Suzie2 or anyone? Travel info needed!
 

My husband and I will be roaming Costa Rica between June 27 and July 8. We want to keep the cost down, and are thinking of traveling by bus. We need advice from those who have done this. We know to pack light and store any luggage we might have. We thought we would try to spend a little time in Monteverde, as well as traveling up north toward Los Chiles and Cano Negro and also south to San Isidro, San Vito, etc. Our goal is to get into areas of the country where we have not previously been. We want some type of plan in mind (and as much info as possible). What suggestions are out there?

Dear Shillmac,
I am sure you know about the Fantasy Bus and about Interbus, so I am not sure if you are asking about these buses or the local (and very cheap!) buses. The local buses in CR are quite good, on time and in general a pleasant experience. The only thing to worry about is your luggage. If you can travel REALLY light, and have your bag with you at all times, then going by bus is an easy and interesting experience, especially for you, who I know likes to get to know the people. If you must put one of your suitcases in the bottom part of the bus, I would always make sure there is nothing too important there - just clothes etc. Keep your valuables with you, and you will do just fine. If possible, always take the direct buses, because the rides are long as it is, you don't want the driver to stop every five minutes on top of that....
I hope it helps. Once you have a plan, you should check if there are buses connecting between the destinations you want to go to, otherwise you will have to go back to SJ each time, which will make the experience less efficient and much longer... If you have a more specific question about a specific bus, I will try and find out information for you.
Pura vida,
Neta Talmor

The first thing you'll want to know are these three URLs for the bus schedules
Interbus $25-40
http://www.interbusonline.com
Grayline $25-40
http://www.fantasy.co.cr/fantasy_bus.html
and a schedule of most of the major public buses $2-8
http://www.exintur.com/costarica/hopon.html

You should also be aware that there a many local buses ($0.35-$1) both around San José and around the country that cover distances of 2-30 km and go to some surprisingly remote destinations. The problem is getting information on them ahead of time. Many guidebooks don't list them, and they dont have any web presence. Ususally once you've identified an area you can get info on the locals by asking around here or speaking with hotel operators in that region.

It's a great way to see Costa Rica.

Thanks, Neta and Ray. I have printed a public bus schedule. You are so right! We don't want to stop every 5 minutes along the road, but do want to travel with as little expense as possible. I don't know much about Fantasy or Interbus, but I do have an Interbus schedule. Thanks for their websites. I will check those out. Neta, as you know, our goal here is just to leisurely see these areas and not to worry about getting here and there. On the other hand, there isn't any need to waste time traveling into San Jose each time as you say. Our daughter will be studying in Flamingo during this time, and we plan to leave most things with her and just backpack (although we don't have any experience at that!). . .guess it's time to "get the hang of it"! Tell me more about the direct buses. Are there some public buses that are direct? In the meantime, I'll be checking the websites, Ray. Thanks, both of you! By the way, Neta, I hope all is well with you y tu novio!

Most of the public buses listed at hopon are "direct" or "express" (they warn you if it's a local) meaning they make few or no stops. On a long trip (say San José to Puerto Jimenéz) they'll typically stop every couple of hours so you can stretch your legs, use the restroom (none onboard) and buy a snack or soda.

Although both Fantasy and Interbus go to Monteverde, it doesn't look as if either go to the more northern or southern remote areas. Do you think we are going to run into any problems just winging it up toward Cano Negro, finding a room, and the same for points south? I keep thinking we can do this without a lot of advance planning. What do you think?

Thanks, Ray. I guess the buses we have seen stopping all along the road are the local short distance buses. That makes sense. We have been to C. R. so many times and find ourselves so ignorant at this point. I think it's time to experience "getting around on a budget" thing personally! We will have a car for a week in June and again for 5 days in July. It's just this in between period that we thought we would try to do things differently.

We took the public bus from Monteverde to Alajuela three years ago. We've also taken the bus from Liberia to San Jose. They are not for the faint-hearted (particularly the ride from Monteverde.) One tip: if you do have any baggage to be stored below, either you or your husband should board the bus at get a seat while the other one stands outside until the driver closes the luggage door. And if there are any intermediate stops, you'll probably want to get out while the luggage is being removed to keep an eye on your stuff.

