Rara Avis
	Rainforest Lodge & Reserve, Costa Rica

All visitors to RARA AVIS leave from the small village of Las Horquetas de Sarapiqui, which is 15 kilometers (10 mi.) from the Waterfall Lodge. Transportation to Las Horquetas is not included in our base prices, although it is in most package tours. 

At 9:30 AM almost every day, a tractor-pulled "charabanc" cart or jeep will depart from our Las Horquetas office to take visitors to the lodge, arriving in time for lunch (about 3.5 hours). This is included in the base price. Please be in Las Horquetas by 8:30 AM to check in and get rubber boots. On rare occasions, the tractor departure may be in the afternoon. Please check with our office when you make your reservation.

HORSES can be rented (US$25 each) for later arrival, but not later than noon. You must walk the last 3 km (2 mi.) if you go on horseback. (Total time, horse and foot, about 4 hours). When no tractor trip is scheduled, this is included in the base price. 

Las Horquetas can be reached by:

Bus (please check with our office for details, as schedules change frequently):

The following departures will arrive in Horquetas in time to get on the tractor cart when there are morning departures:  

From San Jose:

6:30 AM bus to Puerto Viejo (Sarapiquí) DO NOT TAKE THE BUS TO PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA (LIMON).  Buses leave from the Guapiles - Limon bus station: Empresarios Guapileños,  tel. 221-2596, fax 257-2879. Calle Central at Avenida 11, "el Gran Terminal, del Caribe" for taxi drivers. Watch out for pick-pockets and baggage thieves around the bus station. Tickets are sold just before departure for approximately US$2. Buses to Horquetas leave from the first bay as you leave the ticket office. 

Get off the at the second sign for Horquetas after traveling for about one and one half hours. The driver will announce the stop if you tell him that you are going to Rara Avis. The stop is directly on the highway at the third entrance to Horquetas, across from a bus shelter that says "Rara Avis". Cross the highway and follow the only possible road about 200 meters (600 ft.) to our office. Do not continue on the bus to Puerto Viejo. If you miss the 6:30 AM bus, you can take the 7:30 AM bus directly to Horquetas, but you must call our office at 764-1111 to ask them to hold the tractor departure for you.

From Arenal and vecinity:

Take the 4:40, 5:00, or 6:00 AM bus from Ciudad Quesada (tel. 460-0638, 766-6740) to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui (arriving in two hours). In Puerto Viejo, take the 8:45 AM bus to Horquetas and Guapiles and get off at the Buenos Aires school in the center of Horquetas. Turn left and walk 100 m.(300 ft.) to our office (first corner on the right).

From Limon and the Caribbean coast:

Take the 5:30 or 8:00 AM bus from Guápiles to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui . Get off the at the second sign for Horquetas (45 minutes). The driver will announce the stop if you tell him that you are going to Rara Avis. The stop is directly on the highway at the third entrance to Horquetas, across from a bus shelter that says "Rara Avis". Cross the highway and follow the only possible road about 200 meters (600 ft.) to our office. Do not continue on the bus to Puerto Viejo.

Taxi: Service from your hotel to Las Horquetas can be arranged through our office.

Car: (We offer a small, safe parking lot at our office in Las Horquetas):

From San José:

Take the Guápiles/Limon highway through Braulio Carrillo National Park. Shortly after leaving the park turn left at the signs for Puerto Viejo. Travel 16 km to the second entrance sign for the village of  Horquetas. Turn left at the sign for RARA AVIS.

 

From the North (Monteverde, Arenal, San Carlos, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí):

Las Horquetas can be reached by back roads from Monteverde, Arenal and San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada). Travel time from San Carlos is about 3 hours via San Miguel and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí (not to be confused with Puerto Viejo de Limon). We recommend that those people traveling from further away than San Carlos should spend the night at El Tucano, Selva Verde Lodge, El Bambu, La Selva Biological Station, or El Gavilán and depart early the next morning to be in Las Horquetas by 8:30 AM.

 

From Limon and the Caribbean Coast:

Travel time from Limon is about 2.5 hours by way of the Guápiles/Limon highway. Turn right at the sign for Puerto Viejo, 11 kilometers past the turn off for Guápiles. See directions for San José. Those traveling longer distances (from Cahuita or Puerto Viejo) may wish to spend the night in Guápiles, where there are many hotels and lodges at all price ranges.

 

From the West (Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Nicoya, Quepos, Manuel Antonio) and South:

We strongly recommend breaking your journey in San José if you travel by land. If cost is less important than time, however, charter planes are available to Río Frío, from which we can arrange taxis to Las Horquetas (about US$15 per vehicle, 25 minutes).

DEPARTURE FROM RARA AVIS TO LAS HORQUETAS

Tractor: The tractor is normally scheduled to leave the Waterfall Lodge at 2 PM, arriving in Las Horquetas about 5:30 PM. Delays are not unusual. On some occasions, tractor departure is in the morning. Please check with our reservations desk when you make your reservations. If no tractor departure is scheduled, we will provide horses from "El Plastico" at no additional cost (see below).

Charter Tractor Service: With at least one week's advance notice, groups may arrange to charter a tractor, should they need special departure times. Please consult our office for the price.

Jeep: Depending on group size, you may be offered transport by jeep instead of tractor from El Plastico to Horquetas. This reduces travel time by more than one hour, but under some circumstances you may be asked if you are willing to walk the 3 km from Rara Avis to El Plastico, while porters carry your bags. If this is not acceptable to you, please inform your guide. Note: Current road conditions do not permit jeep travel except for health emergencies. However this option should be available starting in January 2006.  

Horses: If you need to leave earlier or wish to ride down on horseback please let our guide know, at least one day before you wish to leave. There will be an additional $25 charge per horse. You will probably wish to send your heavier bags on the tractor the afternoon before your departure, as you must walk 3 km (2 mi.) to "El Plastico".

RETURN TO SAN JOSÉ FROM LAS HORQUETAS:

Direct buses for San Jose leave Las Horquetas at 7:30 AM, 8:30, 11:30, 2:00 PM, 3:30, 4:30 and 6:00. Bus fare is about US$2. Travel time is about 1.5 hours. Buses also leave from the Guápiles highway to San Jose at frequent intervals from 5 AM to 9 PM. Travel time is about 1 hour. (Approx. US$15 and 20 min. for taxi to the highway, bus fare is about $2).

Buses to Guápiles leave Horquetas at frequent intervals until 6:30 PM Monday through Saturday, and at 7:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 4:30 PM on Sundays and holidays. In Guápiles, it is easy to get inexpensive lodging and transport to Limon and the Caribbean coast.

Buses to San Carlos (Arenal area) leave Horquetas from 7:50 AM to 6:50 PM, arriving in Ciudad Quesada about 3 hours later. In Ciudad Quesada it is easy to get inexpensive lodging and transport to La Fortuna and Arenal.

Taxis are available on request to anywhere in Costa Rica. Ask our office for prices.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR RESERVATIONS
contact us by e-mail at reservas@rara-avis.com, through your travel agency, or at
P.O. Box 8105-1000, San José, Costa Rica.
TELEPHONE +506 764-1111
FAX +506 764-1114 
To contact a guest at the lodge, call +506-710-8032

Last updated October 16, 2006  by Amos Bien
© 1995-2006 Rara Avis S.A.