Costa Rica

With my interest in wildlife, Costa Rica was always somewhere I had wanted to go. Direct flights from the UK are starting to appear, and there will be more in 2016, but for me the obvious way to get there was to fly from Glasgow International via Newark to San José. However, a lot of the other tourists I met there had flown into Liberia, either direct from Europe or via the US. Because of the high cost of my flight (£648), I obviously had to spend some time in Costa Rica and I eventually settled upon an 18-night trip that would get me back to the UK in time to finish my Christmas shopping. I do not subscribe to the “trip of a lifetime” mentality and saw this as merely the first of, possibly, many visits to Central America. Hence I planned a relatively modest first visit and did not travel to the Caribbean coast or the south of the country. I booked my first 9 nights of accommodation in advance from the UK and then booked the second 9 nights while I was there, using my iPad Mini (an innovation for this trip). My plan for the first 9 nights was the fairly traditional San José to La Fortuna to Monteverde tourist route and then I found I was desperate for some hot and dry weather (the Monteverde cloud forest was 18 °C and as damp as the Scottish Highlands), so I headed over to Samara on the Pacific coast. After that, I made my way up to Liberia as someone had recommended Rincon de la Vieja, and then it was back to Alajuela for the flight home. I had been warned that Costa Rica was not cheap and it certainly was not! My accommodation was all chosen from near the bottom of the price range (without resorting to bunkhouses). I used public buses as much as I was able, which were inexpensive, although I drew the line at using them to and from Monteverde, which is only accessible over 20 or 30 miles of rough dirt roads. The entrance fee to every National Park was £10 for foreigners. So I would not describe this as a budget trip in the true TUW tradition, although it does – just about – fall within my “£100-a-night-maximum” rule for holidays (at least those where one is not trying to please a significant other).

Costs. Flight £648. Alajuela/Airport room (B&B) £34. San José room £20 per night. La Fortuna hotel (B&B) £20 per night. Santa Elena/Monteverde room (B&B) £23 per night. Samara hotel £34 per night. Liberia hotel (B&B) £26 per night. Alajuela room (B&B) £20 per night. Manuel Antonio day trip £76. La Fortuna nature tour £24. Rincon de la Vieja transport £13.50. Entrance fee to a nature reserve £5–£13.50. Interbus shuttle £35-£41. San José–La Fortuna bus £3. Samara–Nicoya–Liberia buses £3.50. Liberia–Santa Rosa bus £1 each way. Liberia–San José bus £5. Alajuela–Poas bus £1.50 each way. Typical evening meal with drinks £8–£16. Total cost of trip £1800.

Places I stayed and was happy with. Melrost Airport B&B, Alajuela (Day 1, Read my review); Casa Leon, San José (Days 2 and 3, Read my review); Hotel Colores del Arenal, La Fortuna (Days 4–6, Read my review); Mari’s B&B, Santa Elena/Monteverde (Days 7–9, Read my review); Samara Pacific Lodge, Samara (Days 10–13, Read my review); Hotel La Siesta, Liberia (Days 14–16, Read my review); Le Petit Maison (sic), Alajuela (Days 17 and 18, Read my review).

Books. The Rough Guide to Costa Rica (Rough Guides, 8th edition). Despite my old 7th edition being published only in October 2014, I found much of the information in it to be out of date. I hope the 8th edition is better.

See also. Costa Rica 2.

Day 1: Travel to Alajuela (San José Airport). Left home at 6.45 am by taxi. Flight left at 9 am and landed in Newark at 11.30 am (local time). Spent more than 7 h in Newark which was not a pleasant experience. Delayed second flight left at 7.10 pm and landed 40 min late at San José Airport at 11.10 pm (local time). A driver from my B&B was waiting for me and took me to the B&B (pre-booked), which was less than 10 min away in Alajuela, the nearest town to the airport.

Days 2-3: Travel to San José; day trip to Manuel Antonio. Had breakast at 8.30 am and left the B&B at 11 am. The driver took me into Alajuela where I collected some colones from the ATM and then caught the bus into San José, about a 30 min journey away. I had lunch in a well known fast food outlet and then it began to rain, so I headed off to find my guest house (pre-booked), arriving about 2 pm. I dozed for a bit and then, finding San José uninteresting and unattractive, I booked a day tour to Manuel Antonio National Park for the next day, using my new iPad. I went out for pizza and beer for dinner and then, in view of the jet lag and the early start for the tour, I went to bed at 8 pm. The next day (Day 3) the tour bus collected me from the guest house at 5.55 am, we spent more than an hour picking up people from other hotels, and then we headed off for breakfast near the famous bridge over the Rio Grande de Tarcoles where the cocodrilos bask. We reached Manuel Antonio at 11.30 am and I wandered around with my camera, taking in the wonderful wildlife but battling with the heat and humidity, which was a quite shock to me, until 3.30 pm. The tour then reconvened and we went for an excellent late lunch/early dinner in a nearby hotel, before starting the long return journey to San José. After a further hour of dropping people off at hotels, I arrived back at my guest house at 9 pm and went to bed.

