transportation from Domenical to Osa
Jul 18th, 2007, 06:31 AM
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transportation from Domenical to Osa
We are travelling from the Domenical Area down to Osa and Bosque del Cabo in early August, but I am having a hard time figuring the best way to get to Osa. Do I need to return to San Jose and then fly down to Puerto Jiminez? Or, can I drive from Domenical down to Puerto Jiminez? I understand that the road down to Palmer Norte is quite good, but I am uncertain as to what happens after that. I have heard that it is not possible to drive because the road can not cross the national park, I also believe that other folks have made this trip? Any advice would be much appreciated. My family of four would consider even doing interbus as well. We would like to reduce our travel time and would prefer not to return to SJ prior to Osa. THank you, thank you.
Jul 18th, 2007, 07:50 AM
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From Dominical to Palmar Norte..then to Chacarita..take the road across Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas...to Rincon...from there to 245 to Pto.Escondido Canazas...Agujas...then Puerto Jimenez...Interbus does not drive that far...has to be a taxi or a private driver...I will said about $200.00 for 4 guys...and is possible a 4x4 just in case!!
R.A luis
Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!
R.A luis
Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!
Jul 18th, 2007, 08:05 AM
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We just did that trip a couple of weeks ago although we were actually staying in Uvita.
We had no trouble driving to Puerto Jimenez. From Puerto Jimenez to Bosque was a little rough but they were working on the road so by the time you get there it should be much better. This part will be about 45 mins to 1 hr.
I would highly recommend that you have a car in Dominical so you can get around.
We had Solid Rent a car deliver a car to San Isidro where we then drove to Dominical/Uvita and ended up at Bosque del Cabo (as well as other places). Solid is the only place that has an office in PJ so we dropped it off there and flew back to San Jose.
The road to Palmar Norte is excellent. From Palmar Norte south it is narrower and winding somewhat put not terrible. Follow signs to Cuidad Neilly and Paso Canoas. Your turn to Puerto Jimenez is at Chacarita which is well marked and there is a huge gas station right there. Last one for a couple of hours so plan ahead. There are little restaurants along the way for food and bano breaks.
The road to Puerto Jimenez as of a couple of weeks ago was not paved but was in decent shape. It will take awhile to get to PJ just because of the unpaved road even though it is only about 75 km. Figure 1 1/2hrs (could be a little more or less depending on current conditions and amount of breaks).
Interbus is not an option from there as far as a shuttle goes. You could ask Bosque for some ideas. You/they might be able to arrange for a private driver to bring you down there. You could go to Sierpe, take the boat to Drake Bay and then fly to Puerto Jimenez. You could also drive 1 1/2 hr to Quepos and fly from there to PJ.
We had no trouble driving to Puerto Jimenez. From Puerto Jimenez to Bosque was a little rough but they were working on the road so by the time you get there it should be much better. This part will be about 45 mins to 1 hr.
I would highly recommend that you have a car in Dominical so you can get around.
We had Solid Rent a car deliver a car to San Isidro where we then drove to Dominical/Uvita and ended up at Bosque del Cabo (as well as other places). Solid is the only place that has an office in PJ so we dropped it off there and flew back to San Jose.
The road to Palmar Norte is excellent. From Palmar Norte south it is narrower and winding somewhat put not terrible. Follow signs to Cuidad Neilly and Paso Canoas. Your turn to Puerto Jimenez is at Chacarita which is well marked and there is a huge gas station right there. Last one for a couple of hours so plan ahead. There are little restaurants along the way for food and bano breaks.
The road to Puerto Jimenez as of a couple of weeks ago was not paved but was in decent shape. It will take awhile to get to PJ just because of the unpaved road even though it is only about 75 km. Figure 1 1/2hrs (could be a little more or less depending on current conditions and amount of breaks).
