This is a very, very long trip report. It is geared to those who are planning on going to Bosque del Cabo and want some insights of what to plan/expect/bring. If you are still deciding if you should go – here is the short version – if you are into animals, nature, birding, photography, can handle some humidity and the serendipity of travel experiences and are avoiding a casino-type atmosphere, then this is the perfect place. If you are a “you seen one monkey, you seen them all,” feel naked without high heels and/or you are looking for urban nightlife, then you probably won’t be happy.

TRAVEL TO/FROM BOSQUE DEL CABO

We traveled from BWI (leaving at 6am) all the way to BdC in one day. The only way this can really be done is to fly Sansa Airlines, which is in walking distance of SJO’s International Terminal, as opposed to Nature Air, which is 30+min taxi ride away from the airport. Also you would need to arrive into SJO before lunchtime and get seats on your incoming flight towards the front of the plane – we had plenty of connection time. It made for a somewhat stressful, long day and having a back-up plan – but it all worked out. It was so nice then to not have a second day of travel and the next morning we were so glad we did it in one day.

In order to have proper expectations, be aware that Sansa operates with a laid-back attitude and they like to overbook (obviously its high season too). Sansa’s timetable is listing when the first flight to a particular destination leaves – what they don’t tell you is that there may be another plane with the same flight # going to your destination but it leaves 45min later – “you get there when you get there” (this happened on the way down – we were the second flight for that time which left about 1hr later - and on the way back, though luckily we were on the first plane). Also, Sansa could not get all of the luggage on the plane so we had to wait another hour after we got to Puerto Jimenez. It wouldn’t have been that bad except that we were under the weight limits and they took someone else’s bags (who paid for being over) ahead of ours – grrrr. So 1hr later (2hrs after we should have left on the bumpy road to BdC), our bag arrives – the plane had no passengers, just 6 pieces of luggage.

We didn’t hear of any of these kinds of stories about Nature Air – though I suspect that during high season, it might also occur.

By the way, if you are traveling on Sansa, there is no need to take a taxi to the terminal (it’s only about 150yds away). The easiest way to find it, is to go upstairs to the departure level (arrival level is the lower level) and look to your left, the next building over is the Sansa terminal – the terminal sits back off the road and has a small Sansa sign. It is about a 3-5min walk.

It was actually kind of special arriving in BdC at night (we arrived around 6:30pm as opposed to our anticipated arrival 4:30pm). They walked us to our Casa Teca in the Tropical Garden after dinner – so everything was dark – they had already taken our bags there. It was magical to see everything for the first time as the sun rose.

BOSQUE DEL CABO

LODGING

We stayed 3 nights in Casa Teca and 2 nights in La Palma deluxe cabina. First about Casa Teca. It’s in the Tropical Garden and it is 5-7min walk (10-12min if you are a slow walker) from the lodge using the suspension bridge. It is a house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom – also has a very large porch and open kitchen area. The bedrooms on either side of the open kitchen/porch area, are completely enclosed, have screened-in windows, and one double bed in each room. They are actually more “secure” than the lodge’s cabinas against critters. This casa doesn’t have the problems of Blanca or Miramar with coatis (raccoons) – I think because the Garden has the Lodge’s compost shed so they spend their efforts trying to get into that instead. Being in the middle of the rainforest, you experience and hear the forest in an up-close-personal way (sort of like camping, but with complete house amenities). If you love animals/birds/photography and are fascinated by new experiences, you will love it. When we go back, we will stay here for part of the time again.

La Palma is a deluxe cabina that is unique because it has views of both Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”) and the Pacific. Also, there is an open area in the trees so the monkeys must navigate around your cabin to get to the forest – makes for some easy close-ups and great sunrise pictures. The difference between deluxe and standard cabinas is that the deluxe is a little bigger with a couch seating area. We never used the couch (except to layout daypacks) since the porch area had rocking chairs. Realize that the cabinas have large open areas at the top of the roof for ventilation – this allows for possible critter access. The couple in La Palma before us had a baby possum in their room – twice. We had no issues (just had to shooo out a bug or two). La Palma has a loft (didn’t use) with two double beds (no netting though).

THE BRIDGE

I mention this because I am extremely afraid of heights and this was something that I worried about even before going. It is long (about 150+ft) and apparently it is about 75ft off the ground in the middle – it spans a ravine. It is made of steel grating and hefty steel suspension cables – so it is bouncy and somewhat wobbly, but it is not as bad as I imagined like the ones at camp that swing horribly, drop several feet as you walk across and made of rope.

I could not walk across by myself. What worked for me was to have my eyes part way closed, have hubby walk in front of me and hold his hand. He notes that by the end of the week, I wasn’t stopping blood flow in his hand as we went across.

