Last Updated: August 26, 2019
San Gerardo de Dota is a little known destination in the remote mountains south of Costa Rica’s capital city, San Jose. The village is set deep in a valley, but is surrounded by the towering Talamanca mountains. Among the quiet forests of San Gerardo de Dota live a variety of animals and a wide selection of birds, including the famous Resplendent Quetzal and dozens of hummingbird species. Though San Gerardo de Dota is slowly becoming known for its superb bird watching, it remains home to just a handful of quaint eco-lodges and restaurants, making it the perfect escape. Below we share tips for planning your visit to San Gerardo de Dota, including hotel and activity recommendations.
Location
San Gerardo de Dota is situated in a rural area of Costa Rica about halfway between Dominical on the southern Pacific coast and San Jose. Since it’s only 2-3 hours from the beaches of Dominical and Manuel Antonio, it’s a great place to visit before heading back to the airport and will show you a completely different life zone: the cloud forest. Because San Gerardo de Dota is at a high altitude, the climate is much cooler and wetter and the wildlife varies from what you will find at the lowland beaches.
For driving directions and packing info, see our tips below.
Activities in San Gerardo de Dota
Birding
If you’re into birding, be sure to bring your binoculars. Because of its elevation, the San Gerardo de Dota area attracts a multitude of species (over 150 in the Dota valley alone). On our visits, we have seen a long list of birds, including the Sooty Robin, Acorn Woodpecker, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Emerald Toucanet, Flame-colored Tanager, Wilson’s Warbler, Volcano Hummingbird (pictured in cover photo, above), and even a Resplendent Quetzal—the stunning green and red bird that put San Gerardo on the map. What makes San Gerardo de Dota different from other forests where the quetzal can be found, like Monteverde, is that in San Gerardo de Dota, quetzals can be spotted any time of year.
Keep in mind that, while it is possible to see a quetzal year round, there are no guarantees. We had been trying to spot one off and on for over a year before finally getting lucky on one of our visits. This is why we highly recommend hiring a local birding guide to take you on an early morning tour. They know exactly what to look for when trying to spot a quetzal and where they have been spotted recently.
Hiking
San Gerardo de Dota is undeveloped and there’s lots of great hiking around. Even just walking around town is a hike in itself because it’s so hilly and heavily forested. But if you’re looking for trails, head to the higher elevation Los Quetzales National Park. Los Quetzales has a network of trails of varying lengths. See our post all about the park for more details. Note that on our last visit in November 2018, some of the trails were closed for maintenance.
Another option is the trail right in town that follows the Rio Savegre through the forest to a lovely waterfall. Although this a shorter hike along fairly flat terrain, it’s a bit of an adventure as there are some bridges to cross that could really use some maintenance. For more information about visiting the San Gerardo Waterfall, see our separate post.
Fishing
One of the most interesting things about San Gerardo de Dota is the trout that inhabit its cool rivers and streams. You’re sure to see locals fishing along the riverbanks, and later, you’ll find their catch on restaurant menus. Trout are not native to Costa Rica but were said to be introduced in Panama by the US military and somehow made their way north. No matter how they got there, today they’re a big part of the local economy, which now farms and sells trout around the country.
Local Artisans Gallery
Perusing the Latin American Artisans Gallery at Dantica Lodge is always one of the highlights when we are in San Gerardo de Dota. This place isn’t your normal tourist-trap souvenir shop. The gallery is elegantly designed with welcoming glass walls and carries locally made art and handicrafts. Though modest in size, it has a wide assortment of items, including Boruca masks from Costa Rica, Carnival masks from Colombia, ceramics from Peru, and lots of beautiful jewelry.
Hotels in San Gerardo de Dota
San Gerardo de Dota has only a few lodges and B&Bs but there’s still plenty of great choices. We’ve stayed at Suria Lodge in the past, a cute family-run place with cabin-style rooms and beautiful gardens. The draw for us, other than the affordable price, was that it’s located at the end of the road in San Gerardo. That made it close to the river, for the best birding, and walking distance to the waterfall trail. Rooms are simple, but comfortable, with space heaters for those crisp cloud-forest nights. $70-$140/night. Check Prices and Availability Here.
Another popular option is the Trogon Lodge just up the road from Suria. This is a larger property with clean, comfortable cabins. The grounds abut the river and are gorgeous, with trout ponds and gardens filled with hummingbirds. Trogon Lodge is also good for families and larger groups. $120-$215/night. Check Prices and Availability Here.
