Trip Report (1)
Was gone a month so will definitely have to break it up.
Arrived right on time at 1:30 pm. Orlando was outside bragging to his fellow drivers that his people pack light and will be right out. Sure enough, no checked luggage so we were out of there and into Pura Vida Land in just a few short minutes. It sure was good to see his smiling face.
As we headed up the road towards Poas, had to stop at Doka Plantation for a cup of their wonderful coffee (my first but not last coffee transfusion). Bought plenty to bring home too. Swung around and headed over to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. First two nights were at Selva Verde. Didn?t realize it was going to be extra to walk around in their rainforest so we just wandered around on the grounds adjacent to the Lodge. Still got to see poison arrow frogs and some neat birds.
1st morning, we wandered around the lodge again and then after lunch headed over to a friend of Orlando?s who has a place on the river. It is a great place for birding. We had a great time there last year and weren?t disappointed this year. His friend also has quite a bit of property adjacent to La Selva and Selva Verde so we went there and were able to see much of what would have been extra $ had we gone in the other way from the lodge. One last birding trip before dark and then on to a local bar for the Super Bowl. It was just a little tico bar and the food was wonderful. Second night in Selva Verde. . Selva Verde?.the room was nice and the food good. Some of the rooms are pretty close to the road so you do get road noise. The meals are served buffet style so we were able to eat and move on pretty quickly. Nice enough place.
Packed up early and headed over to La Selva. My husband is a member of OTS so we had been able to prearrange a private tour with one of their top birders in the morning. Saw some wonderful birds (my first Puffbird and Great Green Macaws!!). Even had a Peccary grunt and gnash his teeth at us. After lunch in the dining hall (yuck) we had a tour of the actual research buildings.
Night 3 checked into La Quinta de Sarapiqui. It is just down the road from Selva Verde and we had stayed there last year also. It is way off the main road so very quiet. They have done an amazing amount of work since we were there last year and the grounds are beautiful. They had actually added 3 small lakes. They redid the frog area so it is much easier to see all the poison arrow frogs and there were lovely flowers everywhere. It is a really nice little place and the people are very sweet. Dinner was served buffet style and as always, very good. Rooms are simply furnished but nice. Hot water showers. Covered walkways with flowers and hummingbirds everywhere alongside them. Only problem here were the lights at night. They keep lights on along the walkways and they do shine into the rooms. All the rooms have their own little porch with rockers.
Another full day at La Selva. Boy is my neck getting sore from looking up. Early to bed so we can get an early start on our next adventure.
After a quick ride down to the dock in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui we boarded a small motor boat and headed north towards the San Juan. I have been on this river several times but it was a first for my husband so I had to point out some interesting bats and things that are a always in the same place. Not a slow sight seeing trip but we got to slow down when there was something special to see. After about 2 1/2-3hrs we arrived at the San Juan River and got our first look at Nicaragua. There was a little shack to stop at for immigration but it was more of a wave and on we went. The actual passport stamping was done at the lodge. We headed over to the Rio Indio and then to the Rio Indio Lodge. The lodge is located in a 675,000 acre preserve. This had been a very active area during a gold rush many years ago. More.....

What a wonderful surprise this place was!. The dock was well done with several slips for small boats and we headed up to the lodge on one of their many thatch covered walkways. Everything is connected by these. The main building had huge doors and incredibly high ceilings and was just beautiful. Nice decks around much of it for nature viewing including a sloth. Our room (half of a duplex and down a long walkway) was beautiful with rich warm wood everywhere, a lovely little covered porch with rockers and a wonderful view of the river and the resident croc. A beautiful bathroom with hot water, coffee pot, hairdryer. We were assigned a Rama indian as a guide for our 5 days there. He was quiet but very good. There are several Indian families living along the rivers and canals there and it was fascinating to see how they lived. Our first day there he took us over to Greytown which is an old english graveyard. It was fascinating to read the stones. Got my first taste of Nicaraguan biting bugs and took a shower in deet!
There is a big swimming pool. They have a lovely bar/tv room by the pool as well as a swim up bar but for some reason they weren't in operation. Still enjoyed the pool. For the next few days we investigated just a tiny little bit of this huge place. Mostly by boat, even our indian guide asked to use the deet when we were hiking. Most of it was by small motor boat but one day we spent several hours in kayaks. Got to see a crashed Sandinista plane. On the third day there, our main reason for going to this area was fulfilled. We got to watch a whole tree full of Great Green Macaws. These beautiful birds are loosing habitat so quickly that we really feel fortunate to have gotten to see so many.
Our last day at Rio Indio. Orlando got up early to head back to Puerto Viejo by boat to pick up his van and get back to San Jose so he can pick us up at the airport the next day. We decided to try a little fishing so headed out once again in our little boat. We finally got a smile out of our sweet but shy guide when my husband got the prize for smallest fish. It was about 3inches long! Except for the bugs, this was a pretty neat place. Up very early our final morning (about 3am) to head by boat, once again, to Barra Colorado to catch a flight back to San Jose. It was about a 1 1/2hr trip in the dark to get there for the 7am flight. Several of the owners of the lodge were heading back to San Jose also so we had a full breakfast at 4am before we all headed out. On to a new adventure.......

