Costa Rica Travel Forum

My boyfriend and I would like to go from Cahuita to Sixaola/Bocas del Toro, do we have to go to Limon to catch the bus to Sixaola or is there a bus that stops in Cahuita to Sixaola?
Can someone help us please?

My husband and I will be in Costa Rica from Nov 21-29. We are flying in and out of San Jose. We would like to do as much as we can in the short week we will be there. We are planning on renting a car. I would appreciate any suggestions on places to visit, tours to take, car rental agencies, and hotels to stay at.

Thanks,
Elena

I'll be spending 2 weeks in Grecia with a social worker program and have 1 completely open weekend. The excursions they offer don't really appeal to me for a number of reasons, I figured I could find something that would suit me better for just as much or less money.

Any ideas? My Spanish is mediocre (I think I could navigate a possible language barrier), I'm very easy to please and am looking for something along the lines of volcano climbing, ziplining, etc. I checked out this website (http://www.arenalmundoaventura.com/ing/aboutus.html) and it looks great but all of their programs seem to have a 2 person minimum, and I'm by myself. I leave this Saturday.

Thanks!

Will be staying with family, wife + 2 children 10 & 11 at Barcelo Playa Tamboe Resort beginning July 26th for 5 days. Does anyone know of a good tour guide to set up a Canopy Tour. I have seen several mentions of a fellow named OCTVIO or OCTAVIO but I do not have an email address for him. Anyone have good experience with local tours.

I am traveling into Liberia late July and want to visit several places, Arenal / Tamarindo, etc. (Places that aren't very close to eachother. I hear the roads can be dangerous. Should I rent a car or take shuttles / taxis everywhere? Also, should I book hotels in advance or is it fine to just book on the road?

I am arriving in Liberia with 3 friends at the end of July. We have 1 week to do it all. What is the best way to go?

A few years ago San Jose appeared to be a city with little crime; however today from what I am reading it has a high crime rate. Is Barrio Amon not a safe area to walk around at night anymore? How about Barrio Otoya? I am a guy traveling alone and enjoy staying in the heart of things so I can walk, have coffee or a beer in a cafe, people watch, etc. Doesn't take alot to please me! Was thinking 5 days there before going to the beach area. Thanks for any input.

hey guys,
I arrive 10am on August 1st at San Jose airport and we want to go directly to Liberia (or a beach town but that would be our main hub). How can we get from the airport to Liberia? Do we have to go into San Jose city and then connect to a bus or is there a bus from the airport going directly north-northwest?

thanks!

Hi all,

After lot of reading I'm finally there, my itinerary is pinned!!! Could you please be kind enough to post your comments & critics

Traveling from London, family of 4 (2 children 15 & 11) in CR from 01/08 to 18/08. I have only booked the 1st hotel in Osa & the last one in Arenal. We prefer to have the flexibility to either move on or take more time at some places. However I have "short listed" accommodation options along the way and mentionned the "preferred" ones.

Day 1 Arrive in SF, Sansa to Puerto Jimenez Osa Collect 4x4 at airport
Day 1 - 4 Stay at Ojo del Mar, corcovado, beach...
Day 4 -7 drive to Manuel Antonio explore the rain forest, hanging bridges, beaches..."La posada"
Day 7 Drive to Puntarenas take the ferry to Paquera drive to Curu Wildlife refuge "Curu Cabin"
Day 8 - 9 Curu and trip to Tortuga island
Day 10 Drive to playa Coyotte / San miguel. I understand the drive may be tricky and we would probably need to loop inland, we'll ask locally at the time but any comment on that part is welcomed.
Day 11-12 Playa Coyotte "Casa Calitas" or "Arca de Noe" (couldn't find a lot of reviews on the latest)
Day 13 Drive to Canas, visit Las Pumas. Again the beginning of the trip may be difficult drive. Then drive to Bijagua "La Carolina Lodge" (I'll book that one)
Day 14 Hike to Rio Celeste with a guide from la Carolina
Day 15 - 17 Drive to Arenal, "Arenal Observatory Lodge" Cloud forest, hot spring (got a better feeling about Eco Thermales, am I right), and volcanoe.
Day 18 Drive to SJ plane on the evening. We might venture the last day in SJ!!

Thanks for reading

Okay. I am accustomed to the humidity in Baltimore. However, a visit to the rainforest in the Baltimore Aquarium had the breath sucked out of me! I made an abrupt turnabout and never went back. Could I expect this same kind of "take your breath away" humidity in Costa Rica?

Also, I have difficulty breathing in elevations above 4000 ft. Would Costa Rica fall into this category?

I committed myself to a nine day vacation in January and am beginning to wonder if I will be able to stand the climate. I CAN, to a certain degree, adapt when necessary. However, I don't necessarily want to torture myself! I just want to go away and have fun.