If you’re looking for a little more comfort, check out Dantica Lodge. Dantica Lodge is located farther up the hill and has ten bungalows set into the steep hillside. The rooms have modern flair, with clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of the sweeping mountain and cloud-forest views. An on-site restaurant serves upscale fare. $115-$300/night. Check Prices and Availability Here.
More Details for Planning Your Visit to San Gerardo de Dota
Directions
San Gerardo de Dota is located off Highway 2, about 2-3 hours from San Jose and 2 hours from Dominical. Like everywhere in Costa Rica, signage is not the best; however, there is a small sign at the turnoff. It helps to keep a lookout for kilometer markers. San Gerardo de Dota is located at kilometer 80.
Once you turn off Highway 2, you’ll descend into the valley for about 15 minutes, maneuvering down several steep switchbacks before arriving at the village. The road is paved, but on our last visit at the end of 2018, it had a lot of deep potholes and uneven terrain so we recommend a vehicle with higher clearance.
Leave early in the day: Driving after dark on Highway 2 is not recommended. The road is windy and steep and visibility can be very limited when it rains or the cloud cover increases.
If you need to rent a car for your trip, check out this special discount for our readers to save 10% and get free extras.
Packing
Bring layers, especially for the cooler nights. Temps can get into the 60s (16°C) at night but remain a pleasant 75° (24°C) during the day. On our first visit a couple of years back, we arrived from the beach wearing shorts and T-shirts, not realizing how different the temperature would be a mere two hours away. Lightweight pants and layers for day time is recommended and jeans and T-shirts/lightweight sweaters for night time.
Bring a raincoat: It’s the cloud forest, so it rains a lot, especially in the afternoon.
For more info about packing in general, see our post all about Packing Essentials for Costa Rica.
Supplies and Gas
Fill up your tank and stock up on supplies before you arrive as there’s just one pulperia (small grocery store) in town and no gas station for miles.
Resplendent Quetzal Watching
Visit in late March or April if you can, as this is when the Quetzals are breeding and most active. You may be able to spot one on your own, but because these birds are often hiding behind thick, moss-covered foliage, it’s easiest to hire a guide in town. A guided tour is around $25 per person for 2 hours.
San Gerardo de Dota is unlike any other destination in Costa Rica and we’ve always loved our visits there. Maybe it’s something about the fresh mountain air, but we leave feeling rested and rejuvenated, ready to plan our next visit.
Last Updated: August 26, 2019
Have you ever visited a cloud forest? What did you think?
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You finally saw one!
We did, Harris, but it almost didn’t happen. We were in the car on our way out and spotted it in the trees next to the road. She was really far away but it was still cool!
Hi there!! Thank you so much for your amazing website. I am looking to go to San Gerardo de Dota but I only have a Toyota Corolla…I reallyyyy am dying to go on a guided bird tour and it sounds like San Gerardo is the place. I have one booked but wanted to check that i can actually get there. I guess my question is, will I be ok in the Toyota Corolla? Driving slowly? Is it paved? Thanks so much for your advice and insight!
Hi Amy, You can do the drive down to San Gerardo de Dota with a regular sedan, just be careful of big potholes and go slowly. The road was damaged after the last hurricane. It’s really steep and curvy but you don’t absolutely have to have 4×4. We just recommend it to be on the safe side.
So happy that you got to see a quetzal! Was it every bit as lovely in person as it is in photos? And I would love to stop at that artisans store, right up my alley!
Yeah, she was beautiful Julie. We definitely want to go back to see a male though- they have really long tail feathers and of course are supposed to be even more beautiful. That artisans store was awesome- I think they have a location in Herradura near Jaco too if you’re ever down that way.
What great photos and looks like an amazing experience. I love all the options from hiking, birding to shopping at that cute gallery!
Thanks Kelly! Yeah, it’s a really small place but there is quite a bit there. I mean, the population is probably less than 300 and they have an art gallery. Definitely surprising!
¡Hola, Matt and Jenn! Love your blog, and particularly that photo of the sedums at Suria Lodge 🙂
Gracias Lily! I see you have an eye for plants. You’d probably love San Gerardo- so many weird ones there!
Excellent write up and photos. Really enjoyed experiencing Costa Rica through your experiences. Keep up the great work.
Thanks James!
Wow, those are some seriously awesome pics! I’ve never been to Costa Rica but your shots have really increased my desire to visit.