Interbus is not an option from there as far as a shuttle goes. You could ask Bosque for some ideas. You/they might be able to arrange for a private driver to bring you down there. You could go to Sierpe, take the boat to Drake Bay and then fly to Puerto Jimenez. You could also drive 1 1/2 hr to Quepos and fly from there to PJ.
Jul 18th, 2007, 12:21 PM
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I can't thank yall enough for replying and for the advice. I have been searching guide books and the internet unsuccessfully to understand this, and I am so glad to hear that this is not a totally crazy thing to do.
But do you know how long a from Palmar Norte to Puerto Jiminez? Also, do you know whether I could rent a car from another location -- Liberia, Monteverde, Arenal, Domenical, or Palmar Norte -- and still turn it in a Puerto Jiminez? (We are leaving friends in Arenal to join a friend in Domenical, and are still working on that transportation leg as well!). What a relief to ask my question desperately this morning and have yall already respond!
But do you know how long a from Palmar Norte to Puerto Jiminez? Also, do you know whether I could rent a car from another location -- Liberia, Monteverde, Arenal, Domenical, or Palmar Norte -- and still turn it in a Puerto Jiminez? (We are leaving friends in Arenal to join a friend in Domenical, and are still working on that transportation leg as well!). What a relief to ask my question desperately this morning and have yall already respond!
Jul 18th, 2007, 01:02 PM
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Solid is the only company that has an office in Puerto Jimenez. You could rent from them by the airport (SJO) and drive it all over and then turn it in in PJ and fly back to San Jose from there. You could rent from just about anybody that has an office in the northern part where you will be starting and pay a pick up fee wherever you leave it (such as Puerto Jimenez) if you don't turn it back in where you initially rented it. No car rentals in Monteverde that I know of. Plenty of them in Liberia. Keep in mind though that if you rent in Liberia and turn in down on the Osa the pick up is going to be pretty hefty. That is a long way.
I saw a pamphlet for puravidarentacar. The pamphlet said they had an office in San Isidro. You could have a car delivered from Quepos to Dominical. You could go to Quepos by interbus from a northern area like Arenal and pick up a car to drive down to Dominical etc from there. Dominical is about 1 1/2-2 hrs south of Quepos on an unpaved road.
I wasn't watching the clock from Palmar Norte to the turn at Chacarita for PJ but it wasn't terribly long. Maybe 45 mins tops. Possibly less. We had seen a jaguarundi cross the road down by Palmar Norte and we weren't thinking about much else for a little while.
Don't panic on the transportation. Just about anything can be worked out down there. Heck you might even be able to just hire a private driver to take you everywhere or at least fill in some of the gaps. You do need to be a little more precise on where and in what order you are going for us to give you complete help.
I would allow about 4 hrs to drive from Dominical to Puerto Jimenez. Leave around 8 am, stop at Soda Carolinas in Puerto Jimenez (right hand side of the road about 2 2 1/2 blocks from the coast for some decent food and then head up to Bosque which will be about 45 mins more.
I saw a pamphlet for puravidarentacar. The pamphlet said they had an office in San Isidro. You could have a car delivered from Quepos to Dominical. You could go to Quepos by interbus from a northern area like Arenal and pick up a car to drive down to Dominical etc from there. Dominical is about 1 1/2-2 hrs south of Quepos on an unpaved road.
I wasn't watching the clock from Palmar Norte to the turn at Chacarita for PJ but it wasn't terribly long. Maybe 45 mins tops. Possibly less. We had seen a jaguarundi cross the road down by Palmar Norte and we weren't thinking about much else for a little while.
Don't panic on the transportation. Just about anything can be worked out down there. Heck you might even be able to just hire a private driver to take you everywhere or at least fill in some of the gaps. You do need to be a little more precise on where and in what order you are going for us to give you complete help.
I would allow about 4 hrs to drive from Dominical to Puerto Jimenez. Leave around 8 am, stop at Soda Carolinas in Puerto Jimenez (right hand side of the road about 2 2 1/2 blocks from the coast for some decent food and then head up to Bosque which will be about 45 mins more.
