Costa Rica Travel Report

chalky_bertie

Costa Rica

Travelled to Costa Rica from LHR to SJO via MIA with BA and AA. There are other connections available with other airlines from there relevant US hubs, aswell as other Central and South American airlines. First Choice also fly to Costa Rica but land at LIR in the North. The currency of Costa Rica is the Colone, but the US dollar is widely accepted and in some towns only accepted and you may need to ask if you wish to pay in Colones. The rate as at May 2008 was US$1 = 500 colones which would equate to approximately £1 = 1000 colones. Prices vary from a 15 minute bus trip into San Jose for 30p or a meal for 2 for £10 but as allways it depends what you do and where you eat. English is spoken but mainly Spanish so beware you may have to do some improvisation if you want something they don't understand. Costa Rica has quite a few American holiday makers as it is only 2.5 hours from MIA.
Mobilephones will not work that are from the UK as the Government owns the rights or something but email cafes are about 600 colones for 1 hour.

San Jose
We arrived around midnight into SJO and would advise that if you were to hire a car make sure it will be daylight when your flight arrives. There is very little street lighting out of town and road signs / names seem to be non-existant. Before we left the UK we arranged for an airport pick-up from our hotel just so we get our bearings in a "new" city. There are plenty of accommodation options in and around SJO but as usuall check them out on tripadvisor.co.uk or other websites. If anyone needs a recommendation then PM me. We stayed out of town in Escazu which was really nice and the hotel overlooked San Jose. The suburb had all the amenities you could want and regular buses into the city. As above the trip into the city was 30p and was safe. All the buses have the cost on the front windscreen and what the route the bus runs. The city itself was, well, just another city. There is a pedestrian precinct there with a few shops and markets but nothing really special. There are 2 airports on San Jose, 1 for International flights and Sansa Regional airline, and the other one for NatureAir Internal flights so make sure you know which one you are flying from. There is also a departure tax to pay for International flights and make sure you pay this before proceeding to check-in. (situated on the back wall opposite check-in at one end)

Tortuguera
There is no road to Tortuguera, the only way to the village is by boat or flying. We flew as the road / boat trip took nearly all day and that is a waste seeing as the flight only takes about 20 minutes. If the flights are full (19 seats) there is a strong possiblity that luggage is left behind so be pesistent that it must go as you will be travelling around and state your luggage would not catch up with you. This is a fascinating village, the main "road" is made of sand and the only things you will see is people walking or on bikes. Try and stay in a hotel which includes a free tour of the National Park but if you can't remember that the aswell as the cost of the tour there is a $10 fee for entering the park. If you stay at one of the "major" hotels your boat will have about 20 - 30 people in it but stay at one of the smaller ones (PM me if you need a recommendation) there could be as few as 6 in the boat which makes for a more special tour. Always go in the morning as it gets bloody hot and humid. Once you have paid for the National Park entrance fee then the ticket is good for all day and there is a walk at one end of town. If your expecting Hilton Hotels etc then think again, most of the buildings are made of wood and are not in a good state of repair but it's an experience. There are plenty of places to eat but again what they serve may differ from what the English definition of the dish. The trip to the airport must be done by boat and costs $10 each way.

Arenal La Fortuna
An active volcano dwarfs this town and local area. When you get to La Fortuna at the airport there is a landing / take-off fee of about $7pp which must be paid, they will know if you don't, when you arrive or leave. The plane takes about 30 minutes but again the road link takes about 4 hours. Once landed there is a man waiting who is the local taxi and he is the only taxi, there are no other options to get into town, about 10km away. It's $10 to get into La Fortuna but if you wan't taking to a hotel it depends where the hotel is. (ours was on the other side of town and he wanted $40) We hired a 4WD for a few days which gave us more scope to do what we wanted to do. I would advise you to book before leaving the UK. It's fairly easy to drive in Costa Rica but as always driving abroad has it's risks and they drive on the other side of the road. A 4WD is a must. The road to out hotel was 10km off the main road and was a dirt track full of pot holes which took about 35 mins from La Fortuna with about 20 minutes of it on the dirt track. It was wonderful as it's on the side of the volcano where the lava runs down so all day you can hear the rumbling but at night the lava appears red aswell, you can have cheap rooms or luxury rooms dependant on what you want to see out of your window. Food is available all over town and at the hotels. There are plenty of activities including Zip Wiring, Kayaking and walking a trail over rope bridges, make sure your travel insurance covers you for extra activities. Again as there is no buses you would have to use a taxi (basic fare about $20 each way) or a car. We paid $80 for 2 of us to go zip wiring which was absolutely fantastic. There are loads and loads of monkeys around the town but look carefully in the trees and they will be there, the beauty of having you own car is that you can go where you want, when you want. This was the most touristy town we went to so there will be plenty of other people around so choose activities carefully.

Corcovoda National Park
To get here is an adventure in itself. You can drive but we decided to take the plane and it took about an hour to get to the town of Puerto Jiminez. From there it is another 2 hour ride in a "taxi". Not a proper taxi but an old 4WD flat back van with a metal case on top and wooden benches for you to sit on and a roof. The roads in Puerto Jiminez and to the National Park are all unsealed and cross many rivers through fords so it is one of the most uncomfortable taxi rides you will ever take but well worth the experience. Once you get to the end of the road, this is where you get off in the village of Carate. There is a shop and a grass strip for aeroplanes and that is it. There are a couple of tent camps about 40 mins walk down the beach (crossing a waist height tidal river) to stay at and the wildlife around both camps is fascinating. Your luggage comes on a horse and cart while you follow. There is no mains electric. To get back you have to do the whole trip in reverse.

Costa Rica as a lovely place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone after a change of scenery for their holidays. Try and do it independantly which will give you more scope to do what you want, didn't feel threatened in anyway while we were there. If anyone needs recommendations on hotels / activities then let me know and will gladly reply.