Glad you liked the pics, Duke. Hope you get here for a visit soon!
The quetzal is such a beautiful bird. If you ever make it to Tikal, you’ll get see a lot of them.
We’d love to go to Tikal, hopefully someday. Thanks for reading, Lorenzo!
Great information on San Gerardo de Dota. This would have been my 3rd day staying at the Suria, but I had to cancel my trip. I am just more determined to make it there on my next trip to Costa Rica.
Bummer you had to cancel your trip, Mark. Hope you make it to San Gerardo soon!
Hello Jenn and Matt!
I love your site and blog. Seriously great. We are praying for your growing family!
Say, would you recommend driving a standard sedan from SGdD to Uvita/Costa Ballena?
I served in CR for 2+ years but never drove this route myself.
I would greatly appreciate your input!
Jeff and Amy
Hi Jeff and Amy, Thanks for your kind words! It’s best to have 4×4 for driving off the main highway to the main town area of San Gerardo, but you don’t need it other than that. The highway between San Gerardo and Dominical (Route 2) is mountainous and curvy but nicely paved so fine with a regular sedan. Then once you get to the Costanera highway near Dominical (the coastal highway- Route 34), it’s smooth, flat pavement.
Hi there!
Planning our March 2017 trip down to the Southern Caribbean coast and thinking of taking a day or two in San Gerado de Dota. Is public transportation from San Jose and option and if so, would we be able to leave from San Gerado de Dota and get down to Puerto Viejo? Or is this route only possible if we rent a car. Another thing we are interested in is renting a motorbike once we are down to the coast. Are there motorcycle rental places in Puerto Viejo?
Thank you so much!
Blessings, Jessica
Hi Jessica, San Jose to San Gerardo de Dota isn’t bad, but then getting from there to Puerto Viejo isn’t easy. You would have to changes buses in San Jose, and since each leg of the trip is several hours, you would probably want to do an overnight in San Jose in between. Not ideal if you only have a night or two for Dota. It is definitely easier to go by car but you would still want two nights with all the driving. Private shuttles are another option.
We don’t know anything about renting motorcycles here, but if you do some googling, it does look like you can rent them. Most of the companies are located in San Jose but they do say they offer drop offs in different locations. Sounds like you’re planning quite an adventure. Hope you have a great time!
Hi again,
Thanks for the advice regarding Monteverde.
We are also visiting San Gerardo de Dota (early December), staying at the Savegre.
Have been reading up a little about the area, all sounds gorgeous.
Just have a question about night temperatures, and what to pack – conflicting information on how chilly it gets? My wife thinks we may need hat and gloves! Which is fine, but we are finishing our trip on the Osa Peninsular and then flying back to San Jose – the baggage allowance is a little more restrictive than our international flights back to the UK – and will need some room for souvenirs 🙂
Many thanks,
Luke and Gemma
Hi again Luke and Gemma, It cools off at night in Dota but it isn’t hat and gloves weather so don’t worry. Bring long pants and a long sleeved shirt or lightweight jacket for layering. That along with a raincoat will be more than enough. You might want the warmer clothes for early mornings too but it warms up quickly so you won’t need them for long.
Hello!
My girlfriend and I will be visiting costa Rica in January for 11 days. Your website has been immensely useful in planning out trip. Very informative and practical.
My question is: We have 4 nights booked in Dominical as part of our trip. Is it reasonable to do a cloud forest visit in the San Gerardo area as a day trip from Dominical? I was reading your information on Cloudbridge and Los Quetzals, and they seem like amazing places to hike and that would be a different experience from the low land rainforest. We will have a rental car, but I am worried if it takes 2+ hours to drive to a reserve it might not leave much time to day hike/appreciate the experience if we need to drive back before dark. We are fairly adventurous and outdoorsy people, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew.
Is Dominical > San Gerardo something you have attempted as a day trip? If so, what was your experience and would you recommend it? Are there any closer cloud forest experiences to Dominical I should be looking at?
Thank you for any insight you can provide. And again, really appreciate the website and all the helpful information it has provided.
Hi Ian, We actually live in this area of the country and have visited both of those places on day trips from Dominical. It is a long drive to San Gerardo de Dota/Los Quetzales but fine if you get an early start. The weather is usually good in January so it is less likely to rain on the drive back. We were able to do the main loop at Los Quetzales and didn’t feel too rushed.