Days 4-6: Travel to La Fortuna; walk to Catarata Rio Fortuna; walk around Mirador El Silencio and take nature tour. Shared a taxi with some other guests to the bus station and caught the 8.40 am bus to La Fortuna. The journey was long and slow and the bus crowded and cramped. Arrived in the town at 1.10 pm, had a snack, and then walked the 1 km to my wonderful hotel (pre-booked), arriving 2.10 pm. In between torrential downpours, I wandered around the beautiful hotel gardens, and then later went out for a nice dinner in the local soda. The next day (Day 5), after breakfast, I left the hotel at 8.30 am and walked to the Catarata Rio Fortuna, a waterfall just inside the Arenal Volcano National Park, arriving 10 am. After viewing the waterfall and photographing butterflies, I headed back to La Fortuna, having lunch on the way, and arrived back at the hotel at 2.50 pm. Again I spent time in the garden, watching toucans fly over to their roosts just before sunset, before returning to the local soda for dinner. After breakfast the next day (Day 6), I took a taxi to the Mirador El Silencio, a private nature reserve, arriving 10.30 am. I walked around this, failing again to get any views of the Arenal volcano through the clouds, and then got my taxi back to the hotel for 1.30 pm. I then walked into La Fortuna and met up with a German lady from my hotel who I had talked to over breakfast and who had suggested an afternoon nature tour. Our guide turned up at 3 pm and took us to his private nature reserve (it seems anybody who is anybody has one of these in Costa Rica...) for the tour. After a break for dinner in La Fortuna, the tour continued at 7 pm (that is, after dark) in the rain. At 8.45 pm we were given a lift back to the hotel.

Days 7-9: Travel to Santa Elena/Monteverde; walk round Cloud Forest Reserve; walk round Ecological Sanctuary. After breakfast, the Interbus shuttle picked me up from the hotel at 7.50 am and took me, via Tilaran where we had a short stop for coffee, to Santa Elena/Monteverde, arriving 11.45 am at my B&B (pre-booked). I walked around the town and the local area before going for an undercooked dinner. The next day (Day 8) I caught the 7.30 am bus up to the world famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, entering about 8.30 am. It was cold and cloudy (of course) and soon it began to rain heavily, so I retreated to the coffee shop at about 10.30 am to try and dry out. Then, after looking at wildlife around the car park (coati, white-faced monkeys and hummingbirds), I caught the 2 pm bus back to Santa Elena, arriving 2.30 pm. After doing some more advanced booking for my trip on the iPad, I went out for some indifferent (cold) pizza. The following day (Day 9) I walked to the Ecological Sanctuary (another private nature reserve) and spent about 4 h there, returning to my B&B at 3 pm. Later, I went out for a nice dinner.

Days 10-13: Travel to Samara; explore local area and wildlife. The Interbus shuttle came for me at 9 am. At 10.10 am we stopped for at least an hour to change buses at a restaurant on the Pan-American Highway where there were Scarlet Macaws and Howler Monkeys in the trees. We arrived in Samara on the Pacific coast at 1.20 pm and I checked into my excellent hotel (pre-booked) for the next four nights. Over the following days (Days 11, 12 and 13) I did very little except wander the local paths, down to the beaches and through the forest, and sit by the hotel pool (with the occasional swim). The weather was incredibly hot and humid on the coast and I usually went for my walks between 6 am and 8 am and between 4 pm and sunset at around 5.30 pm. After experimenting (unsuccessfully) with the food in a local soda, I ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was superb.

Days 14-16: Travel to Liberia; visit Rincon de la Vieja; walk around Santa Rosa. After breakfast and paying my bill, I left the hotel at 9 am and walked into the centre of Samara. I had a coffee and caught the 10 am bus to Nicoya, arriving about 11 am. I then walked to the other bus station and caught the 11.30 am bus to Liberia, arriving about 1.45 pm. I walked to my hotel (pre-booked) and then went and booked transport for the next day from the nearby Posada del Tope and bought some food and water for that trip. Went out for an overpriced and tiny pizza. After breakfast the next day (Day 15), I was picked up from the Posada del Tope at 7 am and driven to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park, arriving 8.10 am. Walked to the Cangreja waterfall and had a swim in the pool, then walked a second trail that took me past some steamy, bubbling volcanic pools of both water and mud. My transport set off back to Liberia at 3.40 pm, arriving at my hotel at 4.15 pm. Went out for some beer and an acceptable burger. The following day (Day 16), after breakfast, I caught the 8.45 am bus towards La Cruz and the Nicaraguan border, getting off after 40 min at the entrance to the Santa Rosa National Park. Walked for 90 min (7 km) along the road to the La Casona museum, looked round it, went for a cold drink in the nearby canteen for the park workers, and then walked the 7 km back to the park entrance, arriving about 2.30 pm. I very quickly caught a bus on the Pan-American Highway back to Liberia, arriving 3.10 pm. After a swim and a shower, I went out for dinner at about 7 pm.

