Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Trip Location Advice & Meet-ups | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2018 · Costa Rica in comming June

  
 
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Costa Rica in comming June


I am planning to visit CR in June (3rd and 4th week). This is my first trip to CR and I know June is not the best time to travel especially for birding. But I have no other option as my holidays depending on kids vacation. Yes, my main interest is photography and I am travelling with my family ( Wife , 8 and 11 year old kids). I have done some homework and finally drafted a plan as below,

Day 1-3 : Talamanca area/San Gerardo - Paraiso Quetzal Lodge ( ~ 2 to 2.5 hours drive from Airport)

Day 4-6 : Turrialba & Cartago - Rancho Naturalista ( ~ 3 hours drive from Paraiso Quetzal)

Day 7-9 : Sarapiqui area - Selva Verde Lodge (~ 3 hours drive from Rancho Naturalista)

Day 10-11 : La Fortuna - Arenal Observatory Lodge (~ 1.5 hours drive from Selva Verde Lodge)

Day 12-13 : Carara -Macaw Lodge (~ 5 hours drive from Arenal Observatory Lodge)

I am planning to hire a SUV for my travel. Please advice me in terms of location/lodges need any changes? How to hire a car? How much it cost to hire a vehicle for travel? Do you have any suggestions for better locations/lodges for birding?

Regards,
John



Jan 04, 2018 at 12:55 PM
elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Costa Rica in comming June


I make my plans based on the lodges and areas I want to visit. Plan on driving at 45 MPH or slower for trip times. It helps tremendously to buy one of the GPS chips for a Garmin or other GPS that is specific to Costa Rica and two outfits are selling them. You will find that there are neither street signs nor addresses to use and this makes getting through towns difficult as a major highway will end at one end and you need to navigate to where the highway starts again.

A car rental is very expensive as non Costa Ricans have to have full insurance and the cost is as much as the car rental. Best vehicle for 2-3 people is the Daihatsu small SUV. Avoid the Jimny mini SUV.

Few people in Costa Rica speak English, except for hotel and lodge managers.

For a first time trip unless you are very self sufficient (but then you would not have posted this message at a place like Fredmiranda but explored tripadvisor and other sources of information), I recommend hiring a guide with a car. I had a change of plans a year ago and had to cancel my trip. When a window opened up I did not have time to put something together in the time available and booked a photography tour with Juan Carlos and there were 3 of us in addition to Juan Carlos who was driver, guide, translator, and instructor (he puts together a multi flash setup for hummingbirds).

Juan Carlos covers making the reservations and picks you up at the airport and drops you off at the airport and takes care of all the details. Highly recommend his small group tours with 2-4 photographers.

http://www.juancarlosvindasphoto.com

The birds are around for the most part year round. Different times of year make for differences in the amount of rainfall to expect. Climate varies greatly by section of the country which varies in elevation and the micro climate. June is a less expensive time to go as it is considered the wet season.



Jan 04, 2018 at 06:32 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Costa Rica in comming June


Thank you so much for the information. Yes, I would prefer to hire a guide or car with driver if possible. But do you have any idea how much it would cost to hire a cab with a driver/day or per mile? I checked with Juan's tour but he has just 1 in 2018 and that too in January which I couldn't make it. As I said I prefer to go either in Jan or Feb but due to kids school, I can go only during their vacation and not many tour operators go in June or July.
Please provide me a ball park estimation of car rental(small suv for 4 people) for 12 days which would help me to estimate my travel budget.

Thank you!



Jan 04, 2018 at 09:27 PM
jdc562
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Costa Rica in comming June


bonnyrcl wrote:
Thank you so much for the information. Yes, I would prefer to hire a guide or car with driver if possible. But do you have any idea how much it would cost to hire a cab with a driver/day or per mile? I checked with Juan's tour but he has just 1 in 2018 and that too in January which I couldn't make it. As I said I prefer to go either in Jan or Feb but due to kids school, I can go only during their vacation and not many tour operators go in June or July.
...Show more

Bonny-- Sounds like you need a wake-up call with some hard words. You made some incorrect assumptions. Like Elkhornsun said, get travel info from sites like TripAdvisor, car rental companies, and other organizations. Why do you expect someone like Elkhornsun to provide your budgeting information? Jeee. Costa Rica is a modern country. Most major services, like car rental companies, have English speaking representatives. English is the universal language for business dealings in the world, including Costa Rica. However, I'd recommend that you learn some non-condescending Spanish before you go. Por favor, donde esta el baņo? Is much better than peeing your pants.