Cloudbridge is a little closer (confusing, but it is in a different San Gerardo, San Gerardo de Rivas) and we’ve done that several times on a day trip, including with our baby. So it is definitely possible. And you’re right, it is a really cool experience if you’re coming from the beach because the landscape is so different. Just be sure to dress warm – we have made the mistake of showing up in shorts since it’s so hot down by the beach. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi there!
First I want to tell you how awesome your website/blog/CostaRicaAdventureSharing is! A friend and I are planning a trip to Costa Rica. We will be there from the 15th of march until the 9th of april. Therefore we’ve been reading your blog already several times. Your experiences have helped us already a lot! Because we’re not familiar with the country we would like to have your opinion. We are planning to do everything by public transportation or guided tours. Do you think this is possible in the amount of time we are in CR?
SJ – Jaco
Jaco – Quepos (daytrip rainmaker walkway)
Quepos – Uvita (daytrip Nauyaca waterfalls)
Uvita – Corcovado (guided tour if possible)
Uvita – Parque nacionales de los Quetzales (guided tour if possible, No idea how to go there by public transportation)
We would also like to visit:
Irazu volcano
Poas volcano
Tortuguero
Cahuita
crossing the border to Bocas del toro
Arenal volcano (hotsprings)
Monteverde (do some adventurous things like the hangingbridges, ..)
Rio celeste de tenoro national parc
doubting about Puerto viejo
Anyway the more we are planning the trip, the more we start thinking about how realistic it is. Do we need to delete several places out of the trip? What do you think?
Many Thanks!
Laura & Imke (2 ladies looking forward to explore the country!)
Hi Laura and Imke, It’s great that you have such a big chunk of time to spend in CR. You should be able to see a lot, but you still need to pare down your list. With around 3 weeks, we would aim for no more than 7 destinations. Travel time between destinations is considerable for many places on your list, especially by public bus. I would recommend making an itinerary with the absolute places you want to see and figuring out how long it will take to get there by bus first. Then if you think you can add more stops without being constantly in the go, do it at that point. Hope that helps give you some ideas. Most places here are accessible by bus and if you have well thought out itinerary, you will be able to see a lot of the country.
Hi– we are planning a trip for April and are looking to go to San Gerardo de Dota for a couple of nights and then head down to Domincal/Baru for a couple of nights… we are looking into possibly taking public transportation. From the research I’ve done, it looks pretty easy to get from San Jose to San Gerardo de Dota by bus, but I’m wondering about the ease of getting from San Gerardo to Domincal. It looks like we would need to catch the public bus back at km 80 and take it to San Isidro de El General and then transfer to a bus that goes to Domincal. How difficult is it to catch the bus again back at the stop at km 80? Are there other options besides renting a car that wouldn’t be super pricey?
Hi Tina, We have never made this trip by bus. I’m sure it’s possible but you will need to know what time to be waiting up on the highway so you don’t miss it. Buses in this area run only a few times a day. Your hotel in San Gerardo is probably the best resource for knowing what time the bus passes by. Maybe they could give you a ride to the highway too, as it is not within walking distance. Unfortunately there aren’t other affordable options. Shared shuttles are not available for the trip so you would have to do a private one, which would be a lot more expensive than renting a car.
Hey guys, first of all, love your website. Its the best website I have found for researching CR. I will be visiting Ojochal for a month with my wife and kids. I have researching side trips, and I was thinking about San Gerardo De Dota. My one concern is will it be interesting for the kids, 9 and 7. Are there monkeys, or sloths? All I read about are birds, which is good for me, but maybe not them.
Hi Everett, It is mostly birds in the San Gerardo area. There is a lot of other wildlife there, including even the Baird’s Tapir, but it’s difficult to see them. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything other than birds when we’ve visited. The hike to the waterfall is really cool, though, and I think most kids would like it. It follows a river and there is a spot where you can crawl under the huge rocks near one of the smaller waterfalls.
Not sure if you’ve come across this yet, but the Sierpe river/mangroves aren’t too far from Ojochal. They do boat tours there and you can see a lot of wildlife…birds but also crocodile and several different kinds of monkeys, among other things.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for your blog, this is so useful. We are planning a 5 day trip (very short) across San Gerardo/Uvita/Dominical. We are trying to decide whether to stay in San Gerardo de Dota or Rivas (near Chirripo, although we don’t intend to hike the mountain). What would your recommendation be for better hiking, of the two San Gerardos? We like to be challenged but also would love to see some wildlife and beautiful scenery. We found a place to stay in both places that we like the look of.
