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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:12 pm 
Just Learning The Gulch!

Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:41 pm
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Can someone please tell me what are the best day trips (If you only have a day's or two time) to do?

What are the most beautiful places in and around San Jose(I am not a beach guy) and how much do these trips cost.

Thank you


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:22 pm 
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Last sunday,i took a day trip to poas/volcano and la paz waterfall.i purchased the day tour,from the front desk at the presidente, for $65 per person and it was good value, as i priced the gray.line bus schedule beforehand and for the same tour it was $75........................pick-up at hotel at 7.45 a.m. and back at 5.30 p.m............


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:29 pm 
Ticas ask me for advice!

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San Lorenzo Canopy Tour
Pickup 7:45
Dropoff 5:30


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:24 pm 
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Guess that special new newbie section with stickies that advise them to use the search function before posting doesn't do much good.

I did a quick search for "Day trips" and got 284 threads and 449 individual posts, including this recent one:
http://www.costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4938

"Day tours" turned up another 60 threads, including this one on canopy tours http://www.costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4850 and this one on the volcano tours http://www.costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4959.

I didn't do searches on raft trips, canopy trips, etc. but expect my search could be narrowed down or expanded still more by selective and combined use of certain words.

Personally, if I was going to Cr for the first time and only had time for 2 1-day tours I would pick the 4-in-1 tour which includes a) coffe farm, b) Poas Volcano c) La Paz Waterfall Park and d) Sarapiqui boat tour (followed up with a return trip through Braulio Carillo Nat. Pk.), which covers a lot of the major highlights, and secondly, for a little more active excitement, a whitewater raft trip on the Revantazon or Pacuare rivers (canopy would come in a close 2nd after that for me but YMMV).

Other popular options would be the Cafe Britt Coffee Farm Tour coupled with either the Aerial Tram or the Butterfly Farm, Irazu Volcano coupled with a tour of the Orosi Valley or Lankester Gardens, canopy tours of course, fishing charters out of Jaco, which would be a very long day as would the day trip to Arenal Volcano/Tabacon, which I think is just a little too much for 1 day. There are many others. I did a mountain bike trip up and down the volcanoes one time which I thought was a gas, but definitely not everyones cup of tea.

Costs on all these tours generally range between $50 and $100 (a little less for the half day tours, a lot more for the fishing charters), though the price generally won't vary that much for a particular tour. Very often the tour is the same regardless of the agent you happen to book it with (definitely the case for Cafe Britt for example). You can book rafting trips at any number of tour desks but nearly all the trips are actually with 2-3 major operators and the price of any company's trip will be the same.

BTW, the thing that really distinguishes one trip from another(much more than price) is the tour guide you happen to get. I'm not sure there is any way to control that other than simple luck of the draw, but if you get a good one, be prepared to give him a good tip at the end of the day as well as a little something for the driver if he adds to the trip.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:57 pm 
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Prolijo wrote:

BTW, the thing that really distinguishes one trip from another(much more than price) is the tour guide you happen to get. I'm not sure there is any way to control that other than simple luck of the draw, but if you get a good one, be prepared to give him a good tip at the end of the day as well as a little something for the driver if he adds to the trip.


That is so true! One time myself and five buddies took the Tortuga
Island cruise. It leaves from Puntarenas on a large catamaran. I highly
recommend the tour company. It was Calypso Tours. Their office is located in the office building next to the Gran Hotel Costa Rica. Our tour guide was the daughter of the owner of the tour company. She's probably one of the most beautiful chicas I've ever seen in CR. She was around 28, had long blonde hair, spoke perfect English, and was extremely intelligent. Plus, she had a great sense of humor. On the return trip, just prior to boarding the bus in Puntarenas, she let us buy a case of beer for the ride back! Probably some of the other tourists aboard the bus got a little upset, as we were somewhat 'loud', but it sure was fun!

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Last edited by Gringotim on Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 10:56 pm 
Just Learning The Gulch!

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Thank you so much guys,this is a great help and this is a great forum ,I think I will take the trip to the lapaz and the valcano


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 11:20 pm 
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Gringotim,I'm confused could it be Limon.Puntareanas is on the outher coast.
Just to add a bit for the seasoned tourist there are many day trips you can take on the express bus system to almost any town of any size.I do that a lot and just wander explore and enjoy the culture.It costs you just a few dollars plus what you spend on the trip and the buses are quite efficient.rbc100


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:03 am 
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RBC wrote:

Quote:
Gringotim,I'm confused could it be Limon.Puntareanas is on the outher coast.


very easy to get confused, TORTUGUERO is on the Caribbean side north of Limon south of Barra Del Colorado.

ISLAND TORTUGAS is in the Golfo de Nicoya south of Puntarenas.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:37 am 
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RBC100 wrote:
Just to add a bit for the seasoned tourist there are many day trips you can take on the express bus system to almost any town of any size.I do that a lot and just wander explore and enjoy the culture.It costs you just a few dollars plus what you spend on the trip and the buses are quite efficient.rbc100
Thats certainly can be true for the seasoned tourist, but the sense I got from this first time poster was that he was not a seasoned traveler to CR (probably his first trip to CR and probably not a lot of travel to similar countries either). Unless one has traveled like that in other foreign countries, or has been to CR enough to feel pretty comfortable in the CR environment, it is probably too adventurous for most travelers. How many regular visitors to CR here have made any real use of the public bus system?

