Costa Rica (February 2004)

(includes San Jose, Poas, Irazu, Tamarindo)






  

Saturday, February 21—irazu Volcano Mountain Biking Trip
Costa Rica Biking Adventure
Web: www.bikingincostarica.com/rvirazuing.html
E-mail: bikingcr@bikingincostarica.com
Phone: (506) 2743-1000, (506) 236-0580, (506) 240-9880, (506) 235-4982
Contact: Pedro, (506) 360-3809, (506) 225-6591
Duration: 7 hours, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $75.00 per person (plus $7.00 per person to visit Irazu)
To Bring: raincoat/jacket/sweater
Approximate Schedule:
8:00 to   9:00:    Travel to Irazu
9:00 to 10:00:    Visit Irazu ($7.00 per person, fee NOT included)
10:00 to  1:30:    Biking
1:30 to  2:00:    Lunch
2:00 to  3:00:    Travel to San Jose

Sunday, February 22—Canopy Tour
Original Canopy Tours
Web: www.theoriginalcanopytour.com/sanmateo.html, www.canopytour.com/mahogany.html
E-mail: info@canopytour.com, reserve@canopytour.com
Phone: (506) 257-5149 or (506) 380-5060
Confirmation Number: 5390
Duration: 7.5 hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $75.00 per person (includes transportation, tour, lunch, bilingual guide)
To Bring: insect repellent, water, camera, change of clothing
Approximate Schedule:
8:00 to 10:00:    Travel from San Jose to Orotina
10:00 to 10:30:    Orientation
10:30 to   1:00:    Canopy Tour
1:00 to    1:30:    Lunch
1:00 to   3:00:    Travel back to San Jose

Monday, February 23—Volcan Poas National Park/La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Best of Costa Rica
Web: www.bestofcostarica.com/
E-mail: info@bestofcostarica.com
Phone: (506) 215-2412, FAX: (506) 215-2415, 506-383-4990 (guide: Ana Lucia)
Contact: Andrea Fallas, Reservations Department, 506-374-2812
Duration: 6 hours, 7:00 am to 1:00 pm
Cost: $77.00 per person ($6.00 for Poas, $21.00 for La Paz) does NOT include lunch
To Bring: raincoat/jacket/sweater
Approximate Schedule:
  7:00 to   8:30:    Travel from San Jose to Poas
  8:30 to  10:00:    Visit Poas (included, $6.00 admission)
10:00 to  10:30:    Travel from Poas to La Paz
10:30 to 12:30:    Visit La Paz (included, $24.00 admission)
12:30 to   2:00:    Travel to San Jose

Tuesday, February 24——Rain Forest Aerial Tram (Caribbean Location)
Rainforest Aerial Tram Company (using this company gets us on the early tour)
Web: www.rainforestram.com/caribean/index.html
E-mail: info@rainforesttram.com or grupos@rainforestram.com
Contact: Merle Naranjo, Supervisora de Operaciones
Phone: 506-257-5961
Confirmation Code: 93009
Duration: 7 hours, 5:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cost: $78.50 = $49.50 (entrance fee), breakfast ($9.50), transportation ($19.50)
To Bring: sturdy walking shoes, light jacket/rain gear, binoculars, insect repellent
Approximate Schedule:
   5:45:     our pick-up at Inter-Continental
   5:45 to   6:15:     pick ups (San Gildar, Grano de Oro, Costa Rica, Aurola Holiday Inn, Don Carlos)
   6:15 to   7:15:     travel
  7:15 to   7:45:     arrival
  7:45 to   9:15:     tram
  9:15 to 10:00:     hike
10:00 to 10:30:     breakfast
10:30 to 12:00:     travel
12:00 to 12:30:     drop offs (Don Carlos, Aurola Holiday Inn, Cost Rica, Grano de Oro, San Gildar)
12:30:     our drop off at Inter-Continental
Facts about Rainforest Aerial Tram
1.5 hour ride.
Cable suspended over 1.6 miles.
Travels about 1 mile per hour.
Six passengers per car (5 guests and a nature guide).
Handles 100 passengers per hour in 22 gondolas.
Well-groomed trails through the rain forest, and a restaurant.
1 hour west from San Jose toward Braulio Carrillo National Park.
Travel through different levels of the rainforest.
Travels as high as 95 feet in the air.
Fauna: Animal life includes butterflies, toucans, parrots, woodpeckers, sparrow hawks, eagle-hawks, tanagers, wrens, snakes, lizard, blue jeans frogs, monkeys, sloths, anteater bears, and bats.
Trails:
Bocaracá Trail: Easy (paved trail), 45 minutes, lead by a guide.
Las Palmas Trail: Moderate difficulty, 45 minutes.
La Tierra de Las Ranas (Frog's Land) Trail: Moderate difficulty, 200 meters, frogs, 30—45 minutes.
Gambas (Tower 12) Trail: Moderate difficulty, 300 meter trail, 30 to 45 minutes.
Orchids Trail: Moderate difficulty, 30 minutes.
Del Rio (River) Trail: Difficult (plenty of steps), 900 meter trail, young rainforest, 50—60 minutes.
Pogonantha Trail: Difficult trail, 60—80 minutes.


