I've used Universal and Jepp in the past and had no complaints. Theonlyairports that you can enter the country from are San JoseandLiberia.The handler was Sergio Morera with Aerojet de CostaRica,S.A..He wasvery good at his job. We needed a permit to fly into adirtstrip on thewest coast (any airports other than San Jose andLiberia require apermit) and we had to apply in person; he guided usthroughthe wholeprocess.
Not much really to do in San Jose. Rent a car (Hertz isavailable)anddrive to the west coast. Jaco, as somebody mentioned earlier, isagreat coastal town with a night life. For a nature experience,Irecommend going to the town of Monteverde. There areseverallongsuspension bridges that traverse the rainforest canopies.There isanunbelievable amount of life; it makes the rainforests ofthePacificNorthwest look second rate. There is a great hotel therecalledtheArco Iris, its run by some nice Germans. The hotel is not aHolidayInnor anything, but it is clean, neat, and not that expensive.
In fact, most things outside the major cities are very inexpensive.Iwasparticularly suprised at the quality of the foodeverywhere,evenroadside stands had excellent food.
I've seen both the Poas and Arenal volcanoes, either areveryimpressive.Try to get some fishing in if you can afford it,thePacific will notdisappoint.
I also got a speeding ticket while driving, so watch thelimits.Isettled it on the spot; a quick $20 US donation tothepoliceman'spersonal fund negated the need for any furtherpaperwork.But let himmake the gesture, don't offer.
Let a service like Universal, Colt, or Jepp jump through the paperwork hoops and enjoy yourself on the trip.
FoF
P.S. Take your own fuel additive if your plane requires it; it is generally not available south of the USA.
