sailbird

Four more days and I depart for my first visit to Costa Rica. I'll be staying near Puerto Viejo for three weeks. I wasn't planning to go to the Arenal area, but I just learned that there's good windsurfing on Lake Arenal. I've decided to visit the area and need some help.

1. What's the most economical way to get from Puerto Viejo to that area? I looked online at Interbus and discovered it would cost 49.00 each way. Could I make it in one day on a "regular" bus? Do any go from PV to Lake Arenal? If so, do you know what the approximate cost would be?

2. There's a windsurfing place called Tico Wind somewhere on the lake (their website isn't clear exactly where it is). Can anyone recommend lodging near, or on, the lake in the 30.00 to 60.00 price range (per night, single)?

3. My thinking is this: Day 1 - arrive in the late afternoon and check in; Day 2 - do something that has to do with the volcano; Day 3 - windsurfing; Day 4 - depart for PV in the morning. Can anyone recommend what to do on Day 2? I enjoy hiking, walking, being outdoors, nature, and water. Should I consider three full days there instead of two?

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

Jay

volcanogirl

I would spend day two doing the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours during the day and visiting the hot springs at night. We like Eco Termales - they serve a great chicken dinner, and the springs are really relaxing. The Cano Negro tour is a boat ride down a river with lots of wildlife. We saw capuchins, howlers, sloths, bats, birds - really neat.If you'd rather just do a nice hike, the Hanging Bridges is pretty; you probably won't see much wildlife there though. Sky Trek would be a good bet if you want to do a zipline. There's also a waterfall you can hike to.

volcanogirl

I forgot to mention. I would go to www.arenal.net and check out their hotel map; you can mouse over it, and it will show you the hotels near the lake and what their price range is.

Pat_Hewitt

The best windsurfing is at the western part of Lake Arenal. This is the farthest point along the lake from the volcano. All of the hotels that specialize in windsurfing are in this area.

My bet is that the Interbus will take you to the hotels in and around La Fortuna. This area is at least another hour away. Since you won't have a car, it will be very inconvenient to do the volcano related activities from here.

You almost have to choose between the volcano or windsurfing. Maybe you could split your time between the two areas? I am not a windsurfer myself, but I know that some times of the year are better than others. The best months for this activity is November through April. I am unsure of conditions in June and July. So you might want to check before you plan this.

Even without the windsurfing, I encourage that you get out of PV and see a little of the rest of the country. PV is fun, but Costa Rica is a diverse place. It is worth the effort to check it out.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

Eressea

Jay - Pat's spot on about Lake Arenal being THE place to windsurf in CR. I wish I had known about that before I got there so I could have incorporated it into my plans but this way I have yet another activity to look forward to the next time I visit Arenal.

PV to Arenal - apart from Interbus or Gray Line, the more economical would be to take a regular bus. I want to tell you that there is one definitive site you can visit to get up-to-date and accurate bus schedules but when I took the bus, I got my info the old-fashioned way by calling the station and then showing up an hour and a half before I was scheduled to depart to make sure I caught the right bus. To give you some idea, a roundtrip ticket from SJ to Canas (little squiggle over the n) cost me about 3600 colones (roughly $7) and it took three hours each way. Canas is about 2.5 hours from Arenal.

There's also this guide book I found during my initial research but I haven't bought it so I can't tell whether or not it delivers: http://www.costaricabybus.com/ They sell hard copies as well as downloadable copies.

Arenal has a lot of activities to offer so your biggest task will be choosing one over the other. Per vgirl, Sky Trek, Hanging Bridges, Eco Termales and Cano Negro are perennial favorites. There's also rafting, waterfall rappelling/viewing/swimming, bungee jumping, Venado caves, volcano viewing and horseback riding.

Rafting and Cano Negro are all day activities, while Eco Termales is an evening (usually) activity and horseback riding is a half-day activity, so choose what you simply can't pass up and that should help you determine whether to spend two or three days in the area.

volcanogirl

We're going rafting on our next trip. Rios Tropicales is supposed to be a good group if you want to check them out. I always try to do something new every time we go.

sailbird

Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely going, and will probably spend three days in the area. Come on Saturday!

qwovadis

the wind surfing places are around Tilaran

not La Fortuna which is close to the dam...

sailbird

After looking at a map and reading about the roads and transportation in the area, I think it would make sense to spend two days somewhere around La Fortuna and do the hiking, sightseeing, etc. for the volcano and rainforest and then spend one day at the lake windsurfing. Thanks for the replies and information!

volcanogirl

I think that sounds like a great plan. Have fun!