Help with Itinerary!!
 

I am planning a trip for 18 days in Aug. to CR. This is my tentative plan. I would love to have input before I book anything. Thanks for all your help. This board has been great in assisting me in the preliminary work.
Arrive in SJO around noon; use a shuttle to get to
Arenal: 3nights Observatory Lodge
Monteverde: 2 nights
Fly to MA
MA: 3 nights
Fly to PJ
Osa: at Bosque del Cabo 4 nights
Maybe fly to SJO and overnight to leave for Tortuguero the next am
Tortuguero: 2 nights Mawamba lodge
To SJO for the last night with a morning flight 8:00 AM

I don't know if I have scheduled enough time in each place...if I am doing too much travelling and should cut down on the locales? I think that I am fine on what to do in each place, but I am concerned about the travelling. I still have two nights to play with. Where should I add that time? Thanks again for all your help.
Barbara

It's a lot of traveling, but you have time and it seems like you picked a good amount of time for each location. The flying will help make it much less hectic since you won't have a lot of driving time. Have a great time!
Sandy

Thanks SandyC I appreciate the input. I am questioning the Observatory Lodge and wondering if I wouldn't be better off at Arenal Paraison? It seems like it is not so far from everything. I also was wondering if it would be better to spend the two days at Rincon instead of going to MA? Any ideas. Thanks again. Barbara

Don't bother with 2 nights at Monteverde it's overated and overcrowded. if you want to see wildlife go on a tour of Cano Negra from La Fortuna:

http://costa.rica.typepad.com/la_fortuna/home/index.htm

Observatory Lodge vs. Paraiso? Depends on what you like. You'll have a good time either way. I disagree w/ the comment that Monteverde is not worth it. It was not crowded when I went and it was really different from other parts of CR. Monteverde and St. Elena are cute little towns, and it's very peaceful there. I had a wonderful day in the reserve and saw plenty of animals because I had a guide with me who knew where to look, but that was only part of the story -- the plants are fascinating in themselves. Marcella Morales is a great guide -- I can give you her # if you want it. I do agree that Cano Negro is a great way to see lots of wildlife. You can do that from Arenal.

Sandy

Just a comment about Arenal.

I was in Fortuna in Feb and the hotel, though it had a view of the Volcano, did not have a great view of the eruption. We called a taxi and the drivet took us to another side of the volcano. We saw eruptions that were more vivid than the pictures. If Arenal is not erupting on the side of your hotel is is worth every penny to take a tour or taxi to see an actual volcano erupting. We spent 2 weeks in CR and that was the hightlight of our trip.

crfan - just curious, how much did the taxi cost? And do they just hang out there with you while you snap some pics? For how long - few minutes or say, like 20 minutes?

We also took a taxi to see the lava. Tha driver charged us $30.00 for an hour. It was fabulous! The night was clear so we saw stars and repeated eruptions of lava. The driver and another driver entertained my son between lava sightings. He did not rush us at all. I enjoyed talking to him. We kept his card and used him for a trip to the waterfall, where he dropped us and returned later to pick us up. I am glad we decided to stay on the town side of the volcano. It would have added alot of time and expense to all our excursions to stay on the other side.

We stayed at the Lost Iguana and had a view of the lava right from our bed!! While the Lost Iguana was further from La Fortuna (taxis were $13), it did not add much expense for us because we used the included shuttle for all the excursions we did and we asked the shuttle to drop us off in town if we wanted to have dinner there. Seeing the lava at night from our room was very memorable! However, the volcano hike that we arranged at the hotel was great and we saw the lava then, too.

Thanks for all the info. Joyful heart, I will e-mail you for the phone number, as the guide seems like a great idea. I never would have thought to take a cab to see the volcano. I will look into that one. I am so excited about the trip that I absolutely obsess and devour all the information that I can get. Thanks again. Barbara

Barbaract - I too disagree with the poster stating Monteverde is not worth it. We so enjoyed Monteverde!!! My opinion is that it is totally worth the effort. It is such a unique place. Very mystical walking through the mist and clouds surrounded by lush, green, giant vegetation.

For your extra 2 nigts, I think I would stay somewhere near SJ and visit some of the highlights of the Central Valley - Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Orosi Valley, Lankester Gardens, possibly a rafting trip - the opportunities are endless.

Other than that, you also have the option of visiting some of the Northern Pacific Beaches. Which in August would possibly be a bit dryer.