Hi
I just booked a flight to Costa Rica for Aug 15th - Sept 4th. I am a mid twenties guy from the US and wil be traveling solo. I have done a bit of traveling before but have never been to Costa Rica. I arrive at 2 in the afternoon in San Jose and am not too keen about spending much time there. My first question is would it be possible for me to go directly from the airport to the bus station and catch a bus out to one of the Coasts. I have not really put much thought in to planning and would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to where to go and how to get there.
I am interested in heading to the beach and dont know wether the pacific coast or the carribean coast it better at this time of year. Also, how long and how much would a bus cost to get out there. I was thinking maybe Montezuma for the pacific side or Cahuita for the carribean as starting points but am open to any suggestions as to places that I should visit. I have a decent chunk of time and any info would be great. Ideally I would like to catch an overnight bus out of San Jose the first day I get there and wake up in a charming laid back beach side town where I can find affordable accomadation and some fun excursions.
Thanks for the help
Weather is an important planning factor, so check out CostaRica.com for national weather service data by towns. You will find that the best weather will be in the South Caribbean coast.
I like the area South of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, because the beaches tend to be nicer (gold sands vs the black sands). The whole coast lifted out of the water in 1993 during an earthquake, so the snorkeling is good at most beaches (Manzanillo is the best). Check out Aquamor and the hotel website's What to Do and Things to Do sections for some ideas of what is available in the area. You could stay busy your entire vacation, and be planning your next trip on the plane ride home.
La Costa de Papito is across the coast road from a nice gold sands beach 1 mile South of Puerto Viejo.
Puerto Viejo is a good place to base yourself, because it is near many adventure and sightseeing venues. Turrialba for white water rafting, Tortuguero for exploring the canals and wildlife of the "Amazon of Central America," and the area's national parks and native peoples. Enjoy
Unfortunately is on 15th Aug a holiday in Costa Rica - "Dia de la madre" . Some public buses may not not work or will be full. Best go to San Jose first, the bus station is around the parking building and the fare is about 60 Cents. Have a look on San Jose bus map to continue for the beaches.
Tamarindo is awesome... and I strongly stand by where I'm staying currently in Tamarindo... Villas Macondo!! It's amazing... beautiful and the stay is very nice... only like 50 a night with AC/TV/Fridge/Safe... queen and twin bed... look into them!!!
The last bus leaves for the Caribe at 330 to Pt Viejo, which is not a lot of time from SJO, after immigration, customs, and a $19 taxi ride at least 25 minutes to caribe terminal.
San Jose is not that bad, and if you stay in Barrio Amon area, Hemingway Inn, Dunn Inn, La Amistad Inn, all under $40.
Depending on where your trip takes you though, the Caribe is only linked via the Capitol, so to see anything else, you need to head back.
Caribe side Must do's:
Raft the River Paquare, this can be arranged in San Jose hotels and Inns, and they pick up and can drop you off in Moin for Tortuguero Canals, or to Cahuita, or Pt Viejo, pre arranged. I like Exploraoutdores.com for Tortuguro and rafting...they even can get you to Arenal.
All of the above suggestions are good. If you do decide on the Pacific side, the Central Pacific is best in regards to accessibility back to San Jose or the airport. So if that is a consideration then there are great places you can go to on the Pacific side. Let me know if you need any recommendations for the pacific side, as that is where we live and are more familiar with.
i think ticotim has a great idea! raft the paquare to the carib and go from there. as noted, one can get a paquare package with a pickup from a SJ hotel so no need to bother with a bus all the way to PV (rest the eve and be ready for an early morn). i've never rafted the paquare all the way to the carib but did the 1 day trip and LOVED it (and wished i could continue on). i had a great experience with tico river outfitters. cheers!
Hi, I think that the central Pacific is better because is not far away from San Jose and you not spend all your trip taveling and ther are a good beaches to visit.
Cinthya
Ticotim's suggestion is good, but I stayed at Hemingway Inn 4 years ago and it was in need of some [freshing up' right next door is a cool place, cant remember its name- but good restaurant there as well.
DONT walk around there at night!!
Taxis are cheap!
EEl Pueblo is a good nightlife destination, a short taxi ride way!
trusted partner
