horuslights

I am looking for recommendations for the Osa Pennisula in Costa Rica. Right now I am considering the Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge or the Casa Corcovado Lodge. My husband wants to be able to hike and kayak. We are going March 19-26. Not knowing the area I am trying to find a nice, but different place to stay which is close enough to do the hiking and kayaking. PLEASE HELP!

hipvirgochick

Well Bosque Del Cabo is my fave for hiking and wildlife but you have to go back into town to kayak. You might like to split time with Puerto Jimenez and Drake Bay where you can kayak more easily from the lodges. I'm checking out Aguila de Osa in a few months they have a 4/n for 3 deal that includes a guided hike in Corcovado and dive/snorkel at Cano Island then I'll spend 4 nights at BDC. Another great area to kayak is the reflective canals in Tortuguero. I spent a lot of time doing this right from the waterfront of Turtle Beach Lodge and it's absolutely gorgeous there.

Brian

I have been to both places, most recently Casa Corcovado last year, and both are good options for hiking. BDC gets a lot of press in this forum, so I’ll focus on CC. You didn’t specify which package you were considering at CC, but all of the packages include a hiking tour of Corcovado National Park. The park is a short walk from the lodge, as opposed to other lodges in the area which require a boat trip. On this trip, you hike the trails surrounding the San Pedrillo ranger station. Near one of the trails is a waterfall where you can swim and cool off. The trip ends with a picnic lunch on the beach at the ranger station. From there, you walk the coastal trail back to the lodge. Most of the Drake Bay lodges offer this hiking trip so you will most likely see others on the trails and the ranger station. The advantage of CC is that you arrive early enough in the day before other others and have a better chance of spotting wildlife.

Also included in the various packages offered is a trip to Caño Island, about 10 miles off the coast. After snorkeling near the island, you go ashore for lunch. The rest of the day is yours to spend on the beach or hike the trails on the island.

Most guests stay for 3 nights, and usually do the park hike and the Caño Island tour. I’ve been to CC three times now, and stayed for 6 nights each time. This package includes an additional tour, one of which is kayaking to San Josecito beach. You depart from the lodge’s beach around 8 in the morning, and with a guide, kayak about 90 minutes north along the coast (more or less according to your ability) to San Josecito. A boat from the lodge follows in the distance and is there to provide assistance if needed. Once you arrive at the beach, you can hike along the coastal trail to Rio Claro. An artist has set up shop near the river and offers canoe trips up the river to a waterfall. I never did this, but it sounds like something I wouldn’t mind doing on a future trip. After hiking, you have lunch and can spend some time on the beach or in the water. Later in the afternoon, a boat from the lodge picks you up, so you don’t have to kayak back (but I suppose you could if you want). The wind does pick up later in the day, so kayaking back would be a bit more difficult.

Although not on CC’s website, you can arrange a hiking trip to the Sirena Ranger station in the heart of Corcovado Park. I asked about this when making my reservation, and they added it to my package, so it was set up before I arrived. Sirena is about an hour south of CC by boat. The Sirena trip was a bit pricey (about $220 if I remember correctly). But, this was my third trip to CC and I wanted to do something different. It was just the guide and me on this trip. Being so remote, I thought we would see more wildlife. However, we did see 4 different types of monkeys, a small herd of peccaries, and two tapirs. The weather was very dry and hot, so I think that had something to do with it. Even though it was dry, the mosquitoes were pretty bad in some places. There were no mosquitoes at CC nor at San Pedrillo.

I left one day free to do hiking on my own. Casa Corcovado has miles of trails on its own property, and you are free to hike those whenever you like. They ask that you do not hike the park trails without a guide, although I did go into the park on my own. There is a coastal trail which passes through CC’s property and goes north to San Josecito and eventually Drake Bay, and south all the way through Corcovado Park to Carate. On a prior trip I hiked to San Josecito with a guide and some other guests of the lodge.

When you’re not doing the various tours, CC has two pools and a beach. One of the pools is spring-fed and is set back into the jungle. When I was there last year this pool was closed due to a crack caused by a recent earthquake. I believe it has now been repaired. The beach is about a 15-minute walk down the hill. If you don’t want to walk, you can use the lodge’s “jungle taxi”, which is a trailer pulled by a tractor.

If you have specific questions, I'd be glad to answer them.

horuslights

Thanks for the feedback. Have either of you stayed in the Garden Cabinas in Bosque. That is all that is available at their place. I am concerned about the distance from the main lodge and getting there after dinner when it is dark. We are in good health and active but have read some other reviews in Trip Advisor which concern me.

One of the complaints that I read on Trip Advisors about CC was the planned nature of the hikes and the fact that they are of all hiking abilities and could slow you down. Did you find this?

I am also now looking at splitting the trip between Bosque and Iguana Lodge. Any feedback on Iguana?

Also did you book your own air ticket from San Jose? Is it reasonable to leave the Osa on the morning of the trip back to the US or is that pushing it. Our flight is at 1pm from San Jose.

tully

The Garden Cabinas at Bosque are open walled, they have a front wall and a bathroom . They are very nice but it is a good 5-10 minute walk to get to them. There are lights along the path but you really need a flashlight, they are not very bright. The path is really wide and always cleared, and then you go across the suspension bridge. Everyone I've ever talked to that stayed there enjoyed it, just be aware it is further away and how open it is.

I usually book my own Nature Air or Sansa tickets, a couple of time I was having glitches and had Bosque book them. I've left PJ back to SJO the same day as my int'l flight. Not always advisable but did not have a problem. Just know if there is a delay or the flight cancels, you're stuck. That said, I've taken a couple dozen flights and never had any of them canceled or seriously delayed.

Brian

Yes, things are a bit structured at CC. It has been likened to summer camp for adults. I can understand why some people would not care for that. On the days when you have a scheduled activity, you are asked to eat breakfast at a certain time, and dinner is always at 7pm. Also, this is really not a place for those who like to sleep in, given that the activities usually start by 8am. The howler monkeys will make sure you don't oversleep!

I did not have a problem with others slowing me down on the hikes, but I was never in a hurry. Many in the groups I was in were birders (I am not) and that in itself tends to slow things down. If you are concerned about this, you could speak to the manager ahead of time and perhaps be put in with a faster group.

toontowndoc

I stayed at Iguana Lodge last December for one night,after four nights at BdC,and quite enjoyed the place,since it is right on a pretty decent beach for boogie boarding,and not far from water based activities in the gulf.I booked a club room,and while the restaurant and bar are right below,mid-week,things quiet right down by 9PM.I used one of their bikes to ride to my kayak tour,and took an early birding tour around the grounds that I enjoyed.The food was quite good from a fair number of menu options.They also booked a boat trip for me to the wildlife sanctuary,saw some dolfins,and visited the Rio Tarcoles mangrove preserve.I felt it made better use of my time,rather than commutes from BdC for these types of activities.

volcanogirl

For me, the garden cabins are a little too open, and I think I'd miss the ocean view and breeze that comes off the water, but we talked to a guy staying in one while we were there, and he loved it. He was a nature photographer and got some really great shots.

rivet

With a 1pm departure from SJO, it is absolutely reasonable to fly from PJ that morning...unless you want a night in San Jose before going home.

There are a couple of options available timewise but make sure you book Sansa for that return leg . That way you can just walk next door from the Sansa terminal with your to the SJO airport - luggage in tow. If you take Nature Air you will need to taxi over to SJO .