Thanks very much,
Angela
Hi Angela, Both San Gerardos are very good for hiking. San Gerardo de Dota has Los Quetzales NP and the waterfall trail. Rivas has Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, which is awesome, and you can also check out Los Cusingos if you have a rental car (recommended for this area). If it helps you decide, they are both very small towns, but Rivas is even less touristy than San Gerardo and still really beautiful with a river that runs through the area and a mix of tropical forest and higher altitude forest.
Hello, we are considering staying in San Gerardo for 4 nights but are concerned that it may be too long a stay. Is there enough to enjoy? We are headed to Uvita for several nights after. Any other suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Hi Joana, 4 nights is a little long in San Gerardo but doable. It is a great place to relax and there is enough to do to fill a couple of full days. If you don’t mind driving, you could also check out the nearby town of Santa Maria de Dota, which has a nice coffee tour. So, if you are up for that, 4 days is probably okay; otherwise, maybe take a night off and spend it somewhere else.
Hi and thanks for the great blog post! I’d love your opinion on our upcoming adventure to the area! We will be traveling to San Jose in June, arriving around noon with a group of 8 including my 5 and 6 year olds. We are staying in a rental home between Dominical and Uvita in the town of Escaleras.
We’ve decided to take the mountain road (Hwy 2) and stay at in the cloud forest (Savegre lodge) in San Gerardo de dota on the way in, to break up the long travel day and to add some adventure 🙂
Normally we would rent a car (and whatever we decide logistically on this first leg, we plan to have a rental car in Dominical), however, I am worried about the stress of a rental car from SJO / navigating the city and mountain road, and arriving at the cloud forest in the dark. The hotel in San Gerardo de dota will provide a car service pick-up for a fair price (I think $170.00). This will alleviate the city rental car stress but then we lose the freedom and control once we arrive in the cloud forest (and for the most part along the way). Then we have the main problem: how to get from San Gerardo de dota to Dominical. I am assuming it is not easy to get a rental car in the cloud forest.
Do you think we should have a car rental waiting at the airport and drive ourselves direct to the cloud forest? (we arrive at approx noon on a Thursday / SJO). Or attempt two car services to get to our destinations? Or somehow get a rental car to Savegre? (we don’t want to take a bus public transportation).
Our last option, upon arrival, stay in a hotel on the east side of San Jose, past the worst of the traffic (like the Hyatt) and start the mountain road the next morning? My husband and brother think that is a waste of a day / money, as we have no interest in exploring the city. (If we are going to use another day off work, perhaps better to use it in the cloud forest or a beach spot on the coast road on our departure.) Though this is possibly the best logistical course?
Thanks in advance; I really appreciate your time!
Hi Jen, That is a tough call. The shuttle transfer price the lodge quoted you is very good and like you said, would get you to San Gerardo the same day. The problem is that you can’t rent a car from San Gerardo and a shuttle from there to Escalares would be quite expensive. We have a contact and could get you a quote if you wanted but I think it would be a lot. It’s not a common route. Overnighting in San José and then driving yourselves the next morning is probably what I would do. You lose a day but if you look at it another way, you’ll be able to leave SJ early so will get to San Gerardo with time to actually enjoy it. Whereas if you take a shuttle and get there at dusk, you won’t have much time to enjoy unless you stick around the next morning.
Hi! Thanks so much for your reply – which I totally missed until now 🙂 Trip is still upcoming (next month), and we’ve decided to leave right from the airport to the cloud forest, and then from the cloud forest, we did find a reasonable car service to our rental in Escalares! (same price as from SJO to the Savegre). It works out to about $20.00 a person – can’t beat that 🙂
For the route from SJO to our hotel in the cloud forest, we were going to skip the car service and go Uber! The Savegre offered it as an option, and we jumped on it (as we use Uber often, price is great and since my party arrives at different times, I don’t want to wait at the airport to share the shuttle…)
What’s your experience /opinion about Uber xl to the cloud forest??!
Thanks again!!
Best – Jen
Hi Jen, Uber is mostly in San Jose and hasn’t spread to many other areas of Costa Rica. We have heard of people using it from the airport, though, to places farther away. If the price is good, it’s worth a shot.
Hi
Firstly great site, been so useful and have booked a few of our accommodations through it!