Jul 18th, 2007, 03:06 PM
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Again,thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.
We want to travel from Arenal down to Domenical and then to Osa, returning to fly home from San Jose. We would like to have a car in Domenical and not to have to backtrack to SJ to fly to Puerto Jiminez, if in fact there is a more time efficient (and less expensive) way to get there. Since we plan to fly back to San Jose we would like to turn in our car before going to Bosque del Cabo.
We also would like to have a car while in the Arenal area but are uncertain as to the best way to travel from Arenal to Domenical. Would you suggest the route from Arenal to Domenical: 1)through SJ and San Isdro to Palmar Norte and up to Domenical or 2) going to Quepos and down to Domenical? We have considered both driving and doing interbus (as we have heard that drive can be really difficult this time of year; Did I say we aer going next week?! and that I am realizing we have a few thousand things to figure out!)
We actually fly into Liberia on July 24th, arrive in Nosara late that night by hotel driver, and then leave Nosara the 28th. We want to be in Domenical on the 2nd at the latest, as we will arrive at BdC the 5th leaving early on the 9th to fly back SJ and home. Thus we have 28-29-30-31 and then the first of August to go to Monteverde and Arenal and then down to Domenical. Upon leaving Nosara, we are considering renting a car though are uncertain as to where it is better to. rent for the whole period of 28th until the 5th, or whether we should piece it together a different way, using interbus, drivers, and car rental. I would welcome any suggestions.
We want to travel from Arenal down to Domenical and then to Osa, returning to fly home from San Jose. We would like to have a car in Domenical and not to have to backtrack to SJ to fly to Puerto Jiminez, if in fact there is a more time efficient (and less expensive) way to get there. Since we plan to fly back to San Jose we would like to turn in our car before going to Bosque del Cabo.
We also would like to have a car while in the Arenal area but are uncertain as to the best way to travel from Arenal to Domenical. Would you suggest the route from Arenal to Domenical: 1)through SJ and San Isdro to Palmar Norte and up to Domenical or 2) going to Quepos and down to Domenical? We have considered both driving and doing interbus (as we have heard that drive can be really difficult this time of year; Did I say we aer going next week?! and that I am realizing we have a few thousand things to figure out!)
We actually fly into Liberia on July 24th, arrive in Nosara late that night by hotel driver, and then leave Nosara the 28th. We want to be in Domenical on the 2nd at the latest, as we will arrive at BdC the 5th leaving early on the 9th to fly back SJ and home. Thus we have 28-29-30-31 and then the first of August to go to Monteverde and Arenal and then down to Domenical. Upon leaving Nosara, we are considering renting a car though are uncertain as to where it is better to. rent for the whole period of 28th until the 5th, or whether we should piece it together a different way, using interbus, drivers, and car rental. I would welcome any suggestions.
Jul 18th, 2007, 08:10 PM
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You could use Interbus from Nosara. It will cost around $160 for the 4 of you at the shuttle rate. Don't know how much more it would be to just ask for a private transport. You could contact them to find out. They are saying 9am departure with arrival in La Fortuna around 2:30. If you did that on the 28th you would only have 3 days in the La Fortuna area. You can find plenty to do there for that time. Rafting, Cano Negro, volcano hiking, zip lining. The list goes on. You could plan full day things the first day or so and get transportation with the tour companies and then get the car rental for a week. Taxis are available although I found them to be a little expensive.
As far as getting up to Monteverde...I wouldn't for that short of a time.
