roadside Ranchero’s decor showcases intricate hand-crafted saddles, as well as a hodge-podge of attic-items including the stuffed head of a koala-deer (a stuffed koala bear head with antlers). We stopped at the family-owned Ranchero for breakfast on our way from La Paz to Lopez. This three-hour drive crosses the Baja Peninsula and our stop was perfectly timed to help break-up the drive, fill our stomachs and get to know [...]
It was by lucky circumstance that our guide, Pedro, was joining us for more of our Mexico travels and we were delighted to have his companionship in Balandra Bay. An easy 25 minute drive from La Paz, the Bay is a fantastic place to do a little sunning and sea kayaking and this is exactly what we had in store. But the wind was a bit of a show-off that [...]
We had a solid sleep after yesterday’s long day of travel & transfers. Everyone rose bright-eyed and we were downstairs to meet our driver, Jorge, in the hotel lobby by 8:15 am sharp. Our agenda today was a private trip to Espiritu Santo Island and snorkeling with sea lions at the island’s Los Islotes. Called The Pearl of Cortez, this beautiful rocky island with a spiritual name is a little [...]
The Conway family is packed and ready and headed to Baja! Nine-months of anticipation has finally come to an end and I now fully appreciate the insight I had to plan early to address those items that weren’t on my original packing-list: new passports, cancelled & re-scheduled flights, pre-excused school absence letters and snorkeling lessons. I kept perspective by reviewing the details of our awesome itinerary and daydreaming over fantastic [...]
Adventure Life is celebrating Earth Day by planting trees. You should join us! CLICK HERE to plant your tree. One entry = one tree. The more entries the more trees planted, so tell your friends. And to show our gratitude, three lucky entrants will each win a $100 prAna gift card. You deserve it! Your tree will be planted on the northern slopes of Ecuador’s Rumiñahui Volcano in Hacienda El [...]
