Kathy

Is Tortuguero a recommended travel destination for a mom and her 15 year old daughter in August? Is it safe, is it worth the time and cost getting there, are two nights enough and where would you recommend staying? Thank you! Kathy

Mel

Kathy- since no one has responded to your message yet, I will take a stab at it, but it has been 5 years since I was there. I traveled around CR for a month (August) after graduating college. It was my first time traveling alone and I had no problems. <BR><BR>I thought Tortuguero was great. It is a bit difficult to get to, but it was not too expensive for my student budget. Two nights is plenty. I enjoyed the boat ride to and from the area, as well going on a day boat trip in the canals, and a night trip to see the turtles laying eggs. The turtles and other wildlife were the big thing for me. My only hesitation would be that a 15 year old might be kind of bored, if that's not something she's excited about. There's not too much to do there at night. If she's into it though, I'd say go for it.

Kathy

Dear Mel,<BR>Thank you for responding. I was beginning to believe that no one goes to Tortuguero. The wildlife and the turtle nesting are exactly what attracts us. In addition, I thought that possibly there would be some interesting cultural differences on the Carribbean side. Did you find the wildlife experience there to be unique to that area and different from your other CR destinations? Where else did you go? Thank you for your input. Kathy

Joe

Tortuguero is a beautiful place to go. I went with my wife and two step sons, ages 19 and 20 two years ago. It is much different from the other parts of CR, and two nights is plenty. (Exactly what we did) The wildlfe experience was incredible, and for us, it was well worth the visit. We came in from the back side via the Rio Colorado along the Nicaraguan border, and flew back into San Jose. It was an incredible trip. I found the Tortuguero area to be very safe. A lodge recommendation would be the Mawamba Lodge. It was very nice place, with a nice pool for some diversions...

Kathy

Dear Joe,<BR>Thank you for the Mawamba Lodge recommendation. When you haven't been somewhere it is so difficult to know where to stay. The other place that I was considering is the Tortuga Lodge, do you know anything about it? What did you like about the Mawamba? Did you observe the turtle nesting at night or go on the canal tours? What activities do you recommend and were they booked through the Mawamba Lodge? Thank you. Kathy

Mel

Hi Kathy. I did find the wildlife to be quite different there. At that time of year, I believe, it is the only place to see the turtles. The west coast gets them too, but at a different season, and a different species. I wish I could be more specific, but it has been five years. Hopefully I will get to go again soon and jog my memory. <BR><BR>Anyway, Tortuguero was unique in that the wildlife was based on the river/canals. More of a swampy environment like the Amazon. I recall seeing crocodiles, caimans, frogs (the really cool, bright poisonous ones), and some different birds. Monkeys were not as prevalent - though that might have been just my experience.<BR><BR>Let's see, the places I visited were, in order: San Joes, Tortuguero, Rara Avis in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Montezuma, Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Puerto Viejo, someplace in the Central Valley in the midst of coffee farms, and rafting on the Pacuare. Hopefully next time I will make it to the Osa Peninsula.<BR><BR>You asked about cultural differences: I don't recall noticing them so much in Tortuguero as I did in Puerto Viejo. Tortuguero was just...different. Most of the hotels I recall (which certainly could have changed by now) were actually huts of varying quality, one story, sometimes across the river from other things you want to see. You basically need to take a boat to do any sightseeing. Puerto Viejo is where I really got a feel for the Carribean/Jamaican coast culture. More people there spoke english, well, in the Jamaican style, and coconut milk made its way into the rice and beans.<BR><BR>As an aside, I'll just add that I did not care for San Jose, although I generally like cities, nor would I recommend spending any time in the port cities of Limon or Puntarenas - just pass through as necessary. But, I'm sure you're getting lots of advice on that sort of thing. <BR><BR>Have a great time and let me know if I can answer any more questions.<BR><BR>

Joe

Hi Kathy -<BR>The turtle nesting is completely dependent on the season. I forgot when the turtles do nest, but I know it wasn't during the period in which we were there. The experiece was still wonderful. I highly recomment the Mawamba, and will attempt to send you their web site so that you can check them out for yourself. They offer package tours from San Jose, and I believe also daily tours for more independent travel as well. Please refer to their web page for more specifics. Good luck, and have fun. When I looked at their website just now, it immediately brought back a bunch of great memories... www.crica.com/hotels/mawamba/mawamba.html Joe

Kathy

Dear Mel and Joe,<BR>First, Mel, I wanted to ask you about your experience in Rara Avis, was it a place you recommend and why? Also, how was rafting on the Pacuare River, did you wear helmets, do they have easier less challenging trips? Also, is Puerto Viejo worth making the time for? I have now found that with my American Airlines reservations I have some flexibility as far as change with our dates. Thank you for your helpful input. And, Joe, thank you so much for your recommendation regarding Mawamba. I intend to look up their website next. <BR>Again, than you for all your help.<BR>Kathy

Mel

Hi again Kathy. I would recommend Rara Avis, assuming it is at the level of quality it was five years ago. If you're interested, hopefully you can verify with someone who's been more recently. <BR><BR>I would recommend it because 1) at the time, it was recommended as one of the few true ecotourism programs, meaning attempting to not overdevelop the land, using local products and labor, etc.; 2) it is truly in the middle of the rainforest - it took about an hour (more? I don't remember) to get there from the bus stop via a grueling tractor ride; 3) they had good guided hiking programs, a butterfly area, and a treetop observatory; 4) the staff was very nice and a good guest/staff ratio - on my student budget I arranged for a cheapie room used by high season interns, but an animal had recently broken in, so they upgraded me to a regular guest cabin at no charge.<BR><BR>This is where I felt like I got the real rainforest experience and it was nice to get away from people and still have amenities nearby. It's a family friendly atmosphere there. Meals are eaten family style (typical Costa Rican, which means not gourmet, but not bad either). I recall some kids being there when I visited. I was there for probably 3 or 4 days.<BR><BR>I absolutely loved the rafting trip on the Pacaure! It was so beautiful and I highly recommend it. I can't remember the name of the company, but I probably got the recommendation from my Frommer's guide. I also can't remember if we wore helmuts. I will check my photos tonight and see if that helps. It's a class III-IV river and do remember feeling very safe. In addition to the guide in each boat, we had river kayakers amongst the group, ready to assist when people fell out. BTW, this was my first rafting trip. I believe there are other, lower class rapids trips available, but I can't comment on any of those.<BR><BR>Lastly, Puerto Viejo. This one is hard. I enjoyed my time there, and it was important to me to see this part of the country for the differences discussed earlier. But then, I had a month and basically went to Costa Rica for the diversity. All in all, I wouldn't recommend putting too much effort into going there. I spent most of my time at the beach, and the beach wasn't as special as, for example, Manuel Antonio. The best snorkeling in CR is down in that area, but CR isn't known for snorkleing and it wasn't too spectacular by my standards.<BR><BR>Hope this helps. I will look at my pictures tonight and post if I think of anything else.

Kathy

Thanks Mel! What interests me most in your email is the Pacuare river rafting because you and so many others have spoken so highly of the experience. I think this is something we will have to try to fit in. But, I don't like the possibility of falling in! Kathy