Chilling at Caribbean beaches in Costa Rica and Panama

Chilling at Caribbean beaches in Costa Rica and Panama

Come and discover the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama for 10 days. On the program, beaches, palm trees, snorkeling but also the discovery of animals and this incredible nature. On this itinerary, I suggest public bus routes to save you money. If you want to be more comfortable and reduce your transport time, you can also take a private Shuttle. This itinerary does not include accommodation, but I can suggest different options to suit your budget. The 10-day itinerary included. Day-by-day activities. Puerto Viejo Bocas del Toro
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Day 1 

This first day will be mainly devoted to transport to get you to the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Juan Santamaría International Airport
@maelystravels
EN : You arrive at San José International Airport, located on the outskirts of the city. On your way out, take a local bus located just below the airport, which will take you to the city Centre, or take a taxi. The trip should take around 1 hour. Please note that you must arrive at the MEPE terminal in San José. FR : Vous arrivez à l'aéroport international de San José, situé à la périphérie de la ville. En sortant, vous pouvez prendre un bus local situé juste en dessous de l'aéroport, qui vous emmènera au centre-ville, ou prendre un taxi. Le trajet dure environ 1 heure. Veuillez noter que vous devez arriver au terminal MEPE de San José. Vous arrivez à l'aéroport international de San José, situé à la périphérie de la ville.
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Terminal MEPE
@maelystravels
EN: Once you arrive at the Mepe Terminal in San José, you can board the bus to Puerto Viejo. You can buy tickets directly on the spot. There are usually buses every 2 hours from 10 am to 2 pm. Try to catch the bus as early as possible to avoid arriving too late. Tickets cost around 15 dollars. The journey time is around 5 hours. By private Shuttle, this time can be reduced to 3H30/4H but the price will be around 50/60 dollars per person. Make sure you have some cash on you, in dollars and/or Colón (Costa Rican currency). The tip in Costa Rica is to always carry dollars for the biggest expenses (activities, transport, etc.) and Colón for the smallest expenses (ice cream, coconuts on the beach, etc.). You can withdraw money at the exchange office at the airport. FR : une fois arrivé au terminal Mepe à San José, vous pouvez prendre le bus pour Puerto Viejo. Vous pouvez acheter des billets directement sur place. Il y a généralement des bus toutes les 2 heures de 10 heures à 14 heures. Essayez de prendre le bus le plus tôt possible pour éviter d'arriver trop tard. Les billets coûtent environ 15 dollars. La durée du trajet est d'environ 5 heures. En navette privée, cette durée peut être réduite à 3h30/4h mais le prix sera d'environ 50/60 dollars par personne. Assurez-vous d'avoir de l'argent liquide sur vous, en dollars et/ou en Colón (monnaie costaricienne). L'astuce au Costa Rica est de toujours avoir des dollars pour les plus grosses dépenses (activités, transports, etc.) et des Colón pour les plus petites (glaces, noix de coco sur la plage, etc.). Vous pouvez retirer de l'argent au bureau de change de l'aéroport.
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Autotransportes Mepe Bus Stop
@maelystravels
EN: You are now in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. If you arrive during the day, walk to your accommodation. Puerto Viejo is very small, so you shouldn't have to walk for more than 15 minutes. Eating out won't be a problem, as the town center is made up of one main street and is full of small restaurants. Let yourself be tempted by what you like. Gallo pinto with chicken and rice is a typical Costa Rican dish. As far as safety is concerned, Puerto Viejo is very touristy during the day, so it's safe. At night you need to be more careful, especially in the narrow streets, and avoid taking the tuk-tuk. Drug dealing is fairly common but personally, no one has ever sold me any. Housing recommendations : Recommendation 1: If you are the backpacker style to stay in hostels I recommend the hostel Oasis with a dormitory of 8 and 3 private rooms. The kitchen is directly outside, with your feet in the sand, located 100 m from the beach, so you'll feel right at home. Bonus point: monkeys often hang out in the hostel's trees, so you can watch them from your hammock. Recommendation 2: If you want a comfortable, social hostel where you'll automatically meet other travelers, I recommend Kalunai Hostel. Recommendation 3: if you want something much more comfortable I recommend Selinas. Selinas Hostel is a hostel chain in Latin and Central America. The budget is a little higher than that of a traditional hostel, but it guarantees you all the comfort you need and has many private rooms. It's worth bearing in mind that the Selinas are the preferred place for parties, so the music can be louder. FR : Vous êtes maintenant à Puerto Viejo, sur la côte caraïbe. Si vous arrivez dans la journée, marchez jusqu'à votre logement. Puerto Viejo est très petit, vous ne devriez donc pas avoir à marcher plus de 15 minutes. Manger à l'extérieur ne posera pas de problème, car le centre-ville est constitué d'une rue principale et regorge de petits restaurants. Laissez-vous tenter par ce que vous aimez. Le gallo pinto avec du poulet et du riz est un plat typique du Costa Rica. En ce qui concerne la sécurité, Puerto Viejo est très touristique pendant la journée. La nuit, il faut être plus prudent, surtout dans les rues étroites, et éviter de prendre le tuk-tuk. Le trafic de drogue est assez courant, mais personnellement, personne ne m'en a jamais vendu. Recommandations en matière de logement : Recommandation 1 : Si vous êtes du style routard à rester dans des auberges, je vous recommande l'auberge Oasis avec un dortoir de 8 personnes et 3 chambres privées. La cuisine est directement à l'extérieur, les pieds dans le sable, située à 100 m de la plage, vous vous sentirez donc comme chez vous. Point positif : les singes se tiennent souvent dans les arbres de l'auberge, vous pourrez donc les observer depuis votre hamac. Recommandation 2 : si vous voulez une auberge confortable et sociale où vous rencontrerez automatiquement d'autres voyageurs, je vous recommande l'auberge Kalunai. Recommandation 3 : si vous voulez quelque chose de beaucoup plus confortable, je vous recommande Selinas. Selinas Hostel est une chaîne d'auberges de jeunesse en Amérique latine et centrale. Le budget est un peu plus élevé que celui d'une auberge traditionnelle, mais il vous garantit tout le confort dont vous avez besoin et dispose de nombreuses chambres privées. . Il faut savoir que les Selinas sont le lieu de prédilection pour les fêtes et que la musique peut y être plus forte.
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Hi, I'm Maëlys and I've always had a passion for travel. From a very young age, I've been immersed in the world of travel. Following my studies in the tourism sector and my ever-increasing desire to leave home, I decided to take the plunge into the unknown in 2022. I set off with my rucksack to Central America, with nothing planned and travelling solely by public transport. All in all, 8 months of travelling, 6 countries crossed, a few voluntary jobs and a lot of memories. Since then, I've also visited some of Europe's capital cities and I don't intend to stop there. The words that define me: are spontaneous, adventurous, thirsty for discovery, enthusiastic and always on the go. Travelling is a passion that allows me to discover the beauty of the whole world and the different cultures that inhabit it, as well as meet incredible people along the way. The idea for this blog and travel planner was born during my travels. I noticed that on the one hand, I had a lot of questions about travelling alone, especially as a woman, and on the other, I had a lot of tourist-related questions about where to go and what to visit, so I decided to launch Maelys' Travels to bring it all together. My studies and professional experience in the tourism sector have also helped me to structure my itineraries.
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