Ute,
Others will remember better the locations of the garden cabinas. I'm thinking Teka would be best, but can't be sure.
As far as I know, only one Savegre! And yes, I'd book birding tours promptly. At least let them know you want to go birding one of the mornings (or more) that you are there. I think Marino charges about $60 per person. Melvin is very good as well, but Marino is so over the top with his passion and desire for you to see as many birds as possible that it is my inclination to enjoy him a bit more. His enthusiasm is quite contagious--hooked me! :)

ttraveler, MA/Arenal/Savegre is a bit much for 6 days. Think about what you want most to do. How many actual nights will you have? Will you need to spend the first and last near the airport because of arrival/departure times?

If so, you could do Arenal 2 nights, MA 2 nights, even though 3 at each would be ideal. Working in another location is just not feasible. Of course, you could substitute Savegre for Arenal or Manuel Antonio. Is this your first visit? An Arenal/MA combination is hard to beat for first timers.

How important is your beach time (MA)? Rainforest (moist forest) time (MA)? Chance of seeing the volcano and the soaking in the hot springs and LOTS of other area attractions(Arenal)? Desire for a couple of nights with very cool temperatures and a chance to see lots of beautiful birds, do some trout fishing, hiking or horseback riding to the waterfalls (Savegre)?

I have been to Costa Rica twice before but it's been quite a while.. The last time I went was at least 6 years ago. This time I am traveling with two friends and my neice who will be 15. I know I could easily do Arenal, Monteverde and MA and that they would have a great trip as it will be the first time they have visited.. I was hoping that I might get to experience something other then I already have. We love to be active. We want to do a lot of hiking ect. Thanks for your advice

You could "do" Arenal, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio into a short amount of time easier than you could fit in the San Gerardo de Dota area. I'm thinking of transfer times between locations. Arenal/Monteverde/MA would be easier logistically, IMHO.

Ute,

Excellent news regarding the room availability at Savegre. What I do suggest is that you get a confirming email from the Lodge with your arrival date etc.

Yes, book a birding tour asap -you will learn much from the Chacons, and their enthusiasm is wonderful.

Savegre, however, is a wonderful place just to get out early in the morning and explore by yourselves. Even a walk around the grounds and down the 'main road' will yield some wonderful birds, and the air so just so fresh and clean.....

You will be at about 7200 feet altitude and some folks do feel that a bit but we have never been particularly bothered by the thin air.

By the way, do get a copy of the 'Birds of Costa Rica' by Stiles and Skutch. It can be intimidating [nearly 850 species....] but with a bit of research you can pin down the most likely possibilities in each of the areas you will be visiting. Savegre is fairly simple, the Osa a bit more difficult. I would be happy to offer some hints.

That way when you see your first fiery-billed aracari and long tailed silky flycatcher [both of which are very likely....] you can say 'hey -I know that bird!'. It makes the whole experience a lot more fun.

cheers

Jerry [envious in Toronto....]

I am visiting CR in late November and was thinking about stopping at the Sevegre Lodge on the way up from Dominical for a night. If I leave Dominical in the morning what is there for me to do in the afternoon in Sevegre? - as I assume the good birding is in the early morning.

At Savegre you could try trout fishing, arrange a horseback ride or a walk to explore a bit of cloud forest.

Birding is better in the morning but the difference here, it seems to me, is less pronounced than in the hotter areas. You could still enjoy the hummingbirds etc at the feeders and there will be enough other birds around to make it interesting.

cheers

Jerry

Casa Teca is a wooden 2 bedroom house with a kitchen. At least one of the others is open on three sides with canvas "walls" that you can pull down. I am not sure of the other. They will be more than happy to answer questions and even send pictures of them.

At Savegre, there is a great hike up into the primary cloud forest with lots of huge oak trees and giant ferns and such. Gorgeous walk--very primevial (is that the word?). This is an area frequently used on birding tours. But you can certainly explore it alone. I think it will fascinate you! Like being in another world. . . .

Hey Suzie: Thank you for your reply. The Bosque folks are super nice and sent us pix of the cabin locations and interiors of one of the cabins. You have solved one mystery, we were wondering why Teca was so much more expensive.

To Shillmac: I think our 2 days in Savegre will not be enough!

To Jerry: Will try to get the book by Stiles & Skutch. What would you recommend for Osa? In terms of birding. We have 7 days on Osa. We're also thinking of visiting Cano Island.

Gracias (have got to learn some Spanish!)
-Ute

Stiles and Skutch is 'the' bird guidebook for all of Costa Rica. It will serve you well country -wide, including the Osa. For a good hint at what can be found at Savegre check the Costa Rica Gateway wedsite....I think they have a Savegre checklist. There Bosque del Rio Tigre checklist will be helpful for Bosque del Cabo, although since your location will be near beach /ocean the list will be longer.
If you want detailed info on birds /birding please email me at gannetmusicATyahoo.com .

Cheers

Jerry

Ute, I think you'll be able to enjoy Savegre fully in the 2 days you will be there. It was perfect for us--a couple of times so far. We'll return, for sure, but will probably not spend more than 3 nights there. Your itinerary is shaping up nicely. Jerry has given you excellent advice regarding the birding. You'll have a great time--enjoy! :)

Ola y'all!

A question on logistics. Our flight arrives into SJO at 9am and we can either take

-Nature Air 10:50am departure from Pavas
or
-Sansa Air 10:30am departure

In your opinion, would we be able to make either of these connections?

Other factors:

1) Pavas is a 30 minute ride from SJO
2) Nature Air will fly direct into PJO
3) Sansa Air will break at Drake's Bay (flight time to PJO will be 20 minutes longer)

Muchas gracias :)
Ute

Definitely the Sansa flight IMO. Even if you get thru customs relatively fast, you'd be cutting it close to make it to Pavas, whereas Sansa you can merely walk next door. And after several flights to the Osa, I can tell you that 20 minutes is very optimistic. Stops we've had at Drake's Bay and at Golfito were all under 5 minutes.