I will be going to CR in June for 10 days and am looking to to spend some time on the beach, whitewater rafting, and rain forest trekking.
After much reading on the LP forum I feel the places that interest us the most are Puerto Viejo, Corcovado, and whatever the best rafting is. Would it be easy to get to the Rio Reventazon or the Rio Pacuare (which is better?) from P.V.? Also while staying in the P.V. area we would like to stay at some small cheap but clean bungalows on the beach, does anyone recommend a specific place? Would it be possible to just walk along the beach staying the night at random bungalows and eventually make our way down to Manzanillo in 3-4 days?
I have been spending the majority of my time reading about Corcovado and had a few questions about it.
- Would it be rushing it top fly into P.J. at 7:00 and be able to make it to Sirena Station by the time it gets dark? We are in our mid-twenties and don't have a problem walking the 15 miles, but would we don't want to be walking at night either.
- Once in the park is it really necessary to hire a guide? We are both very comfortable in the woods but haven't spent too much time in the rain-forest, I understand that we would be missing out on some animals but do we need the guide for navigation/safety purposes?
- My plan for Osa is Day 1: fly in to PJ(06:00) bus to Carate then hike to Sirena; Day 2 hike to Los Patos Day 3: Hike from Los Patos to La Palma then bus/taxi to P.J and fly out the next morning. Is this possible?
Thanks everyone for looking this over, I appreciate any suggestions.
~Schwalm
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<hr>Would it be possible to just walk along the beach staying the night at random bungalows and eventually make our way down to Manzanillo in 3-4 days?<hr></blockquote>
Yes, but you'll probably find it easier to follow the road inland because the beach peters out frequently. You might also have a hard time doing it on a budget, many of the places along the Pirikiki, Chiquita, Cocles, Punta Uva stretch are >$80 a night.
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<hr>Would it be rushing it top fly into P.J. at 7:00 and be able to make it to Sirena Station by the time it gets dark? We are in our mid-twenties and don't have a problem walking the 15 miles, but would we don't want to be walking at night either. <hr></blockquote>
It's 15 km (9 miles). You have to get your permits at the station in Jiménez and then arrange transportation to Carate. This could take half-an-hour or a couple of hours. The road around Cabo Matapalo to Carate is bad. It'll be about three hours. Even pessimistically that leaves you plenty of time if the tides are in your favor. If you have to wait for low tides you could well be coming in after dark.
To avoid the tide issue you could flip the route and head up to La Palma by bus or taxi then to Sirena via the Patos station it'll be an hour at the ranger station in Jiménez, an hour to Palma, 0.5-2 hours up the Río Rincon (depending on whether you walk or jeep taxi and how far the jeep taxi can get) and then not more than another 5 across to Sirena.
Alternately plan to camp at Leona (Playa Madrigal) station the first night and then start for Sirena in the morning.
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<hr>Once in the park is it really necessary to hire a guide? <hr></blockquote>
No
the Rio Pacuare is an amazing white water trip and they will even pick you up in SJ and drop you in PV or visa versa.
good info on the Osa from CRG here, the only thing I would differ on is the guide, they will spot many, many creatures that you will miss so it is well worth the minimal cost to hire a local guide IMHO.
Didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I agree wholeheartedly with rexman24 that a guide is well worth the investment, just not absolutely necessary for navigation purposes if you're comfortable in the wilderness.
Visitors travel thousands of miles and spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars specifically for the opportunity to grab a few hours of once in a lifetime experience in this unique environment...unless you're certain you'll be back many times it's worth making the most of your short time.
Thanks for the help.
How would we go about hiring a guide in P.J.? And, and idea how much we should pay the guide for a one night trip through Corcovado? I think we will definitely go from Los Patos to Sirena to avoid the tides. Thanks again.
If you want to head out the day you land in PJ, I'd recommend arranging a guide -- or your permit if going solo -- in advance. The good part about going with a guide is that they'll also take care of the permit and travel logistics for you (albeit at a price). I'm going to recommend Mike Boston at Osa Aventura (www.osaaventura.com), but there are others and I'm sure many of them are quite excellent. If you find yourself in Puerto Jimenez with nothing booked, Cafenet El Sol internet cafe/reservation center (www.soldeosa.com) in town is something of a clearinghouse for such things...
If you decide to go independently, getting your permit in advance will expedite your transit and keep you from finding out upon arrival that you can't overnight because the quota has already been kicked... Maybe costaricaguide knows if you can now effectively do this directly with the parks people, but if not you can do it through Cafenet El Sol and others for a small fee (and just pick up your permit when you arrive in PJ).
Mike Boston will set you back some serious dollars, Cafe El sol will arrange a local to guide you, in the area of 30-60$ a day.
rexman24,
What is the url for the Corcovado NP website you keep referring to? The only official one I know of is the park service SINAC site which is hopelessly out of date and nearly useless for planing.
In reagrds to walking any beach and fining a place to stay, thats not very efficient, considering your walking in the sand, hot sun, and it maybe 1/2 mile between places, you would be dead.
Get the MOON Guidebook for CR, has all your options and anwers.
The priority is Osa Corcovado, at least 3 nights 4 days, then you raft your way to the caribe coast, via the Rio Paquare, pre arrange to be dropped in Playa Cahuita or Pt Viejo area, but the rafting pick up is 6-7am daily, so you will need to fly back to SJ and stay a night there or nearby. Also flights out of PJ (Osa) are best before 11am, as rains can delay hamper landings, or even cancel.
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