Also, there are two other ways to the garden from the lodge that do not use the bridge (Golfo Trail and Creek-Trogan-Manakin Trail loop) but they’re are much longer and require going down and up the ravine that you cross with the bridge.

WEATHER

The temperature and humidity are fairly constant year round – 85deg F with about 85-95% humidity. It didn’t rain while we were there, so clothes dried out quickly. There is a nice breeze at night by the lodge (light-wt, long-sleeved shirt was nice as a jacket) but the breeze really didn’t get to the Garden. Be prepared to sweat during the day, everyday – think of it as a spa detox treatment.

Light-wt clothes that dry quickly are a must. Coolmax shirts (w/ sports-bra), nylon running shorts and Coolmax socks were perfect for the day. Keen trail shoes were just right (I got the mesh running shoe kind “Humbolt” as opposed to the sandal kind – too many stories about the ants – and glad I did).

Note: if you are sensitive to the sun, remember that even though it is “shady” in the forest and you are not in direct sunlight, the UV is still more intense than what you are used to and you can still burn. Quickly learned that lesson!

FOOD/WATER/DRINKS

While we were in the Casa, meals were extra. So we had breakfast and dinner with the lodge and brought PB&J for 3 lunches. Bought bread, juice and snacks at Puerto Jimenez store. Actually bought too much because hubby was convinced that he would get hungry – which was never the case. The meal portions at the lodge are large – so snacking for lunch was just right.

Great breakfasts and dinners. Dinners were buffet-style and over the 5 dinners we had lots of variety. Soup or salad, 2 kinds of meats or 1 meat and 1 fish, usually 4-5 side dishes (potatoes, lentils, lots of veggies, etc.) and then dessert. Dessert was really hit or miss – their chocolate mousse was fabulous – others were just ok.

Lunches were more of a mixed review. You have a choice of packed or hot. We did 2-in and 1-out. Eating in seemed to be much better. The packed lunch really didn’t seem to be that great – sandwiches were on the bland side or too much bread. Recommend timing your morning activities (if possible) to eat lunch at the lodge.

Drinking the water is fine – no problems. They recommend filling up your water bottles with their filtered water. Bring an insulated water bottle for each person (worth the money). If you are in a casa, freeze the bottle ½ full of water. If not, take your bottle to breakfast and they will fill it with ice. Having cold water on the trail is a real treat!!

They don’t post their drink prices, so if you are on a budget – be careful, they are so nice and cold, but they do add up quickly.

GUIDED ACTIVITIES

We only did one activity – Primary Forest with Philip. I would highly recommend this one. He walks the Zapatero trail and tells you about the interconnectivity and life of the forest – soooo cool. He is British with a very dry wit. The fee goes towards his research of frogs and butterflies in the Osa – he is essentially self-supported on his quest to track the interactions of these groups with the Osa climate. We had the tour to just the two of us, so we could ask tons of questions – had lots of laughs.

Carefully read the activity description because most of them require going back to Puerto Jimenez and that makes for a long bumpy day. If you were only going to BdC for 4 days or less, I personally would explore their trails instead.

Also, the waterfall rappelling in February/March won’t have water – the creek dried up to a trickle around Feb 11th or so and won’t come back until the rains.

TRAILS

BdC has put together a very detailed companion book that is in each cabin/casa describing almost every aspect of BdC including trail descriptions. This book has a lot more information than their website. As a result, I won’t go into each trail’s description.

We saw animals every time we went out hiking. Doing a pre-breakfast hike and/or a late afternoon hike has better chances (and more comfortable).

There are no level hikes – lots of steep ups and downs. They have walking sticks near the front desk. Raphael is the trail’s groundskeeper and he actually sweeps the trails on a regular basis and builds steps in the steepest sections. The trail conditions are incredible. Titi Trail is probably the easiest to walk.

The waterfall off the Pacific beach is difficult to find – several people tried and came back hot and disappointed (as opposed to hot and thrilled). We found it and it is sooooo worth it – a true “Pura Vida” experience. Make sure you carefully read the book’s directions on how to find the creek. It took us about 40min of walking on the beach to get to it. You must go about 3-5min past a thatched hut on your right. Also reef shoes were a must for the rocky beach, hot sand, and creek tromping.

ANIMALS

We came for the animals and were absolutely thrilled at the abundance. Probably saw more monkeys than we did spiders/snakes/scorpions and geckos combined. Everyday saw howlers, white-face and spider monkeys. Then Wed and Thursday also saw titi (squirrel) monkeys.

