Hi everyone. I am heading down to Costa Rica this spring, and am wondering if any camping enthusiasts found any trouble camping. If anyone has any camping sites that are useful, that would be great, also any info as to if camping is legal in the country. <BR>Thanks for your help

Hi. I was there for a month and we carried our tent around but only actually camped a handful of nights. That surprised us because we love to camp and backpack at home and all over. <BR>My favorite area was Corcovado National Park, and you can camp there at the Sirena ranger station on their platform deck. That was great -- an incredible rainforest, lots of amazing animals. The ranger station is like a scientific research station. You can also camp at the South end of the park at that ranger station. I recommend going down there. It was by far the most beautiful and unique area that we went to and we wished we'd spent more time there after we left. It's intense nature with jungle right up to the edge of the ocean and monkeys and birds everywhere. They don't allow camping in the rest of the park -- which is probably for the best since it's really wet and wild. <BR>The other place I camped was at Chirripo -- you can camp at the top of the mountain after the hike up. They actually have a bunkhouse kind of thing that you only need a sleeping bag and stuff. <BR>Everywhere else, we ended up staying in tent-cabins or inexpensive huts or cabins. It was so inexpensive and there were so many options that we sometimes wondered why we were carrying the tent. Many places would not allow camping and the ranger stations had bunks. Have fun. Wish I was going back this spring! It's my favorite place in the world.

a question about corcovado... i read somewhere that i need to call an office in san jose to make a reservation to enter the park. is this true? i am just planning about backpacking in for a few nights. what do you think? and do you know the number??

I recently bookmarked this site taken from a thread on the Lonely Planet concerning Corcovado reservations. Maybe it will be of some help.

www.corcovado.org

thank you, that site was very helpful. does anyone know of a store in san jose to buy a small backpacking tent?

thanks, i appreciate all the help.

Camping is technically illegal on the beaches. There are some designated areas (usually private) in places such as Dominical and Montezuma, and some folks do pitch tents in isolated spots regardless, but the latter brings up security issues for your unattended stuff.. You can also ask to camp on someone's private land for a few bucks, and if they agree to watch your stuff all the better. Honestly, as Lisa pointed out above, the availability of $10 beds mitigates the desire of many, yours truly included now, to schlep a tent with them.

Tara, yes, you need to reserve camping space at the ranger stations. Best to do this in advance to make sure there aren't any problems, but you can also show up at the park HQ across from the landing strip in Puerto Jimenez (in the Osa) and arrange all there. Instead of tent camping, you can also stay in their ranger station dorm facility for a few dollars more.

Cafenet El Sol(www.soldeosa.com), the internet cafe/reservation service in Puerto Jimenez, can arrange whatever permits and transportation you'll need to get into the park. Very helpful there. You'll need to do some research and figure out what route you want to take, though, as there are logistics involved.

Camping at Chirippo is only legal at the Base Crestones (the oh-so-convenient bunkhouse 5.5km/1.5-2 hrs from the summit) and another far remote area that's only used if you do the three-day guide-required Fila Uran trek. Once again, it doesn't mean that people don't camp in other places, but I did see the rangers making people close up shop.

Tara, oops, I see from another post that you're already in Costa Rica. For a tent in San Jose, try one of the Cemaco department stores. Quality and price may be an issue, so if you can pull off getting one from North America (REI, Mountain Equipment Coop, etc.) you're better off.