Me and my friend have been planning to go to Costa Rica for the whole of April for some time, and although we had a rough idea of the things we wanted to see and do - the departure date is fast approaching and the only thing we have booked is the flight!
First Things First - We know we will have to stay near the airport on arrival as we touch down at around 8pm local time, and it will take around a half hour or more to clear passport control and customs. We are definitely going to arrange for an airport transfer to the hotel, so we have nothing to worry about after a whole day flying. It likely we will stay there a second night, just to get our bearings. We’ll book the same place the night before we depart as well for the same reason.
Next Thing Next - Well we haven’t decided what’s next yet, but we have narrowed it down to four main locations and we need to start thinking of the best route for them and a timescale of things. So far it looks like this:
Monteverde Region - 10 days
Arenal Volcano Area - 4 days
Peninsula de Nicoya - 4 days
Puntarenas Region - 10 days
That’s around 28 days, plus the 3 in San Jose and we are done!
Planning a Route -
First Things First - We know we will have to stay near the airport on arrival as we touch down at around 8pm local time, and it will take around a half hour or more to clear passport control and customs. We are definitely going to arrange for an airport transfer to the hotel, so we have nothing to worry about after a whole day flying. It likely we will stay there a second night, just to get our bearings. We’ll book the same place the night before we depart as well for the same reason.
Next Thing Next - Well we haven’t decided what’s next yet, but we have narrowed it down to four main locations and we need to start thinking of the best route for them and a timescale of things. So far it looks like this:
Monteverde Region - 10 days
Arenal Volcano Area - 4 days
Peninsula de Nicoya - 4 days
Puntarenas Region - 10 days
That’s around 28 days, plus the 3 in San Jose and we are done!
Planning a Route -
Well we are nowhere near done are we? We haven’t yet considered travelling times between these places as San Jose is in the middle of the country; Puntarenas is at the southernmost point and all the others are in the North! This should be fun!
We know the buses are very cheap and run regularly but we have heard that most bus stops are not marked at all - so things could get interesting. We are really excited about using the buses as we will get to see so much more of the country this way, than if we flew or travelled with other non-local tourists.
Must Sees - We have both decided on our ‘must sees’ which will help to select specific locations to visit. Mine includes sloths, giant anteaters, tapirs, armadillos, coatis, morpho butterflies, macaws, an exploding volcano - possibly a minor earthquake too, huge waterfalls, a canopy walk, toucans, manatees, whales, turtles and of course a jaguar!
Yep, that just about covers the wildlife basics for me. There are 69 National Parks and Protected Areas so I should be sure to find everything I’m looking for…………..
Additional Things - I have also still got to buy a few travel essentials before we go, including a new rucksack. I don’t have one anymore and I am sure that I don’t want to travel around Costa Rica with a large solid plastic mango-coloured suitcase! Yes, It has little wheels on it, and keep everything inside safely protected but it’s not very practical for dragging on and off of buses!
I’ll write again when we have made any more progress…….
Vacation Facts:
Location: Costa Rica - Central America
Accommodation: Not known at the moment! Possibly 4 main locations and the first night around San Jose, but unsure of actual accommodation at present time.
Flight Cost: $920/£460 per person, return airfare with
Continental - from the UK, via New York.
We know the buses are very cheap and run regularly but we have heard that most bus stops are not marked at all - so things could get interesting. We are really excited about using the buses as we will get to see so much more of the country this way, than if we flew or travelled with other non-local tourists.
Must Sees - We have both decided on our ‘must sees’ which will help to select specific locations to visit. Mine includes sloths, giant anteaters, tapirs, armadillos, coatis, morpho butterflies, macaws, an exploding volcano - possibly a minor earthquake too, huge waterfalls, a canopy walk, toucans, manatees, whales, turtles and of course a jaguar!
Yep, that just about covers the wildlife basics for me. There are 69 National Parks and Protected Areas so I should be sure to find everything I’m looking for…………..
Additional Things - I have also still got to buy a few travel essentials before we go, including a new rucksack. I don’t have one anymore and I am sure that I don’t want to travel around Costa Rica with a large solid plastic mango-coloured suitcase! Yes, It has little wheels on it, and keep everything inside safely protected but it’s not very practical for dragging on and off of buses!
I’ll write again when we have made any more progress…….
Vacation Facts:
Location: Costa Rica - Central America
Accommodation: Not known at the moment! Possibly 4 main locations and the first night around San Jose, but unsure of actual accommodation at present time.
Flight Cost: $920/£460 per person, return airfare with
Continental - from the UK, via New York.
