Itinerary Help/Advice in Costa Rica?
 

Hello all! You've been an amazing help with all of your advice and trip reports! I wanted to know if this itinerary would work...this would be for our honeymoon coming up in October!

Day 1-fly into San Jose
Day 2-fly down to Puerto Jimenez and stay at Bosque del Cabo
Day 5-fly back into San Jose and attempt to catch flight to Montezuma and stay at El Sano Banano.
Day 7-fly back into San Jose and catch late afternoon flight home.

Is this too much flying and am I cutting it close on flights?? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Natalie

Natalie, you have a very nice itinerary and one that will work since you plan on flying domestically, saving a lot of time! I am a little concerned about your plan to visit Bosque del Cabo in October. When we were there, Phillip, who leads guests on trail hikes, said that Sept. and Oct (particularly Oct) are nearly impossible months due to extreme rainfall. Some places on the Osa simply close shop for a couple of months. He said that at times the entire property (grounds) can be under water for days at a time and that the trails are almost impossible to navigate. I don't want to discourage you, but he painted a pretty gloomy picture for October visits to the Osa, and he is someone who knows well what the weather is like during that more intense part of the rainy season. Have you spoken with BDC?

On the bright side, October is one of the best months to visit the Caribbean side. It rains over there year round, but during Sept./Oct. they get the least. It is a fascinating place to visit and you can see quite a bit of wildlife there. My daughter and I were there this past October and had a wonderful time--just not enough of it! Just food for thought. . . .at any rate, congratulations on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon! You've picked a great country in which to enjoy those first few days of married bliss!

Hi Shillmac,

Thanks for your reply! I had my doubts about going to the Osa too. I've sent Phillip and BDC an e-mail inquiring about the conditions etc and am waiting to hear back from him. Is early November any better for visiting the Osa?? I guess that we just wanted to have a vacation where we do see a lot of nature/wildlife etc as we're both nature buffs! Any other recommendations?? Thanks!

Hi guys...sorry...just had to ask how bad the weather actually is in October?? Should we push it back to November??

Sure, November is the beginning of the end of the rainy season, and the rains gradually decrease during the month until December arrives with more sunny days. If you can move it back a month to Nov., it would be helpful. But still you should try to contact the hotel for their opinion. There will still be a fair amount of rain occuring in November, I expect. There is a link that shows rainfall amounts. I can never think of it and always have to search a bit. Will try to locate it for you!

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/...rMap.html#rain

I always find this little site interesting! Looks pretty accurate as far as generalities go.

Thanks so much!!

Natalie, my husband and I are nature buffs as well, and I fully understand why your first choice is the Osa! We visited there last summer {July, I think}, and the diversity of creatures and plants was amazing. It was somewhat rainy even in July, though most often in the afternoons and evening.

a few alternative suggestions- when planning our trip, I considered these areas that are nature-rich:

Arenal - more touristy, but the volcano is quite a sight and plenty of opportunities to view wildlife, in particular the Cano Negro all-day boat trip, where we saw more wildlife in a few hours than in Tortuguero!

The Sarapiqui region: La Selva Biological Station and La Laguna del Lagarto Lodge {very remote} look particularly interesting.

And you might want to consider the Guanacaste region. Relatives visited there on an Earthwatch project in October and enjoyed dry weather, thermal hotsprongs, and saw quite a bit of wildlife.

I do hope the Osa works out for you!

Thanks Molly2! Will definitely take your recommendations into consideration! Will let you guys know what's decided!