You have probably seen my previous advise about public bus travel. Monteverdeinfo.com also has a bus schedule. The schedule also tells you if it is direct and which bus stations to get the bus as there are several different ones when traveling from San Jose. Be extremely cautious if traveling from the Coca Cola Station. It is notorious for pickpockets and other theft.
I would like to add something regarding the potty breaks on the public buses....do what you need to do quickly. The drivers don't (from my experience) like to wait once it is time to hit the road again.
This will give you a good chance to learn the art of packing light. Once you figure it out you will wonder why you ever packed all that other stuff.
As far as playing it by ear as you go for hotels, San Vito won't be a problem. Los Chiles doesn't have much to offer the overnighter although there are a few small places. This is generally considered a day trip (as in nice place to visit but you don't want to live there).
Busing it to San Vito will really show you a huge amount of different sceneries. As was mentioned...once you get to the different towns the best place for bus info is from the locals.

Thanks, Suzie2. I realized after I originally posted that Cano Negro is primarily suited for day tripping. Guess we could stay at La Fortuna. . .we've never done that. So you are suggesting that San Vito would definitely be worth the time for us with our interest of seeing as much country as possible? I am thinking that, with our 10 days, we could easily visit Monteverde, take a day trip to Cano Negro, and then travel south to San Vito. As far as planning goes, Neta and Suzie, how does this look?

3 Days Monteverde--Interbus from San Jose

2 Days La Fortuna--Interbus, day trip to Cano Negro

(We've been in the Arenal area twice before and would like to experience it differently. Haven't done the Hanging Bridges. . .worth it? And, Neta, I am remembering the place you had talked to Jim and I about as well. .Hildago F.F.)

4 Days (transfer via public bus)San Vito

Tell me more, Suzie, about travel to San Vito. Should we go part way and stay in San Isidro or somewhere else or just head on down there and spend all of the time in that area? Best way to get around if we do decide to spend 4 days there?

How could this plan be improved on? I really don't want to microplan it. . .just have a general idea and see how it goes.

Dear shillmac,
I will send you later tonight the details about the beautiful hot springs I told you about.
Your plan sounds great, and with interbus I believe it will be easy, safe and fast.
By the way, Arbel and I are celebrating today our 10 year anniversary!
Pura vida,
Neta Talmor

Saludos Shillmac,
We will have already left Caño Negro area by the time you get up there but we will probably be in the San Isidro or Punta Uvita area when you hit that part of the country. I'm thinking of leaving that portion of the trip rather undecided to give us some added flexibility. Maybe we should exchange some contact info. I'm actually looking a "MYPOORMANSPARADISE" also but I haven't been able to get past the yuppie English website yet. (When I deal with the Spanish-speaking owners instead of the English-speaking travel agents, I get much better deals and much better treatment!) We MAY end up there but only if it really is a mom and pop organization. Frankly, the website makes it look a little too Disney-esque.

Best traveling mercies for you!

Julie, the tica traveler

Julie,
Did you decide to stay at, what was it?, La Carolina? up near Upala? I am still thinking of checking that out. Did you ever find out anything more on it?

Instead of Interbus between Monteverde and La Fortuna, why don't you take the jeep/boat/jeep or horses? It is quicker. The jeep trip is about the same price as the Interbus or you could take the public bus down the mountain to La Fortuna. The scenery for the Jeep or Horse trip down is beautiful. We did the horses a few years ago and even with lots of clouds around it was an awesome trip.
When we went to the Hanging Bridges it was just barely open. They didn't have full staffing and the parking lot was still being worked on. There were only 2 other people walking on the bridges. Even with that, the views of Arenal were just amazing from there. We didn't see much wildlife but the plants were beautiful. Could be the construction had scared the critters off temporarily. You will be there during "little summer" so could have good luck seeing the views.

Are you planning on 4 days in San Vito or are you including travel time in that? I would head straight down there and then wing it as far as making a stop on the way back in San Isidro depending on your time. Some bus trips like this recommend you get the bus ticket the day before. At the very least show up early to get a ticket. We stayed at the El Ceibo right in town not far from the church and central plaza. Food was good and rooms clean. There are also plenty of places in town to check out for food. I had my first tico Perro Caliente in a little sports bar there.
You can also make reservations and stay at Wilson. There are public buses that run between town and the gardens and taxis are easy to get and pretty inexpensive. We hooked up with a great taxi driver and just arranged to have him pick us up at the gardens to go back to town. The town is pretty good sized but not huge. Easy to walk around.

Thanks, Suzie. Good information. Heading off to work. . .I'll digest it later! Lately I've been wondering about trying to combine our time this far south with a little time on the Osa. Still mulling that over!