Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [313]
There is an impressive number of guided tours (US$20 to US$60) on offer. You can experience the rainforest canopy in three different ways – a platform 36m above the forest floor, tree climbing and a zip line called ‘the Flight of the Toucan.’ In addition to the canopy activities, Hacienda Barú offers bird-watching tours, hiking tours, and two overnight camping tours in both tropical rainforest and lowland beach habitats. Hacienda Barú’s naturalist guides come from local communities and have lived near the rainforest all of their lives.
For people who prefer to explore the refuge by themselves, there are 7km of well-kept and marked, self-guided trails, a bird-watching tower, 3km of pristine beach, an orchid garden and a butterfly garden.
The Hacienda Barú Lodge (d US$60, extra person US$10, child under 10yr free) consists of six clean, two-bedroom cabins located 350m from Barú beach. The red-tile–roofed, open-air restaurant (meals ₡3000 to ₡5000) serves a variety of tasty Costa Rican dishes.
The Quepos–Dominical–San Isidro bus stops outside the hacienda entrance. The San Isidro–Dominical–Uvita bus will drop you off at the Río Barú bridge, 2km from the hacienda office. A taxi from Dominical costs about ₡2500.
If you’re driving, the El Ceibo gas station, 50m north of the Hacienda Barú Lodge, is the only one for a good distance in any direction. Groceries, fishing gear, tide tables and other useful sundries are available, and there are clean toilets.
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DOMINICAL
With monster waves, chilled-out vibes and a freewheelin’ reputation for reefer madness, Dominical is the kind of place where travelers get stuck for longer than they intended – so long as the surf’s up and the spliff isn’t out. As proud residents are quick to point out, Dominical recalls the mythical ‘old Costa Rica,’ namely a time when the legions of international jet-setters had yet to jump onto the ecotourism bandwagon. And in part, they’ve got a valid point, as evidenced by the town’s motley crew of surfers, backpackers and do-nothings alike.
But the overall picture is more complex, especially since Dominical is at long last stretching its legs, and seeking to attract more than the college-aged and shoestringer sets. Case in point: the completion of the Costanera Sur is facilitating the spread of development further south along the coast, which has brought along with it an intense wave of foreign investment. Boutique hotels and luxury residences are springing up along the coastline, foretelling a much more grown-up future. In the meantime, however, Dominical remains the sort of place where it’s best to just slow down, unwind and take things as they come.
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Orientation & Information
The Costanera Sur bypasses Dominical; the entrance to the village is immediately past the Río Barú bridge. There’s a main road through the village, where many of the services are found, and a parallel road along the beach. For the most part, development remains low-key. The few roads around the village are still dusty and potholed, and forests – not fast-food outlets – front the majority of the beach.
BATTLING THE BLOOD SUCKERS
Whether you call them skeeters, mozzies or midges, everyone can agree that fending off mosquitoes is one of the most annoying parts of traveling in the tropics. Although the scientific evidence surrounding effective mosquito-bite prevention is circumstantial at best, the following is a list of road-tested combat strategies for battling the blood-suckers.
Wear socks, long trousers and a long-sleeve shirt, especially at dusk when mosquitoes feed.
Eat lots of garlic (not recommended if you