By Janet from New York, USA, Winter 2006
A week of birding, photography, sun and fun in Costa Rica
This trip report was originally published on SlowTrav.com.
We rented a car through Avis with a Costco discount and paid about $350 for the week (automatic, sedan, not 4WD). This would have been somewhat less costly, but we couldn't find a gas station near the airport to fill up when we returned the car, and so part of this cost was an expensive tank fill-up. Although some people think you must rent a 4WD in Costa Rica, it really depends on where you are going, and in what season. We rented a regular sedan because we knew that the areas we were travelling in were served by paved roads; we really didn't go anywhere too remote on this trip, and it was also the dry season. We had no problems and were happy we didn't spend the extra for 4WD, we never had a time that we would have needed it. We also liked having the security of a closed trunk.
Our purpose for staying near Sarapiqui was to bird La Selva Biological Station, a tropical research station run by the Organization for Tropical Studies (a consortium of many educational institutions) and a top birding destination. We would have stayed right at La Selva Station, but at the time we planned the trip they offered only dormitory lodging, and as we were arriving on my birthday, I just didn't want to spend my birthday in a dormitory! As it turned out, they have since added private cabins and I wish we'd have known that as the setting of the cabins is wonderful; although they are rustic, and dining is communal institutional food at set mealtimes. It is, after all, a working research station and not a hotel, no frills.
La Selva is an amazing place. Beautiful habitat, very easy (paved) trails, and a proliferation of birds and butterflies. It is required to use a guide to walk the trails of La Selva, unless you are a registered guest. There are interns and researchers coming and going on the trails; the trails are paved so that these workers can get from one end of the station to the other on bicycles. We pre-booked, well in advance, the "full-day" guided private bird walk which ran from 6am to 11:30am (Its really too hot to bird after that hour, anyway.) They also lead shorter, more generalized group walks twice a day, which would be best for the average tourist or for families. We had an excellent guide, a young woman named (I think) Yelinda, and although she said she'd only been birding one year, she was very good, personable, and spoke excellent English. She knew the bird calls and found us many great birds.
At the end of our walk, she helped us book a private birding boat tour on the Sarapiqui river for the afternoon. That was really cool because we had an entire 20 person boat for just the two of us. We paid $25 per person for a two hour boat trip. The boat "captain"/guide didn't speak much English but he was excellent at spotting the birds and other wildlife and took his time maneuvering us for good photos, etc. Again, group boat tours are available for the more general tourist. You'll see crocodiles, herons, parrots and have a generally relaxing trip up the river.
Yelinda also recommended a good place for lunch in the town of Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui, Mi Lindo Sarapiqui, across from the soccer field. Simple but good Costa Rica cuisine and seafood, and boy that cerveza sure tasted great after our morning hike!
Laquinta Sarapiqui was a fine place to stay, about a 15-20 minute drive from La Selva. The rooms are in little cabins set in lush landscape; our room was spacious and comfortable, plenty of hot water, great bird feeders and some nice birding on their property. The food was very good too, a buffet of grilled steak, chicken, sausages for dinner (grilled right on the patio), as well as a full buffet breakfast. They have a small pool by the river, which we didn't have time to use. A little crowded with tour groups though, but nothing that would keep us from going back.
Pineapple fields on road to La Quinta Sarapiqui
A week of birding, photography, sun and fun in Costa Rica
This trip report was originally published on SlowTrav.com.
The Central Lowlands: Sarapiqui and the La Selva Biological Station
This was our third trip to Costa Rica and the focus was on birding and photography, so perhaps our itinerary was a little different than most. We spent two nights near La Virgen at Laquinta Sarapiqui Country Inn, two nights in the central valley at Poas Volcano Lodge, and three nights on the coast in Manuel Antonio, at Hotel Si Como No.We rented a car through Avis with a Costco discount and paid about $350 for the week (automatic, sedan, not 4WD). This would have been somewhat less costly, but we couldn't find a gas station near the airport to fill up when we returned the car, and so part of this cost was an expensive tank fill-up. Although some people think you must rent a 4WD in Costa Rica, it really depends on where you are going, and in what season. We rented a regular sedan because we knew that the areas we were travelling in were served by paved roads; we really didn't go anywhere too remote on this trip, and it was also the dry season. We had no problems and were happy we didn't spend the extra for 4WD, we never had a time that we would have needed it. We also liked having the security of a closed trunk.
Our purpose for staying near Sarapiqui was to bird La Selva Biological Station, a tropical research station run by the Organization for Tropical Studies (a consortium of many educational institutions) and a top birding destination. We would have stayed right at La Selva Station, but at the time we planned the trip they offered only dormitory lodging, and as we were arriving on my birthday, I just didn't want to spend my birthday in a dormitory! As it turned out, they have since added private cabins and I wish we'd have known that as the setting of the cabins is wonderful; although they are rustic, and dining is communal institutional food at set mealtimes. It is, after all, a working research station and not a hotel, no frills.
La Selva is an amazing place. Beautiful habitat, very easy (paved) trails, and a proliferation of birds and butterflies. It is required to use a guide to walk the trails of La Selva, unless you are a registered guest. There are interns and researchers coming and going on the trails; the trails are paved so that these workers can get from one end of the station to the other on bicycles. We pre-booked, well in advance, the "full-day" guided private bird walk which ran from 6am to 11:30am (Its really too hot to bird after that hour, anyway.) They also lead shorter, more generalized group walks twice a day, which would be best for the average tourist or for families. We had an excellent guide, a young woman named (I think) Yelinda, and although she said she'd only been birding one year, she was very good, personable, and spoke excellent English. She knew the bird calls and found us many great birds.
At the end of our walk, she helped us book a private birding boat tour on the Sarapiqui river for the afternoon. That was really cool because we had an entire 20 person boat for just the two of us. We paid $25 per person for a two hour boat trip. The boat "captain"/guide didn't speak much English but he was excellent at spotting the birds and other wildlife and took his time maneuvering us for good photos, etc. Again, group boat tours are available for the more general tourist. You'll see crocodiles, herons, parrots and have a generally relaxing trip up the river.
Yelinda also recommended a good place for lunch in the town of Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui, Mi Lindo Sarapiqui, across from the soccer field. Simple but good Costa Rica cuisine and seafood, and boy that cerveza sure tasted great after our morning hike!
Laquinta Sarapiqui was a fine place to stay, about a 15-20 minute drive from La Selva. The rooms are in little cabins set in lush landscape; our room was spacious and comfortable, plenty of hot water, great bird feeders and some nice birding on their property. The food was very good too, a buffet of grilled steak, chicken, sausages for dinner (grilled right on the patio), as well as a full buffet breakfast. They have a small pool by the river, which we didn't have time to use. A little crowded with tour groups though, but nothing that would keep us from going back.
Pineapple fields on road to La Quinta Sarapiqui
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