Brenda

To all those considering or going to CR...GO GO NOW! It is wonderful, but be prepared to walk! We stayed at Drake's Bay Resort (Corcovado) wonderful food, wonderful staff. (say hello to Vanessa for us!) In Monteverde we stayed at Sapo Dorado.(the restaurant staff are not very friendly, the front desk is okay, cabins are very nice, but I don't think I'd stay overnight here again..just a short stop to walk through the cloud forest then off to Arenal) A very hilly walk to your cabin. Do not expect to see animals at the cloud walk. We did not and after checking the signature book..it looked like no one did..but the walk and the greenery is awe inspiring. we saw birds on our walks to/from town. Arenal Paraiso..swim up hot tub with a view of the volcano..close to heaven as far as we're concerned. Torteguero we stayed at Laguna Lodge...they forgot to send a boat for us as planned so we waited two hours..I do not hold them in fond memory...but Torteguero is pretty sensational. We took a boat ride from Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui..saw crocodiles sunning themselves along the way. During the trip we saw Toucans, Scarlet and Green Macaws, Howler, Whiteface, and spider monkies, numerous hummingbirds, toucanet, caiman, various lizards, geckos, (my favorite are the laughing geckos that make a cute little chuckling noise), can toads, glass toads, boat billed heron, purple gallinule! (Torteguero), Barids Trogon, Kingfishers, hawks, bats, mutiple butterflies including the wonderful Blue Morpho. The mosquitos weren't bad..I took Brewer's yeast and had no problem. Only problem was with something that might have been chiggers. None of our 5 had anything stolen but we were careful to lock our backpacks when in town and watch out for anyone getting too close to each other. Our trip was put together by Alberto at Central America.com....they are very reasonable and except the problem with Laguna Lodge everything was perfect!

Lorraine

Thanks for the great report, Brenda. We are set to go to Corcovado (La Paloma) in six weeks, but haven't settled on the rest of the trip. We don't want to run around--perhaps visit two other regions with wildlife that wasn't in Osa.<BR><BR>We are concerned that if we go to Monteverde and Arenal, we may be disappointed in the crowds and the lack of wildlife (also, hubby is afraid of heights so he doesn't think he could do the skywalk--and certainly not the zip lines). We are thinking of going to Braulio for the Aerial Tram and cloud forest experience, rather than Monteverde.<BR><BR>Your description of the boat ride in Torteguero makes that a tempting destination, even though it's not turtle season.<BR><BR>I need to settle our itinerary soon, so all opinions are welcome!<BR><BR>PS: Can't consider horse trips or white-water rafting due to a back problem.

Sue

Thank you for the trip report. After ten years of going down there it is nice to see Costa Rica through some new eyes. Walking is a big passtime down there LOL. I went down for three weeks before my husband one year and by the time he arrived I was ready for a very hot 10 mile hike in the rainforest.<BR>Drake Bay Wilderness Resort is a great place. La Paloma is right there also and I think Lorraine will be very comfortable. The hike up to La Paloma from the boat is a killer but the exercise will help get rid of all the calories from the wonderful food. We stayed in one of the ranchos and were very comfortable. It will be a hike to just about anyplace from La Paloma because they are up on a ridge.<BR>Lorraine....you might want to think about a stay at La Quinta Sarapiqui. It is very different from the Osa with lots of wildlife. La Selva research station is nearby. Selva Verde Lodge is in that same area and is a beautiful place also. Lots of wildlife. Real rainforest. Braullio is near as well as the Arial Tram. There is also a nice gentle ride on a boat up the Sarapiqui River where you would see lots of wildlife. That is the boat that goes out of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. Not as much as Tortugueros because it is more closed in than the canals but there will be plenty of monkeys and other things to see as Brenda mentioned. Brenda,Tortugueros Lodge run by Costa Rica Expeditions is a terrific place as are all of their places if you go back to Tortugueros.<BR>Lorraine..if you should go to Monteverde I would recommend you go to the Butterfly garden and for wildlife I would go for a hike in the Finca Ecologica. Even there you see less and less now because of all the people and the noise. That would be your best bet for wildlife up there though. There are wonderful art galleries along the road to Monteverde and I always make it a point to shop at the womens coop to support the local women artists. Stellas Bakery is a great place to take a break for the best coffee in the area. Monteverde alas, has become very crowded and touristy. The Heliconia is a nice place and they have a private reserve behind the hotel. Sorry to hear that Jacques is letting the Sapo Dorado slip a bit in the restaurant.<BR>If you go to Arenal you could take a day trip up to Cano Negro. An amazing place for birds. This would be another place where the sight seeing would be by gentle boat.<BR>Another option would be to stay outside of San Jose and take some day trips. There is a full day trip to a coffee plantation for breakfast, Poas volcano, a peek at La Paz waterfall gardens, Selva Verde for lunch, and a gentle boat ride on the Sarapiqui plus a couple of other stops. There are trips to just hike around the La Paz waterfalls. A trip to Irazu, Lankester gardens. The Basillica in Cartago is a place I visit every few years. The silver charms representing the miracles are amazing.<BR>I don't know what your budget is but the Vista Del Valle Plantation is pricey but very nice. There are several nice places in San Jose proper that are reasonable but have some character.<BR>Costa Rica can be a wonderful place. Very different than most people expect. It is much more developed for one thing. There are some bad apples I have to admit, just like anywhere, but for the most part the people are wonderful and they seem to smile so much more than anyplace else I have ever been.

Lorraine

Thanks,Sue. La Quinta sounds like a strong possibility to stay several days and sample the region. Would we be able to experience a cloud forest there?

Sue

Cloud forests are up in the higher elevations such as Monteverde. The Sarapiqui area is rain forest. For wildlife, you would see more in the lower to mid elevations. The Caribbean side is much less developed and therefore the chances of seeing things is much greater. One of the most important research places, OTS, is there at La Selva. I plan on being there myself in a couple of weeks. I will be staying at La Quinta for a couple of days and then on to a place called Rara Avis. Rara Avis might be a little rough on your back. It is a 3hr ride in a cart pulled by a tractor into the rainforest. That whole area is fascinating. <BR>My all time favorite place is the Osa and you will be there as well. I spend most of my time there a little further south in Carate and the Matapalo area but the Drake Bay area is beautiful.<BR>Costa Rica has so many mini climates that you just can't experience all of them in one trip unless you have a good long time. <BR>