I am currently finalising our 3 week trip in January. We are due to leave Drake Bay get the boat back to Sierppe (I think we will leave our hire car there for 4 days, but still deciding on that or driving it there as we are in Cabo Matapalo before Drake) and then I have us booked in Suria Lodge for 2 days, I then have a ‘spare’ day as our flight does not leave until 7pm the following day. Trying to decide whether to add another day on to SGDD and drive to airport from there or head back to airport hotel day before. Is there anything worth stopping at on route to San Jose to make a day trip of it and likewise is there anything that is close to San Jose so we do not venture too far on that day we fly? (I might give hire car up day early to save a little) Or would an extra day in SGDD be the better option?! The last thought is although we are staying 2 nights at Dominical on way down to Osa, I could add another single night here to break up the trip from Drake. All these final decisions are getting hard now! I am still deciding on car hire options too as a good 4wd for almost 3 weeks is quite expensive at over $1500, I should have considered that lol!
Hi Lisa, We’d either add a third night onto Dominical or stay overnight in San Jose. Two nights in San Gerardo is probably enough unless you are looking to relax. There’s nothing really between San Gerado and San Jose, until you get all the way to San Jose. If you did the overnight near the airport, you could stay near the downtown and visit some of the museums and the National Theater. That’s a nice way to spend the day.
We think you would need a 4×4 to get down to Cabo Matapalo and definitely if you plan on driving to Drake Bay. A lot of accommodations in Dominical require it too because they’re up in the mountains on dirt roads. Be sure to check out our rental car discount as you’re shopping around. Adobe is actually doing a promotion just for our website right now. Hyundai Tucson 4x4s are an extra 5% off so around 15% total. It’s only until the end of the day today.
Oh no I missed it, didn’t check my email as we were at a wedding yesterday, will have to keep eye out for next one or just go for it and book, I think it is probably the best one to go for anyway and it was on my shortlist! Thanks for the advise, I will need to hurry up and make this decision but I am leaning towards heading back and staying near San Jose, just so we have not got the worry of something going wrong with the car/puncture or something on day of flight.
We wanted to thank you in general for a fantastic web site. It was very helpful for planning our trip and during our 3 weeks in Costa Rica, travelling from Tortuguero to Monteverde, Drake Bay and returning via San Gerado de Dota.
We have used a few of your recommended hotels. Would recommend Miss Junies in Tortuguero for a rustic but memorable experience, i.e. one of the few hotels our kids and us will remember in a year from now.
Hi Ulrik, Thanks so much for the feedback! That’s great that our site was helpful with your planning and thanks for booking some of our recommended hotels. We’ll have to check out Miss Junies next time we’re in Tortuguero. Cheers!
Awesome Post!! Realistically how long do you think the drive from Bijagua to San Gerado de dota?
Hi Robert, That’s probably about a 7-hour drive with traffic. You have to go through San Jose to Cartago and usually there’s a lot of traffic there. Then it takes some time to go up over the mountain from Cartago. Make sure to avoid this drive after dark.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
We are renting a house for 7 days near Playa Matapalo and would like to visit a cloud forest for a day or most 2 days. Would you recommend we take the trip to Monteverde or San Gerado de dota? We have a rental car.
Hi Jeff, If you’re talking about the Playa Matapalo just south of Manuel Antonio, San Gerardo is slightly closer but not by much. So basically, we’d decide based on which experience sounds better to you. San Gerardo is a much smaller town than Monteverde.
Hello! Thanks for all your great posts – SO helpful. I am currently planning our honeymoon for this Christmas/ new year. Unfortunately we have to come at the busiest time of year, and I’m wondering where best to go for two people who 1) don’t love touristy places and 2) don’t want to pay insane money for accommodation!!!!
I would like to include arenal (it sounds like we’d be silly not to!) and a cloud forest – do you think San Gerardo will be better than monteverde for us? We also want a quiet beach… where we can have a cabin and access to food and drink… but again, not too busy!
We’ll probably hire a car – I would like to include drake bay so was thinking we’d do arenal, maybe Monteverde (or san Gerardo at the end) and then do Manuel Antonio / Dominical / uvita before heading to drake bay. We have 18 days…
OR we could go over to nicoya after arenal, if you think the beaches there will be better for us…!? Then fly down to drake bay…
Please help!!!!
