Papagayo and Iguanita
- Capt. Eric
- Mar 14
- 5 min read
We adjusted the engine RPMs to make sure we could meet our ETA in Papagayo Marina, the first touch of Costa Rica so the authorities wouldn't wait for us.
Checking in Costa Rica can be done by the Captain and crew directly, visiting the various authorities as needed, but that means leaving the boat at anchor for a whole day, going from office to office, getting a taxi to the airport to visit immigration.
For us, with Princess being very anxious if left alone in an anchorage, we decided we'd use the services of a professional agent instead, who'd arrange for the authorities to meet us at the marina.
An expensive service, at US$650, but it made our entry much easier and faster. The agent had collected all the necessary paperwork, with the correct number of duplicates and triplicates, and 15 minutes later we were legally in, including Princess who had to show all her vaccinations and international documents.
A lifesaver with a dog, especially after a long overnight passage.
Papagayo is one of those "super yacht" marinas, nicknamed "Papacash" by a few cruisers. Everything is expensive, in a beautiful setting on a privatized peninsula hiding luxury hotels and eco lodges in a lush protected natural reserve. Rooms in some of the hotels there were going for more than $2,000 a night. The most expensive house for sale on the peninsula is currently up for sale at a cool 32 million US$.
There are a couple of shops in the marina, at prices to match the real estate and the super yachts. I'd estimate everything is 2 to 3 times more expensive than in California.
On arrival I grabbed a medium pack of Lays chips marked at 975, which I though was in the local currency. As soon as my credit card beeped I realized my error. I'd just bought a US$9.75 medium sized bag of chips!
Later we saw eggs at almost US$1 a piece and more crazy prices better suited to super yachts than normal cruisers.
We'd initially thought about only spending a few days, using the Ocean Posse discount, but had to extend our stay a little longer as I needed a quick trip "home" to Livingston to sort out Social Security matters.
The marina grounds are beautiful, and the crew very friendly, but our favorite part was seeing wildlife up close and personal. Capuchin and howler monkeys invariably came out before sunset, only a few feet away from pedestrian paths.
The marina is an easy 25 minutes drive from an International airport in Liberia, allowing for an easy trip back to Houston with direct flights. The concierge arranged a car for me, and for the duration of the trip, I felt like being back in time when I used to travel all the time at a moment's notice.
The trip was uneventful, both flights on time, and the paperwork successfully and promptly filed in the right office. I grabbed a burger on Livingston Lake before turning around to get back to cruising!
On my return, our agent provided us with a "national zarpe", the document allowing us to cruise Costa Rica. Having learned from our Mexican experience, I chose our destination as the port we'd likely check out from in Golfito. That way we could stop along the way if we felt like it, but will always have a correct zarpe to take to Golfito without having to go through bureaucracy.
As nice as being in a luxury marina is, it's not really our vibe, and we couldn't wait to get out. We decided to go nearby, in front of Playa Iguanita, another natural reserve with a huge beach and a mangrove lined river.
The anchorage was very well protected from the Papagayo winds that blow strongly almost every day. Even in Papagayo blows the waters stayed flat. Better, we had almost no other boats around us, save for a few tourist pangas dropping surfers on the river break for a few hours.
With a huge beach all to ourselves, and clear warm waters, it felt like we were living in a cruiser's day dream. At night we could sit on deck and listen to howling monkeys growling away.
One of those places that we really enjoy and tend to stay at and enjoy for as long as we want. That's really what Enfin was made for!
Life at anchorage was only interrupted by a short trip to nearby El Coco: we anchored in front of the town, disembarked by tender -a sporty affair in moderate surf-, went shopping and promptly returned back to our favorite anchorage.
We hadn't bought fresh vegetables and fruits since Nicaragua, and were running out of other essentials too.
Life at anchor like we enjoy it. Long walks on the beach, and swims and Princess playing and being excited by the overwhelming nature all around us.
Every evening, monkeys would gather in trees close to the river, and twice we got to see tiny baby howler monkeys being carried on the back of their small mothers. Magical moments, that we just took in with big grins on our faces.
The mangrove where fresh and saltwater mix, harbors life in amazing quantities. Up to crocodiles, with big signs telling us not to swim there, and not feed them. Of course, walking Princess too close could be tempting, so we kept a very clear distance to the danger and kept Princess away.
The park services arranged a number of controlled burns around us. We made sure to stay out of the smoke. To our amazement -having lived in countries where forest fires are very destructive- the fires didn't spread, and only burned the dry ground vegetation, leaving the taller trees and bushes intact.
That made for a different night time spectacle, and we were happy to see our favorite monkeys back in their trees the next days.
Looking at the calendar we realized we probably needed to get moving to have enough time to spend in the rest of Costa Rica and Panama before my end of May flight to France.
Goodbye Iguanita! Yet another place we'll keep memories of long after we stop cruising.
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