I am so glad we learned about howler monkeys before going. Yes, they really do sound like roaring lions – hard to believe these are leaf-eating gentle creatures. Philip said that they used a variation of howler monkeys for the first Jurassic Park movie. Get your hubby or teenage son to roar in their deepest, loudest voice possible for about 20seconds and they still won’t come close to the sound of a howler monkey that is right above your casa. This is how we were awakened at 4am on our first morning. Sooooo Awesome!!! They move around each night, so we didn’t have the experience again so close – heard them, just farther away.

Note that white-face monkeys are the only monkeys that will use the bridge. The first morning we started across and then all of a sudden we were surrounded (luckily we were almost across) a mother and baby in front and 6-8 relatives behind us quite angry. Later found out that white-face monkeys are all show, no bite – go towards them and they will scatter.

Yes, monkeys will try to urinate and poop on you if you anger them. Realize that staring & pointing your finger is the first step towards aggression in the monkey realm and showing your teeth (like laughing) is the second step. Always be on your guard if you are looking straight up at a troop of monkeys.

Also saw anteater, peccaries (wild pigs), coatis (raccoons with long tails that stick straight-up), macaws, toucans, currasow (in the turkey family), and lots of small birds. Didn’t see a sloth at BdC though we spent many hours looking – asked Kevin to point one out to us on the way to PJ, so we stopped on the road and he found one.


BUGS/SNAKES

Mosquitoes were really not a problem – hubby didn’t wear any repellant all week and got about 3 bites. I wore it almost all the time, though you sweat it off quickly, and only got about 12 bites (which for me is great, I’m one of those who attracts all biters within a 5mile radius).

Still use the netting – not really for mosquitoes but for better sleeping knowing nothing is going to fall/jump on you – there are some behemoth-sized grasshoppers. Also, shake out your shoes before putting them on – no surprises!

There are spiders on the trail – hubby picked a stick along the trail as his web-checker and was given the duty of locating, announcing and moving (if necessary) the webs as we hiked.

Osa is unique among the rainforests in that there is nothing in the forest that will kill you (exceptions are pumas and jaguars, but you’ll win the lottery before even seeing one much less angering one of them, and I am not expecting that you would go around eating copious quantities of strange plant leaves or licking frogs). Granted there are things that their bite/sting will make you miserable for a few days (scorpions, snakes, etc) and you don’t want to encounter them, but you won’t die. I realize this might not help the bug-phobia contingent (as much as those saying ‘the bridge is perfectly safe so don’t be scared’ doesn’t work with me), but for others, it did make me more confident walking around especially through the creeks.

Saw only two small 12inch long snakes the entire trip. One by the pool and another by the trail – both your garden-type snake – no big deal.

GRATUITIES

BdC will allow you to add your tips to your bill and pay them in traveler’s checks and they will distribute it how you request. We wrote down people names or titles with dollar amounts. When pressed, they recommend using US standards. So we took that as around $2/night for maids and 10-20% for specific services. We called out Philip (guide) for $10, Frank (driver to BdC who waited patiently and transferred our luggage between casa and cabina) $5, Kevin (driver to PJ) $2, and Gerly (front-desk) $5. Also, we were so impressed with the trail maintenance and felt this heightened our experience immensely that we called out Raphael specifically for $10. We then tipped $2/night for each of our maids respectively. 15% of our bar bill was split between the bartenders. And finally we put $60 in a pool for kitchen and ground maintenance staff to split.

Don’t know how that compares with what they usually get – so hard to know. But maybe in a thread we can start a listing so that everyone gets a better sense.

PUERTO JIMINEZ

On Thursday we spent the night in Puerto Jiminez at Cabinas Jimenez (www.cabinasjimenez.com). The thinking was that if we wanted to do a tour like kayaking or animal sanctuary, we would do that in the afternoon and then not to the ride back to BdC but stay in PJ. We had a 7am flight out of PJ on Friday morning and just couldn’t see spending $330 and have to leave at 5:30am.

As it turned out, we didn’t do the kayaking (I was had a rash from the sun – should have known this would happen given past experiences in the sun) so we had a quiet night in PJ. The town is all dirt roads, about 3 blocks by 6 blocks and around 3500 people. There are a couple of stores to explore but it was extremely hot and no shade or breeze. In retrospect, next time we would fly to San Jose late Thursday afternoon instead and spent two nights in Orquideas Inn.

The place we stayed was decent, clean, had A/C and was only $80. The owner was a retired American and was frustrated with us for only staying one night and paying with traveler’s checks (even though we had specifically agreed to this in an email before hand). Though he did arrange for taxis for us.