Costa Rica Information:

US Airways Flights:
2/20 Flight 1497
2/28 Flight 1498

Sansa Flights:
2/25 Flight 1642 (San Jose to Tamarindo)
2/28 Flight 1643 (Tamarindo to San Jose)

Friday, 2/20 through Wednesday 2/25:
Camino Real InterContinental Hotel
Escazu, SAN JOSE
Toll-Free: 08000521296
Tel: 011-506-2897000
Fax: 011-506-2898980
Email: sanjose@interconti.com

Wednesday, 2/25 through Saturday, 2/28:
Hotel Capitan Suizo
Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste
Tel: 011-506-653-0075
Fax: 011-506-653-0292
Email: capsuizo@racsa.co.cr 


The Central Market appears to have been outside/outdoors at one time, but is now enclosed and under roof. It probably takes up about four blocks. Many produce and meat stands, with a few souvenir and floral stands mixed in. Also, lots of stands selling backpacks and children's clothing. There were a few stalls where you could order food at tables or counters. It was definitely where the locals shop and eat. The pedestrian mall was near the Central Market, which were also near the art museum and the national bank. There were additional shops there, and they were a little more upscale than the ones in the market. There was a definite class distinction between these two areas even though they abutted each other. The pedestrian mall had lots of chain restaurants (Burger King, McDonalds, etc.), but there were also two or three cafe-type places. We ate near the Hotel Presidente at the News Café, which was accommodating to English-speakers. It was an $8 taxi ride each way from the IC, and hailing a taxi in town for the ride back wasn't a problem.

We had a 4-hour layover between our Sansa flight from Tamarindo and our flight out of San Jose back to the US. The time passes more quickly than you think. After deplaning from Sansa, someone loaded our luggage onto a cart and walked us over to the main international terminal. Then we stood in line to pay our departure tax ($26 per person, which can be paid by credit card!), then we stood in another line for airline check in. Some counters were extremely crowded (American, in particular), with several flights leaving within the same time frame. The security checkpoint can also be time consuming if many flights are leaving at once. We left the airport and checked out the gas station (Castrol) across the street. The restaurant was full, and I would not hesitate to eat there, although we decided to explore further. We ended up walking to the Hampton Inn/Hampton Suites area, where there was a Rosti Pollo restaurant (the Costa Rican idea of TGIFridays). It was a good place to spend an hour or so for a meal, although it was not air-conditioned (so sit near a window). Luggage storage is offered by a facility near the domestic "terminal" at the SJO airport, not officially on-site, but within a 5-minute walk. The Hampton Inn/Suites may also offer luggage storage. The airport itself has a few shops (three gift shops and two duty free). Be sure to try the chocolate-covered coffee beans and macadamia nuts from Britt. There is only one food area that has a Church's Chicken, Burger King, and Papa John's pizza, plus a bar. If you go downstairs near gate 4A, there is a smoking bar with tables and umbrellas that also serves the same food mentioned previously. Don't worry about it being smoky--it is outside in a courtyard and a great place to spend some time. What's more, it seemed like many flights left from gate 4A. You are loaded onto shuttle buses and driven out to the plane, so they start transporting/boarding about 45 minutes before departure.

Canopy Tour: We did an Original Canopy Tour at Mahogany Park/Iguana Park/ Orotina (near Jaco, about an hour from San Jose). There was a family with four children on our tour. The youngest daughter was probably no older than 8. One of the guides traversed with her, sort of holding on to a separate pulley behind her. It seemed safe and well run. I'm not exactly adventurous, and I wasn't scared at all (not anywhere near as scared as I was mountain biking down Irazu!). The weight limit for the Original Canopy Tour in Costa Rica is 240 lbs.

Biking: We used Biking in Costa Rica. Our guide's name was Eric, and our driver's name was Orlando. Pedro handles the organizational side of the business. I booked on-line, and e-mailed back and forth with Pedro many times. When I finally got to Costa Rica and spoke with him on the phone, his English was excellent..

Poas/La Paz Tour: We hired a private driver through Best of Costa Rica for $77 per person. Andrea handles the reservations, and our guide was named Ana Lucia. We left San Jose at 7:00 am, arriving at Poas by 8:30 am. We spent an hour at Poas, hiking to Botos Lake, and of course seeing the main crater. We then drove to La Paz Waterfall Gardens (about 1/2 hour), which was really beautiful. The Peace Lodge rooms that they are expanding look wonderful. The butterfly garden, hummingbird garden, and five falls were all excellent. The lunch buffet was included. We spent about 2 hours at La Paz. We only made one short stop at a coffee shop to use the restroom and sample the coffee. It was about 1.5 hours back to San Jose. We had unbelievably clear views at Poas, but as we were leaving the clouds started to roll in. If we had arrived an hour later, the entire trip would have been wasted. Be sure to arrive as early as you can! Poas Volcano is handicap-accessible. While most people walk in to look at the crater, there are paved roads that allow you to drive in if necessary (in fact, my guide told me that the ambulance I saw on the access road is stationed there permanently to transport anyone who can't walk in).Irazu Volcano was less accessible. There is a paved road, but it ends too soon before the crater viewpoints. We visited both Irazu and Poas. The two sites are very different: Irazu is really barren, whereas Poas has lots of foliage. Poas is a larger park, with better facilities (museum, cafe, gift shop, restrooms). Irazu has the cafe/souvenir shop/restrooms also, but on a much smaller scale. Irazu is a quicker trip because there isn't as much to see. You drive almost to the volcano, where at Poas more hiking is involved. They are expanding the viewing areas at Poas (for example, building wooden platforms).

La Paz Waterfall Gardens: La Paz Waterfall Gardens contain many steps down to see the waterfalls; however, the hummingbird and butterfly gardens are accessible. I saw sloped dirt walkways/paths available in addition to the steps. La Paz Waterfall Gardens supplies walking sticks for people to use on their property. It is possible to drive to the bottom of the last fall (La Paz) and view it from there, but not the other four falls.












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