One also has to know the schedules so they get to station in time to get out early enough to make it a full day and how late they can return and not miss the last bus. They have to know which station or bus stop to go to for different destinations, which bus to get on and which place to get off. And you won't have a tourguide to explain what you're seeing whereever you end up. These things are not hard if one knows where to look it up and a good guidebook (or tagging along behind another tour) will help explain what you are seeing. But you will not be spoonfed and handheld like you would if you just booked the trip at the tourdesk in your hotel lobby and picked up and dropped off at your hotel

Using buses for day trips works well for certain trips, like visiting the nearby provincial capitals of Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia and surrounding towns like Grecia, Saarchi, Zarcero etc. But many of the principle places of interest to the typical tourist just can't be done easily if at all independently by bus. Some examples:
1) You can take a bus to Turrialba and try to book a raft trip when you get there, but I'm betting the river put ins are not on the bus route and even if you just showed up there there would be no guarantee you'd get a spot or save much money if you did. Its probably a hell of a lot easier just to have them pick you up in SJ and take you directly out to the river.
2) I never tried the rafting trip that way, but I did try to do the Aerial Tram independently and it was a disaster. We had to ask the bus to drop us off there. Then we were told by a unbelievably hostile tico attendant at the front gate that they were sold out for spaces due to the large tour buses that came in from SJ. We were sent to the side of the road to flag down a returning bus on our own (that came by an hour later).
3) Theres no scheduled bus service to Poas Volcano, except for a special all day excursion bus that runs on Sundays. I don't know about you but I think Poas is interesting but not enough to spend all day there.
4) The weekend bus to Irazu is a little better as it leaves at 8 and returns at 12:15. During the week, there is no direct bus to Irazu. You have to change buses in Cartago and will still end up having to hike the last few kms.
5) Some buses leave regularly, some just once an hour and some just a couple of times a day. If you have to change buses and you leave at the wrong time, you might end up having to wait a long time for your connection. The Orosi Valley also requires a change of buses in Cartago and due to scheduling is not easy to see by public bus. If you get out anywhere along the way to look around, you'll have to wait a while to catch the next one (if there is a next one)
6) Direct buses to the La Gaucima Butterfly Farm leave at 11 and 2, take an hour to get there with stops along the way, drops you a 400m from the place and gets you there just after the start of each tour, meaning you might have to wait for the next one. The only direct bus back leaves at 3:15 meaning you'll probably have to catch a bus to Alajuela and change there, meaning further waiting time at the bus station there.

All these places may not be ones that you'd want to see, but their common scenarios and you get the general idea

Sangram has just a couple of days and wants to see as much as he can and all the best spots. He doesn't have time for any the potential time snafus of the public buses. Buses work great to take you to the various population centers (AKA towns) where one can stop to absorb the local atmosphere one town at a time, but they are not so great for the more traditional attractions that most tourist come to CR to see such as the volcanoes, forests and countryside.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:53 am 
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Sorry Gringotim looks like I was the one who was confused.Sounds like something I might want to check out.rbc100


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:18 pm 
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I would highly recommend the Tortuga Island tour. I believe there are actually two or three tour companies that provide that tour, but both times I've been there it was with Calypso Tours, and it was great. The catamaran they use is huge, with a jacuzzi, bar, bathrooms, etc. on board.
They provide you with a free drink and lots of fresh fruit, and on the island you are served a great meal (chicken, salad, fresh fruits and
vegetables, etc.) while listening to an old man play the xylophone/marimba. They also have a small rustic bar built into the base of a huge tree. There is a canopy tour involving sliding from platform to platform (tree to tree) on a rope/pulley about thirty or forty feet off the ground. It's not as long or as high as the main 'Canopy Tour' (that's another tour), but it is nevertheless a lot of fun. You also have time to explore the island via a couple of paths, or to swim in the beautiful waters there.

Question to anyone who has taken that tour...I think I heard recently that the old xylophone/marimba player died. Is that true? He was in his late eighties the last time I was there (about four years ago), so if he's still living he'd be over ninety! Apparently no one paid him...he worked for tips plus the free meal. He actually was quite good.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:15 pm 
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The most mileage on a one day tour from San Jose is the "4 in 1" tour. One long day with 4 landmarks to see... here is one online link. http://www.crica.com/tours/ecoscape.html


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:37 pm 
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I've taken that '4 in 1' tour and highly recommend it. I might point out one little difference between what they advertise and my experience.
They advertise breakfast at a nice lodge, the Hotel Buena Vista. We did not have breakfast there. The place we stopped for breakfast was a small
'dumpy' restaurant. As I recall, I was disappointed in the food there. Other than that, the tour was a lot of fun, even though we couldn't see the actual crater of the Poas volcano, as it was clouded/fogged over at the time.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:37 am 
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If I am not staying at a hotel (we rented an apt near SJ), where would I book one of these tours? Is it online only or are there travel agencies?
Thanks.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 5:28 am 
Not a Newbie I just don't post much!

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Go to the travel agency toward the back and left of lobby at The Gran Costa Rican. Do not stop at the desk in the lobby. You can get the 5 in 1 for $60.00.

I tjink the "5" is the bus.

Rocco


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