Alamo is saying they are located in La Fortuna and Quepos and Dominical. It would be about a 5 hr drive to Quepos from Arenal and then another 1 1/2 hr to Dominical. Hopefully someone who has done this trip recently will be able to give you more precise timing on the Quepos-Dominical part. So much depends on current road conditions when roads aren't paved. This is the way I would go. You definitely don't want to go to Palmar Norte and then back up to Dominical. Going through SJ is horrible and then having to go over the Cerro de la Muerte could be miserable if it is raining and there are trucks. If you do go this way you turn towards Dominical in San Isidro not Palmar Norte which is quite a ways further south.
I would contact Bosque to see what they can work out as far as flights to Puerto Jimenez from Quepos if you think you want to try that. Flights are a little more limited this time of year. At the moment I am not seeing any listed but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I don't think you would save a whole lot of time by flying and with the 4 of you it could end up being more expensive even with a drop off charge.
If you do drive down to PJ you could stop in at BdC's office to let them know you are in town. They can then arrange to get you to the lodge. It is right on the corner at the edge of town (right hand side). It is behind some tall walls but you can see it. If you get to the soccer field you have gone 1 block too far.
There is one turn on the road to Puerto Jimenez. It is a while AFTER the Rincon bridge. There is a little restaurant on the left just before crossing the bridge. The road goes straight to the beach but there is a right turn that you need to make. You will see some houses where the turn is. It isn't as bad as it sounds. If you don't make that turn just ask, Costa Ricans are good at sign language if you just say Puerto Jimenez. Someone will point you in the right direction.
While in Dominical you might want to drive down to Uvita to visit the beach and the whale tail sand bar. You need to go at low tide to see it. It really does look like a whale tail.
As far as getting up to Monteverde...I wouldn't for that short of a time.
Alamo is saying they are located in La Fortuna and Quepos and Dominical. It would be about a 5 hr drive to Quepos from Arenal and then another 1 1/2 hr to Dominical. Hopefully someone who has done this trip recently will be able to give you more precise timing on the Quepos-Dominical part. So much depends on current road conditions when roads aren't paved. This is the way I would go. You definitely don't want to go to Palmar Norte and then back up to Dominical. Going through SJ is horrible and then having to go over the Cerro de la Muerte could be miserable if it is raining and there are trucks. If you do go this way you turn towards Dominical in San Isidro not Palmar Norte which is quite a ways further south.
I would contact Bosque to see what they can work out as far as flights to Puerto Jimenez from Quepos if you think you want to try that. Flights are a little more limited this time of year. At the moment I am not seeing any listed but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I don't think you would save a whole lot of time by flying and with the 4 of you it could end up being more expensive even with a drop off charge.
If you do drive down to PJ you could stop in at BdC's office to let them know you are in town. They can then arrange to get you to the lodge. It is right on the corner at the edge of town (right hand side). It is behind some tall walls but you can see it. If you get to the soccer field you have gone 1 block too far.
There is one turn on the road to Puerto Jimenez. It is a while AFTER the Rincon bridge. There is a little restaurant on the left just before crossing the bridge. The road goes straight to the beach but there is a right turn that you need to make. You will see some houses where the turn is. It isn't as bad as it sounds. If you don't make that turn just ask, Costa Ricans are good at sign language if you just say Puerto Jimenez. Someone will point you in the right direction.
While in Dominical you might want to drive down to Uvita to visit the beach and the whale tail sand bar. You need to go at low tide to see it. It really does look like a whale tail.
Jul 23rd, 2007, 06:26 AM
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Suzy2 and others...............I see I missed correcting my spelling so please overlook. My fingers are all excited about planning the trip. Somehow it did not pick up the line about how much I appreciate all of you and your posts. It really does make things better to be able to read about the travels and experiences of others who have been there and done that.
Jul 24th, 2007, 05:31 PM
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Hope I catch you before you leave! We did a similar trip in June 05: arrive San Jose, drive to Arenal, drive to Dominical, on to BdC, then fly back to San Jose.