For dinner we took a taxi to Jade Luna (www.jadeluna.com) a 3-star gourmet restaurant in the middle of nowhere and considered in the top ten for all of Costa Rica – who would have guessed!! It was nice and cost around $50 for two of us. Note that they only take US dollars or Costa Rican colones – no credit cards and no traveler’s checks (even though their website doesn’t mention this)

SAN JOSE

Friday morning we left on the first flight of the 7am group (second one was 45min later) and arrived in San Jose around 8am. We arranged with Aventuras Turisticas Zamar (www.emotionguaranteed.com) for a daylong guide and driver. We had Luis and he was fabulous. Even if you are not staying at Orquideas Inn (where they are based out of) I would still use them – they go all over. Luis is outgoing and his English is excellent. He went to University for a degree in tourism and to learn English, so he is just full of neat nuggets about what you are looking at. He represents his country well. He is very outgoing and loved to talk, so we asked lots of questions about life in Costa Rica and his families traditions.

We had agreed to an itinerary beforehand and it was $120 for the day – just the two of us and Luis – plus entrance fees and lunch. Luis paid all of the entrance fees, so all we had to do was pay the company at the end of the day (in cash – no traveler’s checks).

We went to Poas Volcano (get there before 10am) – it was so clear that you could see both coasts and Arenal (Luis said he has never seen it so clear). Hubby did a canopy tour at the base of Poas (Luis and I went shopping). We had a great Tico lunch nearby – late around 2pm. Then we stopped by a bank so I could cash the traveler’s checks for their payment – and then off to Doka Estate coffee tour. It is an actual working plantation, better than Café Britt’s tour, and I would highly recommend seeing where Starbucks gets (some of) their coffee.

We got back to Orquideas Inn (www.orquideasinn.com) around 5pm and checked into “Susan’s Room.” Very nice – hardwood floor, balcony, in the upper villa. Since we had a late lunch, we decided to hit the whirlpool first and then get cleaned up and have a later dinner. Food was very nice and would highly recommend the hotel if you want to stay within 10min of the international airport.

TIPS AND INSIGHTS

* Don’t expect to sleep in. The rainforest animals and San Jose trucks are on the move before sunrise. Just plan on taking a siesta and going to bed early.

*Buy a small but powerful LED flashlight (you can find them at Wal-mart or Ebay for $5-7 each). Not a mini-mag, but one that has 15-25 LED lights will be good. Make sure you have one for each person, that way you have a back-up. At BdC you cannot see or find your way at night without one. It is like a cave, you don’t see your hand in front of your face.

*A little bit of courtesy Spanish goes a long way – everyone is so friendly and even more so when they see you trying with your Span-glish.

*Don’t bother with hairdryers, electric shavers, battery chargers, etc. You can’t plug them in your cabina.

*Always bring more water than you think you need on the trails and take it easy your first day (would not recommend Pacific or Golfo your first day) – the humidity can really make you feel sick until you get acclimated.

*If you are prone to motion sickness, bring your favorite remedy (mine is ginger tablets) because the plane ride to/from Puerto Jimenez and the roads around San Jose require a strong stomach.

*Most of all – HAVE FUN AND TREAT THE UNEXPECTED AS A GIFT.

locolowe, Excellent trip report! You have put my mind at ease regarding our stay in Casa Teka in 10 days. I have a few questions though, are there fans in the bedroom at Casa Teka? Was it difficult to sleep there without much of an ocean breeze? I assume you were able to keep food in the kitchen at Casa Teka without worry of any animals trying to get it?

Realize that there is a typo - the bridge is 250+ft long (not 150 ft)....

There is a small fan in each room - probably about 8inch diameter that clips to the window blinds so you can direct it exactly where you want it. We used it to circulate the room air.

When we first went to bed, it was a little hard, but usually pretty tired so fell asleep fairly quickly.

The room lights are pretty dim, so you really won't be reading in bed unless you use a flashlight.

I would use the refrig for food. I probably would not keep food on the counters or shelves - mainly to not attract ants.

Having a freezer is so nice. By the way, there is no ice-cube tray, so we just froze our water bottles.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want...

Wow, great report. Someday I'll get there. Pat

Thanks again. I did make a note to pack ice cube trays and yesterday I purchased two nalgene bottles (wide lid for cubes to go in) to bring on any hikes.

What a wonderful report. Thanks for all the details. We're staying in two places as well, but for us it will be the standard cabina for two nights and garden cabinas for two nights. I'm hoping there will be a cancellation so we can stay in the standard or deluxe cabina the whole time because it sounds as if it will be cooler for sleeping. What do you think?

What bug repellant and sunscreen did you bring/find most effective? I'm the one in the family most likely to have loads of bites. Did you use a hat on the hikes?