Days 17-18: Travel to Alajuela (San José Airport); visit the Poas volcano. After breakfast, I paid my bill and left the hotel at 9 am. I walked to the bus station and caught the 10 am bus towards San José, getting off at the airport at 2 pm. I then got a taxi for the short distance to my B&B (pre-booked) in nearby Alajuela, inside a gated and (armed) guarded housing estate. I took a walk around the estate and then had dinner at my B&B at 6 pm. The next day (Day 18), I was given a lift to the bus station in Alajuela and caught the 9 am bus up to the Poas Volcano National Park, arriving 11 am. Oh dear, what a washout! Thick mist and heavy rain, with no views whatsoever. Got the 2.05 pm bus back to Alajuela and then a taxi back to my B&B. Had dinner in the B&B at 6 pm.

Day 19: Travel home. After breakfast, I left the B&B and was given a lift to the airport, arriving 9.30 am. A pleasant surprise was to be told that, despite my boarding pass ordering me to pay the much discussed $29 airport tax, this was included in the original price of my return plane ticket. In fact, the whole airport experience was very pleasant and up to European standards. My plane left on time at 12.35 pm and, after a quick dash through US immigration, customs and security at Newark, I landed back in Glasgow at 7 am the following day (local time) and got a taxi home, arriving 7.55 am.

Kit notes. I packed everything inside my usual 35+8 litre rucksack and took it on all the flights as hand luggage. The weight was 9.5 kg. People were impressed by my packing efficiency! As ever on these trips, I wore my walking boots on the plane. My packing list was not dissimilar to my typical example. I took a few extra clothes, including a spare pair of long trousers, and two cameras (my Nikon DSLR + Sigma 18-250 mm travel lens, plus my trusty Panasonic FZ-38), an iPad Mini, chargers for the two cameras and the iPad, a pair of lightweight 8 × 21 mm binoculars, and my cheap dual-band mobile phone (which worked in Costa Rica but not the USA). I was very glad to have a wide-brimmed sunhat, a packable waterproof jacket, a rain cover for my rucksack, a head torch, and a small cloth bag for my valuables on bus journeys (my rucksack usually had to go in the hold). In retrospect, I would probably not have taken two cameras (swapping between two such different ones is very difficult) and any long-sleeved shirts (although advised at my GP clinic, they were too hot to wear and I did not see any mosquitoes, although I did use insect repellent); I should have taken two more short-sleeved shirts and an extra pair of sports shorts. I washed clothes as I went along, although this was trickier than I had imagined as they took ages to dry in the high humidity.

Wildlife seen. Coati, Racoon, Sloth, Agouti, Howler Monkey, White-faced Capuchin, Variegated Squirrel, American Crocodile, Green Iguana, Black Iguana, Common Basilisk, Common Road Guarder, Red-eyed Tree Frog, Poison-Dart Frog, Scarlet Macaw... and countless other birds and butterflies, most of which I still have to identify.

Other useful links. Interbus shuttles

Costa Rica bus timetables 1

Costa Rica bus timetables 2

Reflections. I consider this to have been a 100% successful trip in that I saw some wonderful wildlife, took nearly 2000 photos, travelled about as planned, and stayed healthy and safe. I really enjoyed La Fortuna and Samara as I had a lovely hotel in each place and the environment was superb. I did not like San José and, in retrospect, did not need to go there; the town of Alajuela, right next to San José Airport, serves nearly as well as a transport hub. The National Parks and private reserves I visited were a mixed bag, with sometimes very little to be seen in the way of wildlife, but I guess I would do them all again just for those rare jaw-dropping moments when something wonderful did appear. But the best places to see wildlife were often not in the parks or reserves at all: the garden of the hotel at La Fortuna, the woods on the way down to the beach in Samara, or the car park at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. I would have seen more wildlife had I gone on more guided tours but then these are expensive and often do not allow enough time for the enthusiastic amateur photographer. This was my first experience of tropical heat and humidity and I found it quite a shock. It did limit what I could do on many days and I should have packed more lightweight clothing (see Kit notes). December was supposed to be the first month of the dry season but this was not evident in La Fortuna or at the Poas Volcano! This was a shame as I would have liked to have seen at least some dramatic volcanic scenery on my trip. I used both US dollars and Costa Rican colones, obtaining both from ATMs inside Costa Rica. However, although tourists are nearly always quoted prices in dollars, colones are accepted everywhere and so I do not see the need to carry dollars at all, whatever the guidebooks say.

© 2016 The Untravelled World