Costa Rica first timers trip - help us plan! (3 Viewers)

[Akhil O]

Hello fellow birders,

I'm super excited to go to a dream destination, and spending 11 days in Costa Rica with my wife. It'll be a very wildlife focused trip, on not a very high budget, so I'm trying to plan this well (without a guided full trip), so we can enjoy other activities as well.

Can you please look at this itinerary and give advise? Spots to go, local guides for each spot etc?

Also, has anyone seen manakins dance? Obsessed with seeing the little buggers perform.
10Feb
Land in San Jose
8.40pm, first night
Stay in San Jose and stay near airport (not booked)



11 feb
Cinchona Cafe garden
selva verde Lodge check in
Afternoon tour La Selva biological station
Night tour La Selva biological station



12
Donda Cope garden morning tour
Nectar and pollen reserve
Braulio rainforest adventures/tapirus lodge tour


13
La selva biological station morning tour
Checkout
Selva Verde Lodge trails
Drive to Arenal in the evening
Check-in to Arenal area hotel (booked)


14
Mistico hanging bridges morning tour
La fortuna waterfall
Bogarin trail afternoon tour



15
Rio celeste waterfall
Observatory Lodge trails


16
Arenal observatory Lodge area trails (tour)
Hot springs
Drive to Monteverde in afternoon
Check in to Monteverde(booked)
Curi Cancha night tour

17
Curi Cancha morning tour
Monteverde butterfly garden
Cloud forest evening

18
Monteverde cloud forest early morning tour
Drive to carara
Check in to carara hotel (not booked)


19
Carara NP tour

20
Carara NP or Manuel Antonio NP


21
Drive to San Jose and fly out in the afternoon


Thank you!

 

[njlarsen]

Several years ago when i visited, I could easily use two days in Carara.
Niels

 

[Aditideshp]

Hello fellow birders,

I'm super excited to go to a dream destination, and spending 11 days in Costa Rica with my wife. It'll be a very wildlife focused trip, on not a very high budget, so I'm trying to plan this well (without a guided full trip), so we can enjoy other activities as well.

Can you please look at this itinerary and give advise? Spots to go, local guides for each spot etc?

Also, has anyone seen manakins dance? Obsessed with seeing the little buggers perform.
10Feb
Land in San Jose
8.40pm, first night
Stay in San Jose and stay near airport (not booked)



11 feb
Cinchona Cafe garden
selva verde Lodge check in
Afternoon tour La Selva biological station
Night tour La Selva biological station



12
Donda Cope garden morning tour
Nectar and pollen reserve
Braulio rainforest adventures/tapirus lodge tour


13
La selva biological station morning tour
Checkout
Selva Verde Lodge trails
Drive to Arenal in the evening
Check-in to Arenal area hotel (booked)


14
Mistico hanging bridges morning tour
La fortuna waterfall
Bogarin trail afternoon tour



15
Rio celeste waterfall
Observatory Lodge trails


16
Arenal observatory Lodge area trails (tour)
Hot springs
Drive to Monteverde in afternoon
Check in to Monteverde(booked)
Curi Cancha night tour

17
Curi Cancha morning tour
Monteverde butterfly garden
Cloud forest evening

18
Monteverde cloud forest early morning tour
Drive to carara
Check in to carara hotel (not booked)


19
Carara NP tour

20
Carara NP or Manuel Antonio NP


21
Drive to San Jose and fly out in the afternoon


Thank you!

Hello Akhil,

Our interests are similar. Thanks for the broad itinerary.

We are also looking for local Guides!

Let's wait for more inputs.

Aditi

 

[Andy Adcock]

At Curi Cancha and Monteverde, try and get hold of David Rodriguez, he's extremely good and a very nice guy.

Hope you're lucky at Cinchona, it was absolutely full, of Chinese photographers the last time we tried to get in.

 

[Aditideshp]

At Curi Cancha and Monteverde, try and get hold of David Rodriguez, he's extremely good and a very nice guy.

Hope you're lucky at Cinchona, it was absolutely full, of Chinese photographers the last time we tried to get in.

