What did we do?
Day 7 - We arrived at La Selva Biological Research Station from Arenal around 2:00 pm and, after checking in to our room, promptly set out to explore the extensive trail network. We saw many types of birds, but the most exciting animal encounter that day was with a troop of howler monkeys who descended from the trees and crossed the suspension bridge just feet from us.
Howler Monkeys crossing the bridge
Day 8 - Included with our lodging package was a guided 3-hour morning tour. The guides are really amazing in their ability to spot wildlife. We saw many birds, an agouti, sloths, a yellow eyelash pit viper, bullet ants, leaf cutter ants, golden orb spiders, peccaries, iguanas, basilisk lizards, howler monkeys, butterflies, and poison arrow dart frogs. The advantage to being a lodger at La Selva is that you can wander the trails on your own. I wish we would have stayed 2-nights and also taken a night tour.
We left directly after lunch for the 2.5 hour drive to La Pavona to catch the boat to Tortuguero.
Where did we stay?
We stayed at La Selva Biological Research Station ($247 a night for 3 people included lodging, 3 meals and a guided tour ). I had read a few reviews about staying at La Selva and was worried the accommodations would be too basic, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit like staying at an upscale summer camp. Our rooms were small, but very clean and it was the best shower experience on or whole trip (really powerful shower head). We had a small verandah off the back of the room looking directly into the forest. The overnight experience however, could be improved with some new mattresses. There was no AC, but there were ceiling fans and it cooled down enough at night so the AC was not missed. The tourist lodgings are about 1 km from the main reception and dining hall, but if you don't want to walk the trails to get there you can always drive. We also appreciated that there was a 24-hour guard stationed at the entrance to the tourist lodgings.
We ate dinner, breakfast and lunch at the cafeteria style dining hall. The food was plentiful and adequate, with 24 hour access to juice, tea, coffee and, and surprisingly, an ice machine (must be the American influence).
We really enjoyed staying here. There were lots of students visiting who were taking part in research projects and despite what I had read elsewhere there was a friendly vibe to the place, and we were very welcomed as guests at reception.
La Selva's main purpose is not running a hotel, consequently booking our stay here was not completely straightforward. You can't book directly online and so there were several emails back and forth (email enquires sometimes took several days to get a response to). We had to provide our credit card info 30 days in advance for the full payment, however they did not charge us until our stay was complete. I'm not sure if that is their policy, or they were just a little disorganized. They seem to have two different web sites, but this page should help you with reserving lodging.
Next: Days 8-11 Tortuguero
La Selva's main purpose is not running a hotel, consequently booking our stay here was not completely straightforward. You can't book directly online and so there were several emails back and forth (email enquires sometimes took several days to get a response to). We had to provide our credit card info 30 days in advance for the full payment, however they did not charge us until our stay was complete. I'm not sure if that is their policy, or they were just a little disorganized. They seem to have two different web sites, but this page should help you with reserving lodging.
Next: Days 8-11 Tortuguero
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