Thanks so much
Amy
Hi Amy, To avoid the crowds, we’d stay in Nuevo Arenal outside La Fortuna, which will be very busy over the Christmas/New Years holiday. San Gerardo de Dota is a lot smaller than Monteverde so a better choice for you. We’d skip Manuel Antonio and just go straight to Dominical/Uvita and then end in Drake Bay. Hope that helps and congrats on your upcoming marriage!
Hi – thank you for this! Since writing I’ve actually booked a bit more but sounds like we should change. In la fortuna we are staying at rancho de arenal and Monteverde mariposa B and B. We are then meant to be driving over to Santa Teresa for about 4/5 nights before going to Manuel Antonio. Do you think this will all be too much? In MA we are staying in makanda by the sea as it looked like it was away from the main busy-ness!
If we change to uvita/ Dominical, where do you recommend to stay that’s nice and close to the beach / beachfront?
We are booked in to drake bay for our last few nights
Thanks so much for your help! Amy
From SJO to San Gerardo de Dota, the road is paved, correct? Do we really need a 4×4 in the dry season? Would a non 4×4 SUV suffice?
Hi JP, Yes, the road is paved the whole way. The road from the highway down to San Gerardo is in very rough shape right now because of hurricane damage. It’s paved but has big potholes and is very curvy and steep. A non 4×4 SUV would be fine.
Thanks so much. Can’t wait to visit again!
Hello! My husband and I are travelling to San Gerardo de Dota next week! We are super excited! We are not renting a car so will be having a transfer service drop us off at the hotel (Hotel Sevegre). We were trying to figure out if there is any taxis or shuttles that go the length of the town or do drop offs at the different trail heads? We are starting to realize we may be quite limited in where we go by virtue of not having our own vehicle. Thanks so much for any guidance!
Hi Sarah, San Gerardo is a really small town and we have never seen taxis there just driving around, waiting to pick up fare, but if you ask your hotel, they should have someone that they can call.
I will be staying in San Jose and am interested in seeing the rain forest, nature viewing and birding.
My concern is heights – mainly high roads with steep drops . I am fine with rough roads
I have read different things about the rainy season. Exactly when is it and is it the same on both the east and west coast. Are there any trips from San Jose to nature, rain forests or bird watching towns where I won’t have to drive on high mountainous roads with steep drops.
Hi Alan, Rainy season is from May to end of November approximately. It doesn’t get too rainy in most of the country until September. The Caribbean side has different weather patterns and usually has its best weather in September and October.
There are some options for day trips from San Jose to see rainforest, nature, and go birding, without having to go on roads with steep drop offs. We wouldn’t recommend San Gerardo de Dota, but you could visit Braulio Carrillo National Park (thick rainforest and good birding), Guayabo National Monument (ancient ruins but also excellent for birding), and even places not far from San Jose like the Botanical Orchid Garden in La Garita de Alajuela are great for birding. Follow the links for more information on each place. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much.
With your reply I now can plan accordingly. Since for this trip I will be in San Jose and the Caribbean side October will be when I visit. And I will not have to worry about the height concern with your recommended places to visit.
Hi – like Amy above, I wonder if we are better off going to San Gerardo rather than Monteverde. We would rather spend the time in small towns and prefer to avoid big tourist towns.
We have about 5 weeks and will start in Liberia. We are going to spend a few nights in Bijagua to see Rio Celeste and Miravalles. We will skip Arenal and were going to go to Monteverde, but San Gerardo sounds like it may be better for us. We may stay in Dominical for a few days on the way down, and then perhaps go to the Diamante Falls overnight hike. Then we could do San Gerardo and then drive to Punta Arenas to cross over to Nicoya to visit Montezuma and Samara. Does this sound reasonable?
Do you know anything about the overnight hike to Diamente falls?
After Samara we will likely go to Rincon de la Veijo and then Granada for a week. Then back to Liberia and fly home.
Please let me know if you think it makes sense to go to San Gerardo instead of Monteverde, especially as it will work out well with going to Domincal and Diamente Falls.
Any other great suggestions?
Thanks for the help.
Hi Ted, Yes, if you’re looking for a smaller town, then San Gerardo de Dota would be a better fit than Monteverde. Monteverde feels a lot more touristy. San Gerardo sees its share of tourists too but is so small that it never gets busy.
We know the Diamanté hike and overnight well. Have you seen our post about it? We have only personally done the day hike but have good friends who did the overnight in the cave and loved it. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have and help you with the reservation for that, just let us know.
Forgot to ask about Tortuguero National Park.
Planning to visit from San Jose and have been informed this trip would not include any concern about heights.