Hi, I also posted question in San jose, my trip is in one week and this is our concern.

My wife and I booked package with Hilton Double tree in Puntarenas July 21.
We will arrive San Jose Int'l airport 7/21 11am.
We called the hotel regard shuttle.
But turns out our package do not include shuttle.
Hotel told us we must call in advance to arrange shuttle with this guy name Dimas for $80 one way to the hotel.
Wiki said $80 is minimum for all modes of transportation.
But that's crazy expensive.
Is there other way to travel from Sanjose airport to Puntarenas for cheap?
Safety is a concern too.

Thanks.

My wife and I booked package with Hilton Double tree in Puntarenas July 21.
We will arrive San Jose Int'l airport 7/21 11am.
We called the hotel regard shuttle.
But turns out our package do not include shuttle.
Hotel told us we must call in advance to arrange shuttle with this guy name Dimas for $80 one way to the hotel.
Wiki said $80 is minimum for all modes of transportation.
But that's crazy expensive.
Is there other way to travel from Sanjose airport to Puntarenas for cheap?
Safety is a concern too.
Thanks.

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new here so please be kind! I would very much appreciate everyone's advice or information on our travel, and I've also got a few questions...

So 2 friends and I are planning a 2-week trip to Costa Rica in late August / early September (27 Aug to 10 Sep). We have already booked a rental car (Nissan Xterra 4x4) and the first 3 nights of our hotel stay (Doubletree hilton in San Jose).

We are debating whether or not to book the remainder of the hotels in advance, or try to go to Costa Rica and just book everything there and then. Does anyone have any experiences of doing either of these, or maybe a combination of both? What advice would you recommend?

What are the general costs of activities? For example, we'd definitely like to do things like zip-lining in the rainforest, white water rafting, bungee jumping (would you recommend against this- safety concerns?), atv-riding, partying, etc..

Also, I've read in several places that the weather is typically wet this time of year. We've decided to spend most of our time on the Pacific Coast and on or near the Nicoya peninsula. Does anyone know what the weather is really like around early September? Is it generally humid?

Any thoughts / feedback is most welcome!

Many thanks!
Neil

I am leaving for Costa Rica in August. We will be arriving on the 7th and departing on the 18th. The following is a sample itinerary. Is it practical? Is there anything I should omit? Anything I should move around? Please Help!!

August 7-San Jose to Arenal

August 8-Arenal

August 9-Arenal

August 10-Arenal to Monteverde

August 11-Monteverde

August 12-Monteverde to Manuel Antonio

August 13-Manuel Antonio

August 14-Manuel Antonio to San Jose

August 15-San Jose to Tortuguero

August 16-Tortuguero

August 17-Tortuguero to San Jose

August 18-San Jose to Chicago

Thanks in Advance

Hi,

Has anyone recently stayed in Curu?
We are a family of 4 with 2 children aged 15 and 11 and I'm planning to spend 2 nights at the refuge (beginning of August) to enjoy the reserve and a trip to Isla Tortuga.
I understand the cabins are very rustic there and I don't like the idea of creepy crawlies taking our bodies for a plying field at night!!
So how "bad" is it? Will we need a mosquito net or a different accommodation?!

Thank you for any advice.

Hi,

For the past two years I've dragged my family to Spain (and Italy and France) for completely unplanned holidays. We just rent a car, head for the coast and find cabanas on the beach. Parts of the trips end up feeling like the Amazing Race, but we've never run out luck (meaning we've always found a place to stay, even if at 1 a.m.).

We are economically challenged and prefer beach front cabanas (or cabinas) with kitchens on our vacations. We shop locally and do our own meals. Meaning CHEAPER is better, as long as it's decent and has a kitchen.

My questions:

Is the same thing possible in Costa Rica?

We would be coming in the third week of August and staying for three weeks.

Places I'm considering are:

1 - Sol y Mar, Playa Zancundo (right near the Panama border.)

2 - Bejuco Beach Bungalow - Esterillos, Costa Rica (seems to be mid coast).

3 - Or just sort of tromping around along the coast near Liberia.

Any recommendations?

Regardless, we'd be renting a car (yes, I've heard the driving is scary - but I've driven through Rome and gone 4x4-ing in the BC bush and survived both!)

good day guyz, im kris from Davao i want to ask help im filipina i want to go costa rica for vactaion what are thr requirements aisde from passport? help me plss

I want to Rent a car at San Jose and drive around Northern Cost Rica before returning car back to San Jose. Does anybody know if I will be allowed to cross the Nicaraguan border with a Costa Rica Rental Car?

Hi,
Can anyone tell me what is the best route to go from Curu to Playa Coyotte and how long would the drive be during rainy season (around 10th august)
From there i will then need to travel to Las Canas, again what is the best route and driving time.