Remember, the internet does not stop at the U.S. border. Your nature lodges may be able to provide guide info. Did you actually ask Juan directly about guide services, or did you just look at his scheduled group tours and assume that's all there is?

Apparently you're thinking that guides only exist for pre-planned group tours. Do an internet hunt for guide services, especially asking advice from your nature lodges and other sources that are likely specifically familiar with nature/birding guides. Why in God's name would you ever hire a taxi cab and taxi driver to do that?

TravelAdvisor lists day guides for many locations, including customer satisfaction ratings. However, Costa Rica is a Mecca for birders, so somewhere on the net there should be abundant info on more professional, multi-day guide services. I betcha that Juan, himself, could provide guide recommendations if he is, in fact, not available for your travel dates. You may need to daisy-chain guide services to cover your planned trip.

Since you seem incredibly naive about this stuff, here's a major disaster to avoid; never, ever, leave valuables in your vehicle. Carry them with you when you leave the vehicle. This is not some hypothetical possibility. It happens all the time. Passports, airline tickets, purses, cameras, binoculars, spare shoes, all your luggage, are a nightmare to lose. Thieves work fast, so no whining, like "I just went into the store for a few minutes."



Jan 04, 2018 at 10:34 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Costa Rica in comming June


Thank you for your suggestion on leaving valuables in the vehicle. It's a new information for me.. I have asked the approx. car rental rates to get an idea so that I can plan the travel accordingly.. no one said anything about the location/lodges I have selected. are they all enough/good?

-John



Jan 05, 2018 at 02:32 PM
elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Costa Rica in comming June


Contact Juan Carlos directly. He is very responsive to email messages and give him the dates you are interested in going and he can tell you if he is available and the cost. It is a fun trip even for a non photographer.

Juan Carlos has both custom and regular tours and he covers Costa Rica where he lives, and Equador and Panama.

Good website for weather information for Costa Rica

https://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/weather/weather-map-rainfall/

This is a fantastic app as you can mouse over the map and see the rainfall distribution over the course of the year for different regions of the country. If going in June the northwest area is likely to have the least rain and the southwest will likely have the most.



Jan 05, 2018 at 05:20 PM
elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Costa Rica in comming June


At specific locations like Savagre, there are local guides who will be the most knowledgeable for that specific area. An exception are the guides at Manual Antonio where there are dozens and no way to know who is good (and do not wear any expensive jewelry or the rate charged will double).

Best single lens is a 80-400mm, 100-400mm, 200-500mm, 150-600mm type of super tele zoom.



Jan 05, 2018 at 05:25 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Costa Rica in comming June


Thank you so much for your valuable inputs.


Jan 06, 2018 at 11:31 PM
dalite
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Costa Rica in comming June


Bonny, your response shows class. I can't say the same for the other poster who was too rude and should stfu.


Jan 08, 2018 at 12:37 AM
Plinian
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Costa Rica in comming June


+1 for Juan (a very nice guy who lives in San Jose, and, with enough notice, will put together a custom tour for you).

My first time to Costa Rica was similar (summer vacation with the family, a mix of ziplines, rafting, river tours, and bird photography):
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1234079
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1227015

Since then I've been back 5 or 6 times, and (contrary to what some others have said), I think it's an incredibly easy and relatively safe place to get around on your own, with nothing more than goodwill, common sense, and a cell phone equipped with google maps. So, it's easy to do on your own if that's what you prefer or, for example, if Juan isn't available.

Car rental rates will turn out to be about the same as in the US after you pay insurance.
Hint: There are no car rentals actually on site in SJO; instead, use one of the places next to the Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn (1/2 mile from the airport), then you can return the car on your final day, walk to the Hampton Inn, and take a shuttle the next morning to the airport. (I used Thrifty last month and it was fine).

Pura vida!

P.S. Forgot to say that Bruce (OwlsEyes) REALLY knows Costa Rica so you might reach out to him via a PM for advice.



Jan 09, 2018 at 04:04 PM
Zenon Char
Online
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Costa Rica in comming June


We stayed in La Fortuna a few years ago in a hotel right across from the church downtown. We did the zip lines at Arenal. My two favorite places were Palo Verde and Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Did anyone mention waterfalls? We went to this one. Llanos de Cortez

https://costaricaexperts.com/things-to-do/waterfalls/

Monteverde Cloud Forest humming bird garden. My wife had 5 on her hands at one time.









Jan 22, 2018 at 09:21 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Costa Rica in comming June


Plinian wrote:
+1 for Juan (a very nice guy who lives in San Jose, and, with enough notice, will put together a custom tour for you).

