Costa Rica - No Compromise

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That was a great day!! So good, I am taking my family back to Samara beach this winter. Great job on video and posts.

That got me thirsty i m loving your report

This is awesome. Day 7's costal route is on my bucket list.

Fantastico!

I would highly recommend doing it if you get a chance. It was a highlight of our trip. We had no idea what it would be like and Samara Beach was like an amazing oasis on the Pacific. Things got dustier and more rustic as we made our way south but that just added to the adventure.

Thanks for the feedback GallopinTICO. By the end of the trip, Clive, the beer junkie, was nicknamed the Pilsenator as he took a real liking to Pilsen beer. The rest of us just drank whatever was cold.

HAHAHAHAHAHA whatever was cold is my kind of thing too specially when is so hot in CR.

For day eight we would leave the laid back beach town of Santa Teresa and make our way to the popular and touristy Manuel Antonio.



Loaded and ready.





We started down the dusty gravel roads on our way to catch the ferry to Puntarenas.



There were lots of ATV's, bicycles and pedestrians on the road.



The dust could get quite severe.



It was very laid back and a seemed like a bit of a time warp.



Eventually we made it to pavement.



The road twisted along the coast of the Gulf of Nicoya.



We made it just in time to be the last vehicles to board the ferry.





The ferry ride is about an hour and a half and was a nice opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery.









The ride from Puntarenas to Quepos is on a busy highway and it wasn't as fun or scenic as what we had grown used to. The temperature had reached a high of 38.5 degrees Celsius (102 F) and it was getting uncomfortable by the time we reached the Hotel Costa Verde in Manuel Antonio.

We immediately hit the pool to cool off.



There were a lot of these guys hanging out by the pool as well.



After the pool we rode down to the beach and explored.





It was a beautiful beach with lots of people and lots of activity.



A beachside bar for a drink.



After some time exploring the beach we made our way back to the Hotel Costa Verde. The hotel was set onto of the cliffs overlooking the beach. There was one room that incorporated the fuselage of a 727.



The view from the restaurant was impressive.



Drinks, dinner and good night.



Day eight complete.

I am so happy you took the time and effort to edit and post these reports AFTER your trip.....I'm sure it takes time to do as well as yours are.....and this way, you get to re-visit Costa Rica for a little escape of your own (while you pore thru your pics and videos).....speaking of your videos.....WELL DONE!!!.....so much enjoyment, sharing the trip with you fellas.....Love the music chosen also. It would be a shame if you had wasted your evenings do this posting work.......This is the best way, to share and re-enjoy yourself.....Next year, my wife and I . plan to go....(our 30th anniversary).......Ahhhhhhh, this will give me plenty to dream about. Thanks

Thanks for your comments. I am glad that you are enjoying the report and videos. You are right, it does take a lot of time to put this stuff together but reliving it and sharing it makes it worthwhile. I am sure you and your wife will have a great anniversary trip next year. We all found Costa Rica to be a wonderful destination.

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Hey guys great ride report. I just arrived in San Jose this afternoon and tomorrow I'll head out to Costa Rican Trails to pick up my 800GS. I'll be here for 2 weeks with a group from Moto Discovery so maybe we'll run into each other.

Ride safe and have fun !!

I don't think we will run into each other as I am a little late on getting this posted. Our trip was in March. You are going to have a great time. Enjoy the roads, weather and scenery and ride safe.

great work, great ride, we love that you had fun and it looks than you had soo much fun, thanks a lot for coming to Costa Rica and for having the time to post all this great videos and pics. Hope to see you next time in Costa Rica. Cheers !!!

Day nine would be our final day of riding in Costa Rica. We had planned to go south on route 34 to Dominical and then head west on route 243 to San Isidro then North on route 2 to San Jose. We once again got varied reports from locals and hotel staff. One person told us that the route we were planning is called the "Costa Rican Highway of Death" and others said it would take eight hours to get to San Jose this way. We decided they we go anyway and I am glad we did.

A final view from the hotel.



The highway to Dominical ran parallel to the coast and the weather was great and the views were good.



When we turned left and started heading west the road changed quickly. For the next 30 kilometres to San Isidro we rode beautiful twists and turns as we gained elevation.





On our way through San Isidro we saw a familiar sight (this is the only 7-Eleven we saw in Costa Rica).



We continued to gain elevation as we headed north. We stopped to take a break at a road side soda shop.







The views were incredible.







From there we continued to climb.



Eventually we reached the clouds.



The temperature at Dominical was 34C (93F) and at the summit it was 9C (48F). I don't have a lot of pictures of the summit or the ride into San Jose as it got a bit cold and rainy and my Go Pro lens was fogged. We managed to make our way through San Jose to the BMW dealership and drop the bikes off. We took a cab to The Hotel Presidente and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of San Jose.



















We would spend the night in san Jose and get up in the morning and make our way to the airport. This would be the end of our Costa Rica adventure. The trip was an amazing success by all measures. We all had a wonderful time and the riding was fabulous. Costa Rican Trails did a great job of planning the route and booking awesome hotels. The people of Costa Rica were warm and inviting. The BMW bikes were fun and reliable and the weather was perfect. I am not sure how it could have been any better.

i really enjoyed seeing this part of the world through your lens.

thanks for the effort posting this RR

YK

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Thanks for putting the hard work into your report! The video's and pictures were awesome! I hope to do this one of these years. Thanks again!

I have followed this thread since day and have thoroughly enjoyed every post photo and video. I really like how you incorporated photos and video into each report and how much better your video editing skills improved with each edition!
Well done!!