Can you confirm – thank you again
Hi Alan, Yes, the roads to Tortuguero aren’t very steep, but we don’t recommend Tortuguero as a day trip from San Jose because it’s a really long day. You have to drive to La Pavona (2.5 hours each way) then take a boat ride from there, so you end up spending a lot of time traveling. The boat ride is nice, but it’s still probably not worth it.
Thank you so much.
Nice to get help from the experts.
Good Morning,
A friend of mine recently sent me an article that greatly concerns me about my upcoming trip to Costa Rica .
I’ll be staying in San Jose and using that as a base for day trips since I will also be getting some dental work at Prisma Dental in San Jose.
The article talks about an incredibly high rate of crime in San Jose with very high number of incidents.
Can you share with me any information as to – just how safe is San Jose. Thank you.
Good morning
I have yet to see a reply to the article about extremely high crime rate in San Jose.
My prior post included the article
Can you advise as to how accurate this article is.
Thank you.
Hi Jenn and Matt! First of all, thanks so much for the work you do to maintain this blog; it is super helpful! I am planning on heading back to Costa Rica for a month this summer. I spent some time in San Gerardo de Rivas on my last trip and really enjoyed it. This time I’m planning to spend a couple nights in San Gerardo de Dota, but am also contemplating returning to Rivas too and staying at Talamanca Reserve. We like hiking, birds, and wildlife. Do you think they are similar enough that spending time in both places would feel redundant? A month seems like a long time at first but there are so many great places in Costa Rica!
Hi Jana, No, we don’t think it would be redundant to do both San Gerardo de Dota and Rivas. They have a very different feel, even though they’re both small towns. Different hikes, birds, etc. too. From Dota, you could also visit other small towns in the area like Santa María de Dota, to do things like a coffee tour. Santa María is a really cute authentic Costa Rican town. Hope that helps!
Hi! not sure if you still have this blog open, I was just in Costa Rica and came across San Gerardo de Dota by mistake…beautiful little town, my question is what are the best months to visit, was told that January-March the road might get icy?? Thanks!
Hi Marta, It is cooler in the San Gerardo area since it’s high elevation but we wouldn’t worry about icy roads. Once in a great while they do get a little icy conditions but it is quite rare.
Good to know! thank you for your reply, take care..
Hola Jenn And Matt,
Jenn And Matt
Such a wonderful and narrative blog!!
I am quite impressed with it. To tell you a fact, I had not planned to visit San Gerardo De Dota. But now having read your blog, you compelled to add it to my itinerary. However, I need your help to plan it well.
I plan to travel in a shared shuttle to San Gerardo De Dota from San Jose. Since I am travelling alone I will like to join a local birding tour.
Will you please help or recommend one to me with the contact detail of a bird guide and cost? And also a budget accommodation nears the park?
Pura Vida
Hi Prakesh, Glad you enjoyed our article. We would recommend booking your lodging first then you can ask them to help set you up with a local birding guide. The lodges have locals who they work with.
Yes, there are options for budget accommodations in town, which are not far from the national park. Quetzal Valley Cabins is a good one.
Hello,
Thanks for your grand suggestion.
Let me email couple of lodges I have shortlisted to check if a bird gudie can be arranged during couple of nights stay.
Thanks.
Thank you for the information for the San Gerardo de Dota area. We have booked ourselves at Dantica for two nights, and we are trying to determine if we can explore the Los Quetzales National Park on our own, or if we should consider using the guided tours offered by the lodge. The two they offer within in the park are the Paramo tour and the Cerro de la Muerte walk. We’re having a hard time comparing these walks to the trails on the park map. Can you provide any insight? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, We would definitely hire a guide for one hike while you’re there. There isn’t a lot of wildlife to see on your own in this area. It’s more about birding and learning about the ecosystem so guides are very useful. The hotel should be able to provide you with more information about those tours. But Cerro de la Muerte is the highest point in the area so would be interesting. The Paramo tour goes to Cerro Buena Vista. It’s supposed to have nice views but we haven’t done it ourselves. If you did one of those guided, then you could do Los Quetzales NP on your own.
Great – thank you for the advice!
We have visited Costa Rica many times and always include San Gerardo de Dota in our itinerary. May is our month of choice. We have never failed to get awesome quetzal pics. The valley is magical and the surrounding mountains mystical. We were not expecting the alpine environment on Cerro de Muerte. There is always a surprise just around the bend…….