Craig Buhrendorf

My wife and I are staying at Villa Caletas (3 nights) and Lapa Rios (3 nights) on the Pacific coast in early March. We will also be staying at Vista Del Valle (near San Jose) our first and last nights. With the help of the postings here, we made all of our arrangements (flights, etc.) last August. All we have to do is figure out what to bring. We hope to do lots of hiking at Lapa Rios and some at Manual Antonio (an hour from Villa Caletas). My wife may want to go horseback riding. We would like to travel as light as possible. I have heard differant opinions depending on whether it is the dry or rainy season. We are going in the dry season. I have also heard that it gets chilly at night in the mountains near San Jose but am not sure if it will be when we are there. Does anyone have suggestions for what we need for this itinerary at this time of year?

lisa

Hi Craig. With that itinerary, you are going to have a marvelous time! Please post a trip report when you get back.

Yes, it will be the dry season. That doesn't mean you won't see any rain, but it shouldn't be very long, heavy, or frequent.

My boyfriend and I went on the cusp of the rainy/dry season (November). We are very light travelers and each brought one rolling carry-on bag and one backpack that went under the seat. Here's what we brought:

one pair hiking boots
one pair Teva sandals
(I also brought one pair of black flat sandals to wear to dinner and my boyfriend brought one pair of casual lace-up shoes with rubber soles, like Rockports -- but we rarely wore these and really could have left them at home)
4 pairs shorts
2 pairs pants (one jeans, one cotton khaki; I also brought one pair of black capri pants)
4-5 pairs socks
5 t-shirts (2 tank-style, 3 short sleeve)
2 long sleeved light-colored shirts (I brought one long-sleeved T-shirt and one lightweight knit sweater)
2 bathing suits
waterproof rain jacket (you can probably leave this at home)
small folding umbrella
flashlight
bug spray
sunscreen (SPF 30 and 15)
sunglasses
baseball cap or hat with a brim
camera and LOTS of film (he brought 10 rolls of 24 exposures, I brought 6, and I think we used it all -- way more than I thought I'd use)
Costa Rica guidebook

Well, that's not every single thing we packed, but you get the jist of it. Keep in mind that all of the places you are staying offer laundry service, and the prices were pretty reasonable (like maybe 1 dollar per T-shirt, 2 dollars for pants, or something in that vicinity). We did use the laundry services when we needed to.

Also, I did bring a small blow-dryer for my hair, but didn't use it that much (you can't use them at Lapa Rios because their generators can't handle it).

I hope you have as memorable a time as we did.

Craig Buhrendorf

Thanks, Lisa. I was hoping that you would post a reply as it was your recommendation that originally inspired me to chose this itinerary. If you wouldn't mind, I have a few more questions:

1. Did you use the waterproof boots that Lapa Rios provides or were the hiking boots you brought sufficient to get through the wet spots?

2. I do plan to take a lot of pictures. My smallest camera has a 105 built-in zoom lens--do you think that will be ok?

3. In your trip report (I think) you mentioned that you stopped along the way to Villa Caletas for bottled water, wine and snacks. I think this is a good idea. Where and when did you exchange your dollars?

Thanks again for your help.

lisa

1. We did not use the waterproof boots at Lapa Rios -- my hiking boots are waterproof (and very lightweight -- they are Gore-Tex which is really great because it breathes too). I think my boyfriend's boots were pretty worn out and didn't keep out the water as much as he would have liked, but for most short walks you will probably wear Tevas anyway and only need hiking boots on longer hikes. By the way, at Manuel Antonio you have to forge a small stream in a boat in order to enter the park, and your feet are likely to get wet. I wore boots for that but many wore Tevas. I did not want to wear Tevas because I was wary of any snakes or creepy-crawlies we might encounter in the park, but most of the paths were pretty wide and Tevas probably would have been OK (although I prefer covered toes when hiking). In one of the hikes at Lapa Rios we also had to walk across a small stream, which involved taking off our boots and wading across (that felt great) and then putting boots back on. I don't think you will need to use the boots Lapa Rios has on hand since it shouldn't be too muddy when you're there. (continued)

lisa

2. The camera is a tough call. I do think that a 105 zoom is good. Whether it is "good enough" is a difficult question, because when you are photographing wildlife that is hidden in the trees such as howler and spider monkeys, no matter how powerful your zoom is you will always wish it were more so. Only you can decide whether it is worth carrying around the heavier lens or camera. To me, it is not worth it and I would stick with the 105. I am pretty sure my boyfriend (very good amateur photographer) would disagree and say to bring the most powerful lens you've got, because when are you going to be in Costa Rica again? I will say that in addition to our two cameras, we also brought a pair of binoculars and a small video camera -- which is admittedly a lot. But there is so much there to see, and you want to see it all. Originally I was against bringing the video camera, but to be honest, a place like CR is the ideal place for video because one of the things you can't capture on still film is the movement of animals -- the way spider monkeys swing in the trees, or the way toucans fly -- so in the end I was thrilled we got the video footage in addition to still shots (plus the video had a stronger zoom). Anyway, it's a tough call.

lisa

3. We actually exchanged some (not many) dollars into colones before we left the U.S, only because we were not sure if the exchange booths at the airport would be open when we arrived. I think we only exchanged $50-100 apiece before we left. I exchanged at Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange and my boyfriend got some at American Express. However, when we stopped in Orotina if I remember correctly it seemed like the clerk in the grocery store took dollars and gave us change in colones, but I'm not sure. (By the way, the town of Orotina is not much to look at, and I was originally a little nervous about even getting out of the car, but the driver went in the store with us and was kind enough to help us with the transaction which was really nice of him, since neither of us spoke any English and weren't familiar with the currency yet -- in the end I realized we were perfectly safe there and I have no idea what I was nervous about, aside from feeling like we stuck out like sore thumbs). If there is any way you can wait until you get to CR to exchange your money, you will get a much better exchange rate than you will here in the U.S., but you might want to do some in advance if you can anyway, just to be on the safe side. They definitely do not take credit cards in most small grocery stores and the like. By the way, if you are wine drinkers, you might want to bring a bottle or two with you. We did, and were very glad. There is not much available in CR in terms of wine other than a few Chilean labels, some of which are fine but all of which are much more expensive than they are here in the U.S. Concha y Toro is the most widely available. I do remember that the beers in the minibar at Villa Caletas were not very expensive at all by U.S. standards, and they were pretty good. Snacks like nuts, cheese and crackers, etc. are available in the grocery store and I think they also had cans of nuts and a few other things in the minibar. There is no refrigerator or minibar in the rooms at Lapa Rios though. By the way, the food at both Lapa Rios and Villa Caletas is really great!

Craig

Thanks again, Lisa. I'll post a trip report when I return.