Included / Not Included: –
Included: Accommodations, fishing boat with fuel, fishing gear, guide, fishing license, and all meals including tap beer, local liquor, and soft drinks.
Not Included: Inbound night lodging at The Doubletree Hilton Cariari or Sleep inn Hotel in San Jose (double occupancy), ground transfers between airports and hotels, and scheduled round trip domestic air transportation between San Jose and the resort, International airfare, meals in San Jose, airport departure tax, some name brand imported liquors, bottled beer, laundry service and gratuities.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information To reach Crocodile Bay anglers must make travel arrangements to and from San Jose, Costa Rica. Be sure to reconfirm your flights directly with your carrier 72 hours prior to departure. After clearing customs, anglers will be met at the airport by a lodge representative and escorted either to their overnight accommodations in San Jose or taken directly to an air charter headed to Puerto Jimenez.
Getting to the Lodge: Anglers will be picked up at their accommodations by a lodge representative for an early morning charter flight to the lodge.
Departure Information: Upon departure anglers will also (not included) be escorted to their overnight accommodations or directly to the airport.
Approximate Flying Times to San Jose: Los Angeles: 6 hours • Dallas: 4 hours • Miami: 3 hours • New York: 5 hours.
Documentation Requirements:
Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after your date of entry to Costa Rica. You may stay in Costa Rica for up to 90 days without a visa but you need a passport.
Currency:
The national currency is the colon and dollars are easily exchanged at banks of the National Banking System. All major credit cards as well as traveler’s checks are widely accepted.
Note: US dollars are widely accepted and we recommend not exchanging money, but rather come well prepared with low denomination bills for frequent small tipping etc.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travels with approximately $600 - $900 for staff & guide gratuities, alcohol, laundry service, etc.
Gratuities:
Please come prepared with plenty of low denomination US dollars as tipping is anticipated and appreciated throughout the transfer process in San Jose. Drivers, baggage handlers, etc. love to work hard for your tips.
Tipping at the lodge is never mandatory but always appreciated and is considered an additional reward for exceptional service. We offer the following guidelines:
Fishing Guides – $20-$25 per day per person for the inshore guides (this applies to the smaller boats fishing the estuaries with light tackle or when only one guide is on board), or $25-$50 per person for the offshore / inshore crew with an offshore boat minimum, suggested at $100 per day, given in cash directly to your guide/captain at the end of each fishing day. The captain will then make disbursements to the crew (you may have different guides for inshore and offshore).
Lodge Staff (chef/ kitchen staff, wait staff, bartenders and housekeeping) – Approximately $15 per person per day as a tip “pool” which may be given to the lodge manager or added to your room account at checkout for disbursement. Staff tips may be paid in cash, traveler’s checks or credit card.
Eco-Tour Guides – Approximately $5 per person for a half-day tour, or $5-$10 per person for a full-day tour, depending on the extent of the services and given directly to the guide in cash at the end of the tour.
Drivers – If you use one of the lodge’s drivers or guides for local transportation or guiding services, please tip separately at your discretion.
While tips in US dollars are appreciated, you may also use a credit card for lodge tips and or fill out a provided tip sheet and deposit the envelope at the front desk at the time of check out.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are included and the lodge will issue your license when you arrive.
Climate:
Costa Rica's microclimates vary from the barren cold volcanic tundra to the exotic cloud forest, from the deep dense jungle of Talamanca to the tropical dry forests of Guanacaste, from quiet gold-hued beaches where the Baulas Tortoises build their nests to the winding Tortugero Canals where the crocodile is king. Even so, Costa Rica's overall climate can be best described as mild. Located within the tropics, seasonal changes in Costa Rica are not as drastic as they are in countries on other latitudes. During the “dry" season from December to May, temperatures are in the 80’s to 90’s with relatively high humidity. During the "wet" season from June until November, mornings are usually sunny and showers might be expected in the afternoon. Overall temperatures are a bit lower and the humidity is a bit higher. On areas near the coasts temperatures may be as much as ten degrees higher, where as in the Chirripo Peak, the highest mountain of Costa Rica (3800 meters) temperature may drop down to freezing point, although snow is unheard of, even at the Chirripo. Tourists should bring light clothes, a jacket and a raincoat is all the protection you'll need unless you go hiking.
Medical Facilities:
The closest medical facility is in San Jose, approximately 45 minutes by air from the lodge. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time.
In emergency situations, a charter flight may be required to reach a medical facility. Guests may want to consider medical evacuation coverage. We recommend Global Rescue.
Power and Communications:
The lodge has Wi-Fi in the main building and Internet access at a desktop computer in the lobby always available to the guests. New Multi-Band GSM Cell Phones will work at Puerto Jimenez, but whether you have service there is determined by your carrier. Contact your cell phone provider to turn on service in Costa Rica. Electricity is 110v Electric alarm clock radios are in each room and a wake-up call can be provided. Crocodile Bay is in the Central Time Zone.
Water:
Bottled water is provided in each room but the tap water is considered perfectly safe.
Clothing:
Quick dry pants and shorts, long sleeved quick dry shirts, casual cotton pants and t-shirts, shorts and shirts, sandals, bandana, “Buff” facial sun protector (www.planetbuff.com), hat with wide brim, sun gloves, light rain coat, and swimsuit are recommended. Wet wading with flats boots (Simms, Patagonia) is the norm. Supportive sturdy flats boots are best, as many flats have tough marl bottoms. Boat fishing footwear: Non- scuff - white soled deck shoes or sandals: Crocs work well and are comfortable. Dress at the lodge is neat but casual.
Laundry:
Laundry service is available to all guests for a reasonable additional charge. Simply leave anything you would like washed in the labeled basket in your room and it will be returned clean in less than 24 hours.
Beverages/Alcohol:
The lodge provides local beer and liquor. Premium beer and liquor is also available. Please be prepared to pay for this on-site. Additionally, guests may bring their own.
Tackle/Equipment List:
Crocodile Bay Lodge will be happy to provide you with all the needed conventional and fly tackle for your trip.
Fly Rods: 8 to 14 weight fly rods
Fly Reels: For billfishing, a reel with a good drag is more important, than the rod. You may only make half a dozen casts in a day, but your drag may work for hours against the scorching runs of sailfish, Dorado, or marlin. We recommend Tibor or Hatch reels.
Fly Lines: We recommend having a few different lines including a floating weight forward, variety of full sinking and sink tip lines to match your rods ranging from 8 weight to 14 weight (both inshore and offshore).
Flies: The lodge has a basic fly selection, but does run out of certain colors and sizes at times. It is best to bring a small selection of the following flies:
Sailfish: Cam Sigler or Rainy's Off-Shore Tube Popper flies in pink/white, blue/green, blue/white Hooks Owner or Gamakatsu Offshore Fly in #5/0-#7/0
Roosters, Jacks, Dorado: Poppers or Decievers in Red/white, Tan/white, Green back w/ yellow line/white (sardine) Blue/silver/white (flying fish) #2/0-#5/0
Bonita/Tuna: small flashy flies, such as Tuna Helper, False Albacore style flies and Clousers, in Tan/white, olive/white, Blue/white, Chartreuse/white, all white, or mylar/epoxy in sizes #1-#3/0