We hired a driver, and he suggested we NOT drive all the way to PJ (where BdC was picking us up) - he arranged a private water taxi from Golfito! Its easy to arrange and not too expensive i believe. It was wonderful, saved HOURS of rough driving and added adventure to the trip for our kids. Check it out! mHappy CR travels. We are returning to BdC in Jan, and by the way we hired the wonderful driver Oscar again!
We hired a driver, and he suggested we NOT drive all the way to PJ (where BdC was picking us up) - he arranged a private water taxi from Golfito! Its easy to arrange and not too expensive i believe. It was wonderful, saved HOURS of rough driving and added adventure to the trip for our kids. Check it out! mHappy CR travels. We are returning to BdC in Jan, and by the way we hired the wonderful driver Oscar again!
Jul 25th, 2007, 06:57 AM
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4explore,
It only takes about 1 1/2-2 hrs to get to Puerto Jimenez from the turn with a stop. Do you know how long it took you to get around to Golfito from the Chacarita exit and then take the water taxi? We were staying at a little lodge for a couple of nights along the way anyway on this trip but for future reference it would be interesting to know. We will be traveling down that way more and more once we get our house built in San Isidro. The private water taxi runs around $50 if I remember correctly. It would be nice to break the trip up by taking a bus to Golfito and then doing the water taxi.
We stayed at La Esquinas once which is on the way (kind of) to Golfito and I have taken water taxis to different places on the Gulfo Dulce. I would guess the time to do that would be about 1 1/2 hr from the Chacarita point. If we were to take the public launch to Puerto Jimenez the ride just from Golfito to PJ alone would be 1 1/2 hr.
It only takes about 1 1/2-2 hrs to get to Puerto Jimenez from the turn with a stop. Do you know how long it took you to get around to Golfito from the Chacarita exit and then take the water taxi? We were staying at a little lodge for a couple of nights along the way anyway on this trip but for future reference it would be interesting to know. We will be traveling down that way more and more once we get our house built in San Isidro. The private water taxi runs around $50 if I remember correctly. It would be nice to break the trip up by taking a bus to Golfito and then doing the water taxi.
We stayed at La Esquinas once which is on the way (kind of) to Golfito and I have taken water taxis to different places on the Gulfo Dulce. I would guess the time to do that would be about 1 1/2 hr from the Chacarita point. If we were to take the public launch to Puerto Jimenez the ride just from Golfito to PJ alone would be 1 1/2 hr.
Jul 25th, 2007, 11:00 AM
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Can I jump in here? My head is spinning!
Suzie2 - Isn't La Esquinas in Mal Pais? So, are you saying that's not too far from Golfito? Best way from Mal Pais to Golfito? And then take water taxi to Puerto Jimenz? Sounds like fun!
Suzie2 - Isn't La Esquinas in Mal Pais? So, are you saying that's not too far from Golfito? Best way from Mal Pais to Golfito? And then take water taxi to Puerto Jimenz? Sounds like fun!
Jul 25th, 2007, 11:31 AM
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OOPS! LOL Put a La in front of it. Little things make such a huge difference when there are so many places with similar names. Didn't know there was a La Esquinas in Mal Pais I haven't been there yet. The lodge I was referring to is Esquinas Lodge not La Esquinas. That will teach me not to hurry. There are so many lodges that begin with Bosque too.
http://www.esquinaslodge.com/
There was someone once who was going to the Corcovado adventure tent camp in Drake Bay but she thought it was called the Corcovado tent camp which is in Carate. She kept saying that she was taking a boat there and I knew you couldn't do that for the one in Carate. I finally figured out which one she was talking about and we had a good laugh.
Thanks for the catch Hipvirgogirl
http://www.esquinaslodge.com/
There was someone once who was going to the Corcovado adventure tent camp in Drake Bay but she thought it was called the Corcovado tent camp which is in Carate. She kept saying that she was taking a boat there and I knew you couldn't do that for the one in Carate. I finally figured out which one she was talking about and we had a good laugh.
Thanks for the catch Hipvirgogirl
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