One other question I haven't been able to get answered--did you telephone the States while at Bosque del Cabo and if so what was the most economical way?

Excellent report!

Even after traveling to BdC, I continue to read everyone's experience and continue to learn something through each and every one.

Wonderful report. It made me feel like I was there. I am sure it will be extremely helpful to those following in your footsteps. For those staying in the garden house or even the other houses, there are ice cube trays now that you can buy that have a thin long shape so they fit into the smaller water bottle holes.

I do want to say one other thing, there are poisonous snakes around Bosque. We had a Coral snake come into the dining room one night. Philip had been bitten by another one a couple of months earlier and had been very sick from it (in the hospital kind of sick). I don't want to scare people but you do need to be aware that there are things that can hurt you in the rainforest. In many many trips to Bosque we have not seen many but we know they are there.

Personally, the Garden was actually fine for sleeping. The first couple of hours it was nice to have the fan because you get warm hiking back at night - but by the middle of the night, I was usually turning off the fan because it was cool enough.

I am one that does not like deet or any other strong chemicals - anything that says it will melt lycra (like deet) I won't put on my skin I prefer a spray like .... and then spray regularly.

As for sunscreen - sweat-proof is nice.

When I was on the beach I used a hat, otherwise I did not because it was so hot/humid that I found a hat kept in too much heat.

We didn't make any phone calls. I assume you could from BdC for a charge. In Puerto Jimenez there is an internet cafe that you can make calls for a charge.

The most economical way would be a "199-card" that is Costa Rica's prepaid international calling card. Pick-up a “199-card” from any supermarket or souvenir stores – this is the international calling card “tarjetas para llamadas internacionales” The instructions are in English. The “199-card” is sold in CR3000 (US$6 equiv), US$10, and US$20 denominations. The cards cannot be reloaded. Dial 199 + PIN + Phone number. To the US, it would be 199 + PIN + 00 + 001 + area code/phone# (costs about US$0.35/min; US$10 = 28min, US$20 = 57min). There is also a “197-card” comes in smaller denominations and is intended for domestic calls “tarjetas para llamadas nacionales.” The instructions are in Spanish, but can also work for very short international calls.


We decided that since family has our numbers, they could get a hold of us for emergencies, so we didn't call home or call the office (it was nice)

Oops - the paste didn't take in the previous post...

The repellant I used was Skedattle (http://www.mexitanproducts.com/page15.html) and it worked well provided you reapplied regularly - with it being all natural, I was more comfortable spraying more often with something like this than with a deet-based product. Also it didn't smell bad.

I have an elderly mother who has lots of medical issues so thanks very much for the info on calls. It's great to hear all the details before leaving. I'm looking into trip insurance too.

you probably already know this - but for trip insurance, use www.insuremytrip.com for comparisons.

Since you already have made your deposit make sure you look for one that allows for pre-existing conditions up until your final deposit (forget which company). Most companies will require a pre-existing clause if you didn't buy insurance within 7-21 days of your initial trip payment.

I would highly recommend trip insurance.

Locolowe: You're absolutely right about trip insurance and I'll stop putting it off. Hope it's not too late.

Loved the info about gratuities and of course the wildlife, which we can't wait to see. I won't ask my sons to try roaring before we go because we live in an apartment...

What a great report! I am hoping to be able to do a hike with Phillip in May, every time I'm there he's not! Would love to do the Zapatero again as thats the one I literally jogged thru and don't quite remember too much about.

Just a note about fans, breezes etc....I don't know if it's cause I get cold easily & love the heat, but I think more it's a case of being so exhausted at the end of the day I usually crash faster than I ever do at home in CR.

Excellent trip report. Lots of new tips and advice. Makes it easier to enjoy a trip to a new place when one knows what to expect. I am 11 days away from arriving at BdC and am very excited!

tully - Philip goes home to Nicaguara every few months (his wife apparently hates the rainforest or anyplace that "does not have a shoe store" <-- his quote). He just got back on Monday night so we were lucky since the week before he wasn't around. We were his first tour back - as a result, he was excited to see what had changed while he was gone. A lot of "this wasn't here" "that was half the size 10 days ago" etc.

tully,

I do hope you get to go out with him finally. Everytime we do it is a different trip even though it is on the same trail.

His "wife" does prefer the city life and has no desire to spend time in the wilds of CR.

Thanks for the great trip report!! I love this board, just a great wealth of info...can't wait for my own time at BdC...only 1 more month!

Can anyone comment on what the general price for drinks is at BdC?

Hey Janenicole, See you at BdC. We will be arriving on the 4th. What day will you be getting there?