My first time to Costa Rica was similar (summer vacation with the family, a mix of ziplines, rafting, river tours, and bird photography):
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1234079
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1227015

Since then I've been back 5 or 6 times, and (contrary to what some others have said), I think it's an incredibly easy and relatively safe place to get around on your own, with nothing more than goodwill, common sense, and a cell phone equipped with google maps. So, it's easy to do on your
...Show more


Thank you Plinian..I was not around for some time, hence didn't notice your post.
Your post provided some valuable, genuine info contrary to few other posts here. I really appreciate your help! Juan doesn't have any tours during June or July, but anyways I'll contact him. I have almost finalized to go with the same itinerary I have posted here. Share you my experience once come back from CR.

-John



Jan 24, 2018 at 02:17 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Costa Rica in comming June


Zenon Char wrote:
We stayed in La Fortuna a few years ago in a hotel right across from the church downtown. We did the zip lines at Arenal. My two favorite places were Palo Verde and Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Did anyone mention waterfalls? We went to this one. Llanos de Cortez

https://costaricaexperts.com/things-to-do/waterfalls/

Monteverde Cloud Forest humming bird garden. My wife had 5 on her hands at one time.



Thank you so much for the tips, but I am not planning to visit Palo Verde as most of the birds available here you can see elsewhere also like in Kenya or Tanzania or even in India. My intention is to see and capture the exotic birds like Toucan, Macaw, quetzal etc available only in CR or in south America. As I am visiting during rainy season, I am not going inside Monteverde , but I am staying just around Monteverde ..


-John



Jan 24, 2018 at 02:26 PM
Bogino
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Costa Rica in comming June


The places you referenced are not exactly "off the beaten path" parts of CR. You should have no problem renting an SUV and navigating around on your own. That's part of the adventure. Local guides should be easily available in those areas you mentioned. My guess is $30 - $60 a day for a guide. I've averaged $60 - $70 a day for guides on the OSA Peninsula but those were for longer and more arduous hikes. Don't know what your budget is but I suggest paying up a little extra for a good sturdy SUV like a Montero or Highlander or even a Toyota Rav rather than the cheaper cheesier Suzuki's etc. As far as leaving things in the car that is simple. Never leave anything in your rental car (not even the GPS). Leave it completely empty with the windows rolled down.


Jan 28, 2018 at 12:04 PM
bonnyrcl
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Costa Rica in comming June


Bogino wrote:
The places you referenced are not exactly "off the beaten path" parts of CR. You should have no problem renting an SUV and navigating around on your own. That's part of the adventure. Local guides should be easily available in those areas you mentioned. My guess is $30 - $60 a day for a guide. I've averaged $60 - $70 a day for guides on the OSA Peninsula but those were for longer and more arduous hikes. Don't know what your budget is but I suggest paying up a little extra for a good sturdy SUV like a Montero or
...Show more

Very useful tips, Thank you so much. Just asking..So even inside the lodge premises, can't we leave anything in the car? Are the lodges safe to leave few lenses etc as we may not carry everything every where?

-John



Jan 29, 2018 at 04:15 PM
elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Costa Rica in comming June


We rent the 4WD Terios which has more rear storage space than the Jimny and is cheaper than the Rav 4. Unique to Costa Rica is that they rent the RAV 4 Plus which has a lot more luggage space if 3-4 adults are traveling.

We pay double the cost of a similar vehicle in the USA for rental fees as the insurance doubles the price. On our last trip a Rav4 Plus had a base rate of $300 and "rental options cost us 84.83 plus 288.83 for the insurance coverage and another $153 in taxes for a grand total of $827.43 for this compact SUV. I do recommend dealing with Budget as they are honest and reliable.

At the lodges your gear in the car is safe. When we stop at a restaurant or many shopping areas there is a fellow who watches the vehicle for us. When we get back to the car we give him $1-2 and he is happy and our car is untouched. Wish that we had this in the USA, especially at state and national parks where break-ins are so common.

The only time it is very important to have GPS and a navigation aid is going through the larger towns where there are no signs to let you know how to get from one end where the highway enters the town to where it starts up again at the other side. If you fly into Liberia it is quite easy to navigate but flying into San Jose and going east it is another story.

Something to appreciate is that the guides will size you up with your Rolex and adjust their rates accordingly. Best to leave expensive jewelry at home and that applies to travel anywhere.

We know where the lodges are located that cater to birders and photographers and go to different ones on each trip. Some birds are best found by boat and this is where a 80-400mm or 100-400mm lens is invaluable.



Apr 01, 2018 at 02:17 PM





FM Forums | Trip Location Advice & Meet-ups | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.