Thanks, Andy.

Do you/anyone in the group have his contact number/email?

KR

Aditi

 

[Aditideshp]

Several years ago when i visited, I could easily use two days in Carara.
Niels

Thank You Niels!

 

[Andy Adcock]

Thanks, Andy.

Do you/anyone in the group have his contact number/email?

KR

Aditi

I have a phone number, not sure if it's current

+506 8882 0144

 

[Aditideshp]

I have a phone number, not sure if it's current

+506 8882 0144

Thank you so much, Andy.

I will try.

 

[Aditideshp]

I have dropped a WhatsApp message. Let's hope his number remains the same.

Thanks again, Andy.

 

[Elkhornsun]

Hello fellow birders,

I'm super excited to go to a dream destination, and spending 11 days in Costa Rica with my wife. It'll be a very wildlife focused trip, on not a very high budget, so I'm trying to plan this well (without a guided full trip), so we can enjoy other activities as well.

Can you please look at this itinerary and give advise? Spots to go, local guides for each spot etc?

Also, has anyone seen manakins dance? Obsessed with seeing the little buggers perform.
10Feb
Land in San Jose
8.40pm, first night
Stay in San Jose and stay near airport (not booked)



11 feb
Cinchona Cafe garden
selva verde Lodge check in
Afternoon tour La Selva biological station
Night tour La Selva biological station



12
Donda Cope garden morning tour
Nectar and pollen reserve
Braulio rainforest adventures/tapirus lodge tour


13
La selva biological station morning tour
Checkout
Selva Verde Lodge trails
Drive to Arenal in the evening
Check-in to Arenal area hotel (booked)


14
Mistico hanging bridges morning tour
La fortuna waterfall
Bogarin trail afternoon tour



15
Rio celeste waterfall
Observatory Lodge trails


16
Arenal observatory Lodge area trails (tour)
Hot springs
Drive to Monteverde in afternoon
Check in to Monteverde(booked)
Curi Cancha night tour

17
Curi Cancha morning tour
Monteverde butterfly garden
Cloud forest evening

18
Monteverde cloud forest early morning tour
Drive to carara
Check in to carara hotel (not booked)


19
Carara NP tour

20
Carara NP or Manuel Antonio NP


21
Drive to San Jose and fly out in the afternoon


Thank you!

On average plan on driving at 35 mph from one place to the next. In the towns there are no street signs or addresses and often the locals cannot provide good directions through a town as they take the bus. Best to plan on staying the first night and the last night at one of the airport hotels. The Hampton inn is within walking distance of several car rental agencies (recommend Budget). Easy to take the airport shuttle to and from the hotel and much easier to make a departure time when you spend the night within a 10 minute shuttle ride from the terminal.

No need to have Costa Rican currency and do not plan on using large denominations whichl will need to be cashed at a bank. I take $1 and $5 bills to use for tips and put everything else on a credit card. I get a new credit card when I return so easier to spot unauthorized use.

 

[Aditideshp]

On average plan on driving at 35 mph from one place to the next. In the towns there are no street signs or addresses and often the locals cannot provide good directions through a town as they take the bus. Best to plan on staying the first night and the last night at one of the airport hotels. The Hampton inn is within walking distance of several car rental agencies (recommend Budget). Easy to take the airport shuttle to and from the hotel and much easier to make a departure time when you spend the night within a 10 minute shuttle ride from the terminal.

No need to have Costa Rican currency and do not plan on using large denominations whichl will need to be cashed at a bank. I take $1 and $5 bills to use for tips and put everything else on a credit card. I get a new credit card when I return so easier to spot unauthorized use.

These are very useful tips, Elkhornsun.

Appreciate your courtesy.

KR

Aditi

 

[njlarsen]

There are several maps for your phone that can help with traveling through the towns, and some of them are available offline. I use Maps.me, not because I know it’s the best, but because I have used it for a long time and have not evaluated alternatives.
Niels

 

[Aditideshp]

There are several maps for your phone that can help with traveling through the towns, and some of them are available offline. I use Maps.me, not because I know it’s the best, but because I have used it for a long time and have not evaluated alternatives.
Niels

Thank you Njlarsen.

