Explore Costa Rica: Itineraries

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Explore Costa Rica i tineraries

Download Table of Contents for Explore Costa Rica

Explore Costa Rica

(Fifth Edition)

US$22.95

ISBN 1-893643-55-7

SBN 1-893643-55-7

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These are some itineraries you may use in conjunction with Explore Costa Rica.

We're aware that the information is overwhelming and that there are innumerable options. So we've tried to smooth your path a bit with the list below.

Add a minimum of a day before and a day after to times listed in order to allow for transfers (except with first two options). Also allow for one day to travel between segments

Star ratings

active spouse with couch potato partner

reasonably fit and adventurous

very adventurous

backpacker (willing to rough it)

Please send us your comments.

Place/Area	Description	Tips	Total Duration of Trip to Area	Star Rating
San Jose	Base yourself in San Jose and just travel around this area. (p.171)	Best option if you are only staying for a few days.	3-5 nights
Central Valley	Stay in outlying town or village and travel around Central Valley. (p. 233)	Best option if you are only staying for a few days.	3-5 nights
Turrialba Area	Volcanoes and other attractions nearby. (p. 282)	Good option for more adventurous travelers if you are only staying for a few days.	4-5 nights	to
Sarapiqui Area	River trips, butterfly gardens, rainforests. (p. 291)	Good area to plan a visit around	4-5 nights	to
Monteverde	Cloudforests, rainforests, canopy walks, lots of tourist facilities. (p. 297)	There are less touristed cloud forests, but this one is well set up for visitors. Don't ignore the other reserves.	3-5 nights	to
Arenal	Active volcano (see book cover). Plenty of accommodation including community tourism. (p. 324)	Can stay in Fortuna or nearer volcano. Can easily spend a week in the area if you take advantage of everything....	2-7 nights	to
Tamarindo	White sand beach area for tourists. (p. 377)	Fly here and back. Plenty of comfortable hotels. Turtle nesting beach nearby.	3-5 nights	to
Montezuma	White sandy beaches, Mix of backpackers and up. Lots of wildlife. Relatively remote. Reserves nearby. (p. 412)	Bus and then ferry and back. Good place to relax.	3-7 nights	to
Manuel Antonio	Wildly popular national park. Lots of places to stay. (p. 444)	Better for the upper budget tourist. Bus in, fly out. Plenty here to do.	3-5 nights
Dominical	Surfing beach area becoming more popular. Visits to waterfalls, canopy trips. (p. 465)	Travel down to Uvita (p. 390) as part of your visit.	5-7 nights	to
Chirripo	Mountain climbing. (p.481)	Be well prepared and plan in advance.	5-7 nights	to
Golfito Area	Former banana port turned ecotourism center. Botanical gardens, lodges. (p. 489)	Area more interesting than town. Fly in and out.	5-7 nights	to
Osa Peninsula/ Corcovado National Park	One of the best places to experience rainforest in Costa Rica. (p. 505)	Stay at a small lodge in or near Drake Bay. (p. 424) Great hike along the coast but strictly for the adventurous.	5-7 nights	to
Tortuguero National Park	Coastal rainforest with canals. (p. 537)	Buy a package or stay in the village (low-budget travelers). Boat in, fly out.	2-5 nights	to
Cahuita	Peaceful village. Great place to relax. Beautiful beaches, plenty of wildlife. (p. 564)	Take bus RT. Visit the national park daily.	3-7 nights	to
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca	Small village, botanical gardens, beaches, surfing. Many backpacker hotels but also nice places to stay. (p. 573)	Take bus RT. Visit the Manzanillo reserve. (p. 584) Daytrip to Cahuita. Visit Panama (p. 587)	3-7 nights	to
Other Adventurous Suggestions	Volunteering, (p. 147), Language Schools (p. 155), Rincon de la Vieja (p. 354), Guanacaste National Park (p.361), Palo Verde National Park (p. 407), Mal Pais (p. 422), Piedras Blancas (p. 487), Zancudo (p. 499), Tiskita (p. 411), Coco Island diving (p. 530).	Visit one place and stay there! Come prepared!	5-7 nights to several months	to


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