Tortuguero vs. Selva Verde
 

Two nights in Mawamba or Tortuga Lodge are $1200 - $1500 for a family of four, boat in, plane out. Two nights at Selva Verde are around $400 - $500 including rental car. That said, Tortuguero was a one of the highlights of my first trip to CR in 1989, a true jungle river paradise. Are wildlife/river trips comparable in Selva Verde? Has Tortuguero become touristy? Or...what about a Nicaraguan river trip from Sarapiqui (we speak fluent Spanish).

Having done both, I would have to say that river trips at Selva Verde are not comparable in terms of wildlife viewing to the canals of Tortuguero. However, there is another alternative which does compare - Cano Negro. If you are going to be in the Arenal area, you might consider a day trip up the Rio Frio to Cano Negro. It's quite spectacular.

Terri

Having done Tortuguero, the Selva Verde area, and Nicaragua via the Sarapiqui I can say that the wildlife Rio Sarapiqui ride around Selva Verde area is not really comparable to Tortuguero. We had a fascinating time last year going up to Rio Indio Lodge via boat through the Rio Sarapiqui up to the San Juan and over to Rio Indio lodge. We flew back via about 2 hrs of canals over to Barra Colorado and then on the plane back to San Jose. The Rio Indio Lodge was an amazing surprise. The rooms were huge and had coffee makers, hairdryers, hot water as well as balconies overlooking the river. A big pool. The restaurant had very high ceilings and was very nice. There is an outide area where you can eat and look out over the river. There was a sloth that we watched for several days. We went kayaking, fishing, hiking (not much as most touring is by boat). The only real downside there were the bugs. Even the local Rama Indian that we were assigned as our guide for our stay used bug spray. It was fascinating going by the local Indians homes and seeing how they live. Most of the little kids didn't have clothes on. I watched one boy stun birds for the stew pot that night. They would have spoiled if he had actually killed them right away.

Immigration into Nicaragua was more of a kodak moment than anything else. The paperwork was actually done at the lodge.

Tortuguero was one of the highlights of our travels in CR. There are more lodges than there were then, we visited for the first time a couple of years after your trip. Cano Negro as a day trip would definitely be very similar and much less expensive if you are staying in the Arenal area. We saw lots of things that we hadn't seen before there.

thanks for your prompt responses. we are now deciding between tortuguero and rio indio. to complicate the decision...should we consider the osa? we are going around easter time and reservations seem difficult.

I am afraid you will probably have trouble on the southern Osa as well. You might like Drake Bay. The Wilderness lodge, Marenco, La Paloma, Casa Corcovado, all good places. I am sure there are others who can add to the list.