Aditi

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hello fellow birders,

I'm super excited to go to a dream destination, and spending 11 days in Costa Rica with my wife. It'll be a very wildlife focused trip, on not a very high budget, so I'm trying to plan this well (without a guided full trip), so we can enjoy other activities as well.

Can you please look at this itinerary and give advise? Spots to go, local guides for each spot etc?

Also, has anyone seen manakins dance? Obsessed with seeing the little buggers perform.
10Feb
Land in San Jose
8.40pm, first night
Stay in San Jose and stay near airport (not booked)



11 feb
Cinchona Cafe garden
selva verde Lodge check in
Afternoon tour La Selva biological station
Night tour La Selva biological station



12
Donda Cope garden morning tour
Nectar and pollen reserve
Braulio rainforest adventures/tapirus lodge tour


13
La selva biological station morning tour
Checkout
Selva Verde Lodge trails
Drive to Arenal in the evening
Check-in to Arenal area hotel (booked)


14
Mistico hanging bridges morning tour
La fortuna waterfall
Bogarin trail afternoon tour



15
Rio celeste waterfall
Observatory Lodge trails


16
Arenal observatory Lodge area trails (tour)
Hot springs
Drive to Monteverde in afternoon
Check in to Monteverde(booked)
Curi Cancha night tour

17
Curi Cancha morning tour
Monteverde butterfly garden
Cloud forest evening

18
Monteverde cloud forest early morning tour
Drive to carara
Check in to carara hotel (not booked)


19
Carara NP tour

20
Carara NP or Manuel Antonio NP


21
Drive to San Jose and fly out in the afternoon


Thank you!

My own opinion is that this is far too much for eleven days, we took a month to do a lot of this.

Anyone interested can have our report (2017) by letting me have your e-mail address.

There are several maps for your phone that can help with traveling through the towns, and some of them are available offline. I use Maps.me, not because I know it’s the best, but because I have used it for a long time and have not evaluated alternatives.
Niels

Most car hire companies will give you satnav now and WAYZ, negotiated us through the centre of San Jose with no problems and without having to use any kind of map. I'd concentrate on either the South or the North or there will just be too much time, wasted in driving.

 

[PeterBird]

WAYZ, negotiated us through the centre

I agree about the Waze app. Although I have used Maps.me in other countries, it let me down several times in Costa Rica. The only drawback of Waze is that you can use it offline while driving , but in order to do so you need to configure your route with an active internet connection beforehand.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I agree about the Waze app. Although I have used Maps.me in other countries, it let me down several times in Costa Rica. The only drawback of Waze is that you can use it offline while driving , but in order to do so you need to configure your route with an active internet connection beforehand.

I can't remember having to do that, we just put map coordinates for each place, in the device and it did the rest?

 

[jurek]

I used Mapfactor Navigator app in Costa Rica. Free and OK. Every app sometimes chooses a strange route, so look at traffic signs too.

Agreed that traffic in Costa Rica is really slow, ca 50-60 km/h. Roads are full of very slow lorries. I had an unpleasant incident when renting a car at Budget, they guy tried to force me into buying full CDV insurance (a common scam, it is covered by private liability insurance and usually even by the credit card).

The book Lawson, "Where to watch birds in Costa Rica" contained all the site info, and even example itineraries and times. I used booking.com to book hotels with wifi, usually hotels a little bit off the beaten track are cheaper and often better and quieter.

You will like it, it is a very birdy and tourist-friendly country.

 

[ERbirds]

It is a lot to do in 11 days, but these are all great places! If you don't mind all the moving around you will enjoy.
In the Monteverde area, Esteban Mendez is an excellent guide for birding and wildlife -- knows the refuges so well and is great at spotting birds and super friendly! Monteverde, Costa Rica Birding Tours with Esteban Mendez

I would probably skip Manuel Antonio and have the extra day at Carara, Monteverde, or Arenal. There are reliable places around Arenal to see sloths if that's important to you -- ask local guides for recent info