|
Accommodations Accommodations Flying into Liberia, Costa Rica, usually presumes some sort of beach destination since one is only 30-45 minutes away from the ocean. This doesn't have to be the case, but that appears to be the case for most incoming travelers. There are also a few foothill lodges near Rincon de Vieja National Park about 30 minutes east of Liberia. I have never seen them, but they can be located through Google. Anything in the mountains will be wetter with more bird species than in the dryer areas west of Liberia.
There are literally hundreds of places to stay on the coast. Costs vary, but it's usually between $60-300 a night for a 2-4 star place on the beach. The higher end places are resorts catering to Americans. Some have golf courses, some casinos, and some cater to families. Needless to say, we avoid the true resorts. In summer, it's not particularly critical to have a reservation except at the very best places.
A little time on the Internet Googling "Guanacaste hotels" or "Rincon de Vieja hotels" should provide you with a lot of information. There are many other places to stay at the northern end of Guanacaste (30 minutes from the airport) that would suffice, and in summer, reservations aren't likely to be an issue. Playa del Coco, for example, is a small community but it has a supermarket, a bank, a Budget rent-a-car, restaurants that see a lot of Americans, and decent roads. Gasoline is 5-7 minutes away. It's probably one of the better places to stay in terms of its access to the Pan American Highway which runs most of the length of western Costa Rica - assuming you can stand the heavy tourist industry in town. Some of the small towns - like Playa del Coco - can be filled with divers, surfers, and real estate agents. These towns can have a lively night life that might keep you awake. Be a little careful about your location. Internet Access Internet access in Guanacaste - at least in many of the beach resorts - is now available through wireless towers located on a grid system. Many resorts tap into this grid and offer wireless access in their lobbies and restaurants. it's not blazingly fast and is not perfectly reliable every day, but most people with laptops use it successfully and are happy it's available. Other areas, like at Selva Verde Lodge on the Caribbean slope, use a satellite system. I do not know if that access is available for laptop users, but I do know bad weather can make access very difficult. Their Internet went down while I was there because of inclement weather. For most people, Internet cafes are still widely available even in the very smallest towns. Tourists are rarely 10 minutes away from some public access.
"Neighborhood" Birds of Guanacaste A typical Guanacaste experience will usually provide similar bird sightings. An hour in the morning can produce the following birds in July: Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Pelican, Crane Hawk, Mangrove Black-Hawk, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Orange-fronted Parakeet. Inca Dove, Common ground-Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Black-headed Trogon, Hoffmann's Woodpecker, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Tropical Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Banded Wren, Rufous-naped Wren, White-throated Magpie Jay, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-black Grassquit, Variable Seedeater, and Streak-backed Oriole. On one day, we also observed a Bare-throated Tiger Heron near the Playa del Coco beach, and on another day a White-necked Puffbird hung out on a telephone wire over the road. Keel-billed Toucans can usually be found in the mountains or during a trip through one of the passes to eastern side of the range. This habitat is really just 30 minutes east of Liberia. If you're not driving, many of the hotels offer day tours to Monteverde and other areas where eastern slope birds can be found.
|
If you stay in one of the beach resorts
near Liberia at Playa del Coco, Flamingo Beach, Playa Hermosa, or Tamarindo, you
will be in dry deciduous woodland habitat. Most resorts have gray, basaltic
beaches. As you move south along the Nicoya Peninsula, the habitat will get marginally wetter
(and a few more bird species
will be added to the possibilities). True white sand beaches are also more common as you
move south into the Nicoya peninsula to places like Samara or Nosara.
If you didn't require the sunny
weather of Guanacaste and were more serious about birds, you could
actually drive about 2.5 hours south of Liberia on the Pan American
Highway to