Hi there,
Well i pretty much have the whole trip planned but have a few questions..so here goes...
I will be based in samara working on a turtle project for 2 weeks and doing a bit of surfing there as well, however im not so convinced about the quality of the waves there..i only get a day off a week from there but if the waves are crap i was wondering where would be a do-able one day surf trip by public transport from Samara?? Is Tamarindo too far for a one day surf trip..is Nosara better surf wise than Samara or should i head south from samara to Mal Pais and is this a possible day trip???
when my 2 weeks are up, i plan on getting a grayline bus from Samara to Moteverde, stay there 2 nights and then get a jeep-boat-jeep from Monteverde to Arenal for another 2 nights...there are various tours and trips to do in these areas, i have no interest in zip line tours and know i probably wont see the Volcano at Arenal so what other tours would you advise i do given the limited time constraints i have but want to see as much as possible...
Cheers,
Klair
The waves at Samara Beach arent 'regular' and rend to be surfable only early morn and late p.m!
But hey you can surf em!
In La Fortuna Arenal i think the best day trip is to Cano Negro Reserve.
Whitewater rafting with Aquas Bravas was fun tho!
whenever i have been to samara, there were not much in the way of waves...much more of a swimming beach than a surfing one...definitely more surf in Nosara, where you see many surfers...I wonder if your turtle project is in fact at Ostional which has a major nesting site for the Olive Ridley turtle...this is just north of Nosara...and any turtle project I would think would be based there...
they are right, samaras got a ton of reef action offshore and a barrier island, all this combined with the angle its facing equals unreliable waves. they happen sometimes and when they do its good stuff but i never mention samara and surfing together--except the token surfer dudes who would give a girl a surf lesson in a bathtub and call it surfing. honestly, i dont know much about the consistency of waves at carillo (right south of samara) and other than that its gonna be a bit of a trek to get anywhere else. you could get to tamarindo, would be one hell of a day to go/surf/return but very possible by way of samara-nicoya-liberia-tamarindo. oh and the day trip to mal pais, even worse idea. not what youre looking for. thats one of the most pain in the ass areas to get around....nothing is a straight line.
arenal area- that place is turning into a bit of an amusement park with touristy rides and stuff involving being attached to rope.
tabacon or baldi hot springs, walk the trails in the arenal national park, i found that cool.
The turtle project is at Refugio de Vida Silvestre at Playa Buena Vista and i think this is where i will be surfing as well...i am a longboarder and therefore into small mellow waves so im hoping that there might be enough swell there for longboarding???
If not, i guess, i will have to pop up to Tamarindo/Nosara on my day off, no matter how exhausting it may be...as i am not leaving costa rica without surfing!!!
As for Monteverde and Arenal, i guess i still want to do a hike in Arenal even though i probably wont see a thing, is the night one the best one to do??? The hot springs definitely appeal to me!! Nothing that involves me being at a height swinging off a rope appeals to me though!!
actually, you may get your best shots of arenal while doing the boat portion of your jeep, boat, jeep which is more bus, boat, bus. and i got two nights in a row of action, with the second night being so much better than the first. you just may get lucky. this was about two weeks ago.
the hot springs at Baldi were cheezy Vegas and i hear that Tabacon is even more ridiculous. they are totally overpriced but some folks may find it their style. in your lonely planet the free hot water from the Tabacon river can be enjoyed right there in town for free.
i liked santa elena as it was empty and quiet and beautiful and small enough to hike a lot of the trails without running into crowds.
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