PatrickMcC

We are planning a trip for next February. We originally planned to split the trip between Bosque and Tamarindo but thought the time and expense of flying around wouldn't be worth it. Mostly the time since we will probably have cheaper lodgings in Tamarindo.We see three day trips we will take from the Bosque and will spend the rest of the time enjoying the wildlife and nearby beaches. Any opinions on whether this is to long a time at the Bosque. On our first trip to Costa Rica we felt we did to much. Thanks.

greenfieldhunter

personally I think it sounds perfect but I might be in the minority.

would consider spending my last night near PJ - you don't have to get up as early at the Iguana or Black Turtle as BDC to catch the morning flight out and they have a great beach

shillmac

BDC is wonderful, but I would be tempted to spend part of the week on Drake Bay--another part of the Osa.

oleg

There is no such a thing as "too many days" in Osa, especially at BDC. Trust me - you won't notice the time flying. You will have a luxury of not rushing thru it, unlike most people do, and there's plenty of activity to cover the entire term.
Have fun!!

tully

I will be there for 5 nights in May - I'll let ya know. I have a feeling though my answer will be no, it's not too long!

PatrickMcC

Shillmac- How would we get to Drake bay from Bosque?Any recommendations for lodgings? We looked at Aquilla de Osa at one point but we don't do sport fishing or diving and we would like a beach relatively close by. Thanks. Patrick.

Jessie_

You could consider one of the other beach places fairly near BdC for a night or two. Lookout Inn is about another 45mins up the road from BdC and just across the road from the beach. Terry is really laid back and a lot of fun. This is the Pacific and the water can be a little rougher. Scarlet macaws are everywhere. The La Leona entrance to Corcovado is just up the beach. Luna Lodge is down that way also. It is set back along the Carate river and it is a hike to get to the beach but a very nice place. They offer rides to and from the beach. Iguana Lodge....Dfarmer can give you the most recent review on that..is closer to Puerto Jimenez itself and right on the beach. I stay there or at their smaller place next door frequently. If you want to do kayaking or go to the botanical gardens across the gulf this would be a good place to do that from. You could start here and then go to Bosque. Bosque has a vehicle that they can pick you up in at Iguana I would suspect. They picked us up at another lodge on the other side of Puerto Jimenez.

dfarmer

Patrick, I too can't imagine how long would be too long at BDC. We were there 4 nights in Feb and I did not want to leave. You can be as active or lazy as you want to be and never get bored. There were days that I literally wondered, what had I done with my time. Realizing that much of it had been spent, just gazing at some beautiful site.

You may have run across my trip report, back near the end of Feb (also posted pictures, about the same time) - but just in case...

We too were considering splitting our time between BDC and a beach on the Nicoya Penn. But due to the cost of another flight and/or renting a vehicle, I requested suggestions.

Jessie suggested Iguana Lodge, which we did and were quite pleased with our decision. This proved to be a perfect solution to make the trip more economical while providing me my much needed beach time.

If you were to choose an itinerary similiar to ours, I would start at Iguana and then move to BDC.

Iguana Lodge is just steps the beach, where BDC is high on the bluff overlooking the water.

So if you want to just laze on a nearly deserted beach a few days, Iguana Lodge is a good choice to combine with BDC.

Iguana is only about 10 mins from the town of Puerto Jimenez, (where BDC is about 45 mins) which makes it very convenient to the water activites such as fishing, kayaking and any activites on the gulf or across the gulf.

There are only a few cabins, so not many people, owners were very nice and accomadating people, dinner was delicious. And having the beach just steps away was definitely a plus.

If you choose this, have Iguana pick you up at the PJ airstrip and then arrange for BDC to pick you up from Iguana to carry you to BDC.

Not knowing what your chosen day trips are, I might would suggest Iguana for 2 or 3 nights and BDC for 5 or 6.

Whatever you decide, 8 nights in the Osa is wonderful.

karenlf

Patrick,
We love Bosque del Cabo but on our second trip there last summer they were very full so we opted for four nights at Bosque (Minnie Driver the movie star was there with a yoga group so they were full to the gills) with three nights at La Paloma in Drakes Bay. We flew into Puerto Jimenez and out of Drakes Bay. Bosque arranged a private transport for us that dropped us off at a beach where the boat from La Paloma picked us up. It was a great way to see Drakes Bay. While there we went to Corcovado and on a dophin tour as well as a night our with the bug lady.If money were not an issue we would definitely do the same exact trip all over again.

tully

I just wanted to mention what great people BdC have working for them, especially Leonardo. Not only have they set up my stay & flights to BdC; but I couldn't book my Sansa flights to Quepos on-line (said my card was invalid after several tries) and they took care of booking those flights for me as well. I am soooo looking forward to it - I just hope 5 nights is enough!

dfarmer

Karen good to know that BDC made those arrangements for you. Will keep that in mind next trip!

shillmac

Thanks for answering for me, Karen, as I had no idea how to get from BDC to Drake Bay--it just sounded like a good way to split a week if one were so inclined and it seemed like a transfer should be an easy thing to work out (which you indicated it is). I also like the idea of Iguana Lodge combined with BDC. We were 3 nights at Bosque--would have loved another night, but honestly felt at the time that 7 would have been a bit long--at one place, anyway.

Jessie_

Karen,
I know at certain times of the year you can fly between Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez. I am glad to hear that you did the ground transport. That has always been available but few people have done it because it was pretty expensive. Leonardo is great and can set up anything you need. My question for you is about how much was the ground transportation and how long did it take? Did they drop you off in Sierpe to catch the boat or take you all the way to Drake Bay? There have been quite a few inquiries on this so I know it would be very helpful to a lot of people. I have been to both places and appreciate (and enjoy) the differences but never from one to the other.

karenlf

Hi Jessie,
Leonardo arranged the transfer and the cost was 100.00. He communicated with the airline for us and in fact booked our flights both to Puerto Jimenez and then out out of Drakes Bay. I was initially a little nervous about being dropped off at the beach in Drakes Bay with our luggage but the cab driver radioed LaPaloma when we were about twenty minutes away and they confirmed they were sending the boat. It was really a lot of fun to do it that way. There were no flights at that time because of low season. I think the trip took between two and three hours. We would have never found our way.The driver was very professional but he spoke little English. We had always wanted to see Drake Bay and when Bosque was so full it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try if for the last part of the trip.

Jessie_

Thank you so much karen. That was a really good price. I am sure we will be refering people to your post many times.

I would like to add that Iguana lodge, as well as some other lodges, uses osatropic which is run by a great woman named Isabel. She is very professional. In fact, Christian, who many of you have met when arriving in Puerto Jimenez and being "checked in for departure"-he is the young man with the clipboard- works in her office. I only mention this so that people who might be going to the Osa but not staying at BdC will know that they can also get good assistance with Nature Air flights anyway.