Back in the big city of San Jose. Orlando, his son, and his father were all at the airport to pick us up. We headed over to Zoo Ave for a couple of hours before heading over to Orlandos home. His wife and her mother had been busy all morning preparing a lovely lunch for us. He also has a sweet little 2yr old daughter. That night we (adults) headed up into the hills of Escazu and had dinner at a nice little tico restaurant with views of the city lights. We were able to watch one of the prettiest moon rises I had ever seen. Night at Orlando's home. Next morning,leaving Orlando behind for this year, we headed on to our next adventure......
Bosque del Cabo. Most of you are well aware of how much we love this place. We had just gotten out of the taxi when two scarlet macaws flew overhead. What a welcome!
Had lunch and took a little walk. by the end of our short hike we had already seen 3 out of the 4 species of monkeys that CR has.
Spent the next 3 days just relaxing, hiking, swimming in the pool. We had the Congo cabina and the views were awesome. We even got to see a whale one day. Still trying to figure out how to put one of those showers in my home. Might get a little chilly in the winter though LOL.
After hiking all the trails last year, we decided to just relax this year. Still did some hiking and decided to do the nature tour with Philip who is the resident nature guide. It was really fascinating. Saw a huge column of army ants. Our 3 1/2 days here were much too short. Will definitely be back next year.
Sadly, we are on to our last adventure together for this years trip....
Peace Lodge. I have already written a report on this. It was a great way to finish our trip and am now trying to figure out how to encorporate their jacuzzi/waterfall with Bosques shower.
Diez dias mas (10 days more on my own)!!!!!.........

Suzie 2: Great trip report! I met a couple in Costa Rica last July who had stayed at the Rio Indio Lodge and they just raved about it.

When my family and I return in July, we plan to drive from Arenal to the Sarapiqui region for a night or two before heading back to San Jose to catch the transfer to our cruise. Would you recommend Selva Verde over La Quinta or vice versa? We're a party of four (me, my 20-year old son and my parents in their 60s). If we stay at Selva Verde, we'll be placed in a bungalow across the street from the main lodge. Did you get a chance to view these and if so, what did you think?

Also, what was the name of the restaurant in Escazu?
Thanks!
Terri

Welcome back, Suzie!

I've been eagerly awaiting your trip report.I am SO impressed with your packing skills! Rio Indio sounds particularly interesting. What an adventure! Thanks for a great report.

Regarding whether to stay at La Quinta or Selva Verde...I would choose La Quinta. The people who run it are so sweet and the food is always great. Better than Selva Verde. The rooms were pretty comparable. This was our second time there. A car would definitely be a big help here or even at Selva Verde.
I am going to contact Orlando to find out the name of the restaurant in Escazu. There are actually two but one was closed because it was Sunday.

Suzie2, Thanks so much for your response. I really value your feedback. We'll be renting a car, so mobility isn't a problem. Our plan is to stay a couple of days in the Central Valley (hopefully at Vista del Valle), then drive to Monteverde for a couple of nights and then on to Arenal for a couple of nights. From there, we're hoping to drive via Muelle and San Miguel to La Quinta. (I understand from a previous posting that you and your husband drove from Arenal to the Sarapiqui region. Was it difficult in terms of finding your way?) I also appreciate your efforts to obtain the name of the Escazu restaurant. Thanks again!
Terri