Recos for Tamarindo stay?
Nov 30th, 2008, 09:31 PM
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Recos for Tamarindo stay?
Hi. We are leaving for CR in about 3 weeks, travelling with 8& 10 year olds, as well as their grandparents. Would love to see wildlife, and anything else of interest around there before we head to Arenal and Monteverde. I'm worried we scheduled too many days there...
Dec 1st, 2008, 04:59 AM
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Dec 1st, 2008, 06:18 PM
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Hi Jerry. Headed to Rancho for Christmas; been intending to e-mail you!
Oh you'll see wildlife in Tamarindo all right!
Or are you talking about monkeys and sloths? Sorry, my joking probably doesn't ease your mind traveling with kids. It's okay. . .Tamarindo is an interesting place. Most of us just miss it the way it was when it first started to grow and before.
Capitan Suizo a good rec. Also look into Sueno del Mar.
http://www.sueno-del-mar.com/
Oh you'll see wildlife in Tamarindo all right!
Or are you talking about monkeys and sloths? Sorry, my joking probably doesn't ease your mind traveling with kids. It's okay. . .Tamarindo is an interesting place. Most of us just miss it the way it was when it first started to grow and before.
Capitan Suizo a good rec. Also look into Sueno del Mar.
http://www.sueno-del-mar.com/
Dec 3rd, 2008, 10:26 AM
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Eeks. This sounds a bit discouraging. Here are our tour options thru Eco-Adventures--Rincon de la Vieja, Corobici River, Palo Verde Nat'l Park, Guaitil Ceramics and Santa Cruz, Liberia, and Playa Grande for seeing turtles nest. Any thoughts?
Dec 3rd, 2008, 11:40 AM
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Will you have a car available? That could help decide some possibilities for you.
Palo Verde is a rich area with an intersting mix of wetland marsh and rivers as well as dry forest. If you go with a GOOD tour company you have a good chance of seeing a variety of birds , iguanas, crocodiles and quite possibly howler and /or white-faced monkeys.
Many of the 'Rincon de la Vieja' tour are more adventure tours to the park area[ziplines etc]than wildlife tours. If you can get hooked up with a small-group 'nature' tour that actually enters the National Park you are in for a treat. Close by the Park entrance are easy trails to mudpots and other geothermal features. Near here we have seen some wonderful birds including parakeets and toucans, and other wildlife including white-faced monkeys and a beautiful Tamandua [anteater ] at close range. The trail also goes through some beautiful primary tropical forest with huge trees as well as dry areas with their very distinctive plantlife. This is also the BEST area of Costa Rica we've found for butterflies including the spectacular Blue Morpho. The key is to get out early in the day and take your time. Rincon is a favourite location of ours.
I was last in the Tamarindo area [Playa Grande actually] three years ago. At that time we had a great little wildlife viewing spot we visited every day. If you are in Tamarindo just walk north a bit to the estuary that separates Tamarindo from Playa Grande. Hire a little motorboat for the 2 minute trip across the estuary. From here is [was...]a little trail that is about a 10 minute walk up to the gravel road in Playa Grande. This trail traverses an area of mangroves and forest. I would just about guarantee that your 8 and 10 year olds will see some 'neat stuff' here. There are lots of lizards and various crabs [some vividly coloured] scurrying around and some great birds including Mangrove Black Hawks, Crested Caracaras and beautiful Black-throated Trogons [a very 'tropical-looking' bird!] as well as plenty of other songbirds. You would not need a guide here.
These are a couple of ideas. I suggest you contact the Costa Rica Gateway travel agency in advance to help you with tour providers. They are excellent and totally honest folks.
cheers
Jerry
Palo Verde is a rich area with an intersting mix of wetland marsh and rivers as well as dry forest. If you go with a GOOD tour company you have a good chance of seeing a variety of birds , iguanas, crocodiles and quite possibly howler and /or white-faced monkeys.
Many of the 'Rincon de la Vieja' tour are more adventure tours to the park area[ziplines etc]than wildlife tours. If you can get hooked up with a small-group 'nature' tour that actually enters the National Park you are in for a treat. Close by the Park entrance are easy trails to mudpots and other geothermal features. Near here we have seen some wonderful birds including parakeets and toucans, and other wildlife including white-faced monkeys and a beautiful Tamandua [anteater ] at close range. The trail also goes through some beautiful primary tropical forest with huge trees as well as dry areas with their very distinctive plantlife. This is also the BEST area of Costa Rica we've found for butterflies including the spectacular Blue Morpho. The key is to get out early in the day and take your time. Rincon is a favourite location of ours.
I was last in the Tamarindo area [Playa Grande actually] three years ago. At that time we had a great little wildlife viewing spot we visited every day. If you are in Tamarindo just walk north a bit to the estuary that separates Tamarindo from Playa Grande. Hire a little motorboat for the 2 minute trip across the estuary. From here is [was...]a little trail that is about a 10 minute walk up to the gravel road in Playa Grande. This trail traverses an area of mangroves and forest. I would just about guarantee that your 8 and 10 year olds will see some 'neat stuff' here. There are lots of lizards and various crabs [some vividly coloured] scurrying around and some great birds including Mangrove Black Hawks, Crested Caracaras and beautiful Black-throated Trogons [a very 'tropical-looking' bird!] as well as plenty of other songbirds. You would not need a guide here.
These are a couple of ideas. I suggest you contact the Costa Rica Gateway travel agency in advance to help you with tour providers. They are excellent and totally honest folks.
cheers
Jerry
Dec 10th, 2008, 09:58 PM
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You should be right on time for the turtles. We spent last week in Tamarindo and they are just now starting to show up. Saw quite a few of them swimming around when we were out fishing last Saturday. Didn't realize how huge they are.
Lots of monkeys, birds and huge iguanas in the Tamarindo area. You just have to know where to look. Capitan Suizo has lots of howlers that hang out in the trees near their bar. Try not to stand directly underneath to take photos though. I think the leaves on those particular trees contain a fair amount of fiber. It is also common to see squirrels and iguanas come around the bar area begging for bananas.
Tamarindo was pretty tame this trip. Much more quiet than in years past and there were a number of vacant shops and restaurants.
Lots of monkeys, birds and huge iguanas in the Tamarindo area. You just have to know where to look. Capitan Suizo has lots of howlers that hang out in the trees near their bar. Try not to stand directly underneath to take photos though. I think the leaves on those particular trees contain a fair amount of fiber. It is also common to see squirrels and iguanas come around the bar area begging for bananas.
Tamarindo was pretty tame this trip. Much more quiet than in years past and there were a number of vacant shops and restaurants.
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