aby

Hi
i'm taking an 80+ years old, prof' of botany on a Costa Rica tour.
Tortuguero is ok - we travel by boat
Corcovado ? - is there a possibility of going inside by boat?
since we can walk only very short walks would you suggest the drive from PJ to Carate or La Palma as a nice tour of the forest and other habitats?
or take the boat from DB to either station and walk slowly just a bit?
Monte Verde - can you recommend a lodge with immediate trails into the forest?
preferebly a lodge with a <b>naturalist guide</b> who can accompany us into the forest to talk about plants (thus walking very very slowly)
thanks
aby

RAC

Any lodge in Drake Bay can help with a guide and transport to Sirena. There are manageable trails through secondary forest. The primary forest, however, is steep.

volcanogirl

In Monteverde, it's easy to get taxis. You might just consider taking a taxi to the reserve. The trails are pretty easy there. We stayed at Fonda Vela which is one of the closest to the reserve and saw some wildlife on the property - some nice birds including a toucan and emerald toucanet. Also did a nice night hike at Hidden Valley where we saw a fox, a porcupine, sloth, coatis and some interesting insects.

costaricacoffee

Aby, pls be very careful because most of CR is not suitable for a person with limited mobility. One thing is what the law says and another one what the reality is.

I suggest you contact hotels directly and make sure they are truly friend to your friend's needs.

Also, be careful with the advise you get in these forums, a lot of times is from travel agents disguised as travelers. If you want to make sure the person is truly a fellow traveler, look up the nickname in other forums, if it repeats all over it is definitely an "interested party".

I want you to come to CR and enjoy it but the last thing we need, as a destination, is to get a bad review later because the trip was not an enjoyable one.

So, here is my advise: in Tortuguero, look for Tortuga lodge, beautiful gardens for a botanist and fully accessible. In Monteverde, look for Monteverde Lodge, he will only need to negotiate about 8 steps to reach the gardens. Both of these properties are in the higher end of CR and belong to CR Expeditions, a company known for its standards and the gardens are designed to be a botanist/birder's paradise. In Corcovado look for La Paloma but it has about 15 steps to reach the gardens. In monteverde you could also try Fondavela but not the entire hotel is as accessible as your friend needs it. make sure you specify the needs very clearly.

Good luck!

xelas

@costaricacoffee: "Also, be careful with the advise you get in these forums, a lot of times is from travel agents disguised as travelers. If you want to make sure the person is truly a fellow traveler, look up the nickname in other forums, if it repeats all over it is definitely an "interested party"."

OK, I confess, I am an "interested party". I became one in 2007 when I started to research for my first trip to Costa Rica. And became even more "interested party" after returning from that beautiful country having great time also due to many informations that I have received on this and other travel related forums. And after 6 years of hanging around, I can confirm that there are several posters using the same or similar nickname; yet, like me, they are interested only in sharing their vast (and me my limited) knowledge about CR. Yes, I do use the same nickname here, on Tripadvisor, Throntree, Safaritalk, and some others. But that does not make me an "interested party" i.e. affiliated to any business connected with Costa Rica either in my own country either in Costa Rica. And what is your position?

aby

thanks RAC and volcanogirl

meanwhile i've found some MV activities to suit non hikers:
1. Sky Tram (part of the "Sky Trek" activity)
2. Monteverde Cloud Forest Train
<red> does anyone knows if it is operating now?</red>
(read it's suspended for 9 months. need an update)
3. horse riding
4. Orchidea garden,

aby

thank you costaricacoffee for your advice

emmajm

Also, lots of little museums--bats, frogs --that may interest your father in Monteverde. But go slow--I remember how high and very uneven some of the curbs were in town.

If he can walk slowly on fairly level trails there should be possibilities in a lot of places with a guide.

I've read this forum a long time, and have no doubts about the genuineness of xelas or rac.

volcanogirl

You're welcome, aby - those sound like great options. I would love to know what you think of the train if you get the chance to do it; we haven't had a chance to do that yet. We rode Sky Trek's tram in the Arenal area and had some fantastic views.

crcoffee, I don't understand what you're saying about someone's name repeating all over. Most people I know use the same name in multiple forums. xelas is a very well respected contributor to multiple forums and gives great advice. There are also travel agents on these boards, but the ones I've seen just offer their services and don't push a specific agenda. Pat Hewitt and Shell have been posting for years and give good advice. If someone just pushes one specific thing like a specific car rental company, etc. you just have to click the triangle to report them and they can't post anymore.

xelas

"Anyway, i don't know why you feel the need to defend yourself. Maybe you also are taking commissions from hotels and outfitter like the other people who spend hours a day posting thousands of "tips" for travelers. Maybe you are not. " It is not me that I have defended, but the persons that takes their valuable time to give their best advices to others; many times those advices are spot on, sometimes they are a reflection of their personal experiences. But just bluntly accusing everyone that posts here frequently that has some invested interest is truly not fair. I do not need to defend myself. if you are as active on TripAdvisor than you should know my contribution well enough to make a decisive opinion. Yet, for the sake of all those who are still trying to help others, and on Fodors there are not that many anymore, be fair to them. Believe me, if a "pusher" is starting to steer people in a certain direction, regular posters on forum do react immediately with appropriate warnings.

Aby, please accept my apologises for hijacking your thread. As for you initial question, yes, as costaricacoffee has rightly said, Costa Rica is not very "mobility impaired" friendly. Most of its wonders are inside the rain forest and trails are for the most part not flat and paved. Tortuguero is on the boat; do hire one of those bigger as entering the smaller might be complicated. Also seating in a canoe for a couple of hours is not appreciated by older people. Corcovado you can reach by boat, however there is so called wet landing and I do not advice it to your friend. Monteverde has decent walking paths in Monteverde Reserva. Do hire a private guide as that is so important. I can recommend Andres Alvarado as a great guide and a fine gentleman. Also his English is excellent which is very important in your case. Another park that has flat and easy to walk trails is Manuel Antonio NP. Not the best one IMHO but very accessible. Another area that might suit your friends walking requirements is Sarapiqui. Close to Tortuguero, there is La Selva Biological station and the trails are again flat and well maintained. Also one is obliged to hike inside the station with a guide. I would therefor skip south Pacific area completely and instead spent more time between Monteverde, sarapiqui and Tortuguero. And in Cahuita NP they have one only trail that follows the coast and gain, it is flat and easy to walk. I wish you all great time and some memorable botany lessons! P.S.: On the way to or from Tortuguero/Sarapiqui do not miss to visit Lankester Botanical gardens near Cartago

volcanogirl

We've stayed at Tortuga Lodge; one thing I really liked about it is that they let you do everything on your own and at your own pace vs. putting you into a large tour group like some of the other lodges. I totally agree with Xelas (great advice as always) regarding La Selva - we saw toucans and peccaries there, and our guide was fantastic. I also like Selva Verde in that area if you decide to go there and stay. Lots of toucans and howlers on the property. We also like Manuel Antonio, although there are a lot of tourists there, the wildlife is so easily accessible, and the beaches are beautiful. Not sure if you've already decided where you definitely want to go.