Many thanks

Hello everyone!
Im new, be nice;)
Now, im planning on a trip to Costa Rica at the end of September. Will probably stay for about a week. Want to try surfing and do a ton of exploring and of course lazing around on the beach. Now, im looking for anyone else who may be going solo or may be travelling to CR at the same time.
Im a super laid-back girl,like to drink and of course i should mention im used to travelling independently. if anyone would like to meet up and/or show me the sweet spots, drop me a line.
Thanks !

hey everyone,

so i'm going to costa rica august 22-sept 5. i might be solo or I might be with one of my mates. either way, i'm up for some adventurous stuff. i definitely want to go surfing, hiking, zip-lining, etc...

part of me thinks i might as well just skip the caribbean coast, and just see the west coast and things between there and San Jose. one of my friends said that Monteverde is not that cool, is this true? what bout arenal and Manuel Antonio?

does anyone have a good itinerary for about 12 days of travel?

thanks

Hi,

Another question from me!

will be in costa Rica 5th October 2008 for 1 month
I really want to watch a football match - i see there is a round of world cup qualifiers planned for october 2008 - does anyone know if Costa Rica will be playing at home in this round? if so who? and dates? also info on football in CR tickets etc would help!!

thanks

Dan

I am leaving on Sunday for Costa Rica. I will be staying in San Jose and Heredia for 6 weeks and I don't know what or how much to pack!

Can someone please give me some advice for the type of clothing I should be packing!

I feel like I should bring a lot of tanks because it is summer (here) but it is their rainy season, so I'm a little confused on what to bring. It says the temperature is in the 70s and 80s, but is it really windy?

Also, if I'm not staying in a hotel (I will be in an apartment for four weeks and a homestay for two weeks) is there places where I can get my laundry done? Or should I plan in advance and have a lot of clothing? I know that I always over pack and I really don't want to for this trip, since I'm there for so long.

Any advice/tips would be fantastic :)
Thanks so much!

Kristin

My wife and I plan a vacation in Costa Rica and wondered if we might also save some money by having dental work done there.
It is my first time here and I will also look around and see if this subject may have already been mentioned

Hello to everyone! My husband(a Us citizen) and I (Filipino citizen) planning to have a 2 weeks vacation preferrably to this place hopefully on august of this year. But I don't know if I can enter the Costa rica with/without entry tourist visa, I have a valid philippine passport. I am working in kuwait right now. In case I don't need a visa, what other requirements I needed to have with me to enter and stay for 2 weeks in Costa rica place.

Thanks a lot! Im happy to find this very informative and helpful site.

Luisa

Hi,

My roommate and I are thinking of traveling from San Jose Airport to Tamarindo on July 25th. There is a festival in Guanacaste that day so it should be a good time. It is possible to rent a Van for up to 8 people for $180 USD total. If anyone wants to join and split the costs, the more that come the cheaper it will be. We are two 25 year old males currently living in NYC, very normal I promise. Please let me know if you would be interested.

Thanks,

Doug

My wife and I and possibly one or 2 more couples will be going to costa rica in mid November. We were wondering what would be a good beach area to stay at as well as a nice upscale resort. We were looking at Tamarindo, but wanted to know what would be the best place to stay for a relaxing, romantic trip. If anyone has any insight please let me know, thank you very much.

i am planning a trip to costa rica, and would like to visit rara avis, la fortuna, montezuma and cahuita. all in the span of two weeks. is that crazy? can it be done?

is there a way to get to montezuma from la fortuna without traveling for an entire day, or without having to stay a night en route?

thanks for the help, the situation is getting dire.

I will be in Costa Rica from June22 through August2 and was wondering if anyone would want to travel with me on the weekends. I will be in Heredia (interning at an orphanage) the last four weeks and at the University of Coronado (studying spanish) the first two weeks. Let me know if anyone would be up for this. I am a typical female college student: I love shopping, seeing wildlife, exploring new areas, etc. I have never been to Costa Rica so I am excited for everything.

If anyone will be in Costa Rica on these dates I am willing to travel anywhere in the country and possibly out of the country if I find the right person to travel with!

Looking for a guy or gal to head to central america with to go on a 5-10 day photography/wildlife trip. I went down there a few years ago and have some pictures but didn't get to all the spots I wanted to due to an incident on the trip. I would be content with just Costa Rica, or we can drive through a few different countries and just see where we end up. Backpacking is a possibility, but I have about 70 pounds of camera gear and thats kinda on issue leaving it anywhere.

I am 34, good in the wilderness (was a wild land fire fighter for 12 years).

Ideally looking for someone who can camp or hostel (would not be opposed to getting a few nice places if things got really rough).

If you are a photographer and you shoot Nikon, I have a 500MM f4 that I will be taking with me and three digital SLR cameras, as well as a a water housing and one underwater camera on top of that.


My dates are wide open right now and it does not have to be CR, just somewhere tropical in Central America that has LOTS of wildlife