Location
The Caño Palma Biological Station is located in Costa Rica. The closest town to the station is San Francisco which is also close to the town of Tortuguero. Torguero is a tourist hot spot, which you might want to visit during your stay at the field station. The station is located on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, surrounded by a lowland broadleaf rainforest. It is a secure habitat; with dry boxes that are locked each night to keep humidity out of electronics, and a safe for personal belongings such as passports and wallets.
Travel Details
Booking Tickets
The closest airport to the field station is the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) which is just outside the city of San Jose. When booking a ticket, you might consider leaving from a different airport than from the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (YUL) in Montreal, such as the Burlington Airport (BTV). Tickets are usually cheaper this way. Students are encouraged to shop around online for ticket prices. Flights with multiple stops are usually cheaper than direct flights. Make sure that you buy a full round trip ticket, and that you keep a copy with you while traveling, The Costa Rican Government will not let you enter the country otherwise.
Travel Insurance
Inform yourself about the travel insurance, as you might be covered by your parents insurance. If you are not, there are many travel insurance companies which you should compare prices and advantages with (Ex: Blue Cross Canada).
Food and Accomodations
With a weekly rent of 175$ a week, food and accommodations are supplied by the field station. This price is set by the COTERC board and the station manager and may vary year to year. Snacks are not supplied by the field station. Certain items are obtainable in Cariari (3hrs away) and may be costly. Therefore, you are better off bringing your own snacks (Peanut butter, candy, chocolate, granola bars) from Canada.
Money
In Costa Rica, the money is in Colones, where 1000 colones is equal to 2$ USD. You are better off exchanging the money in Canada as the exchange rates are lower. In most places Costa Ricans will accept American money, but do make sure your bills are flawless if not they will reject them. It is easier to always have cash as to retrieve money can become complicated. If ever you do need to take out money, bring a Visa or Mastercard, as Banks here are reluctant to accept foreign Bankcards. Costa Rica usually accepts 4 digit pins, but 5 digit don’t work. Advise your bank and your credit card company that you will be out of the country and using your card in Costa Rica, if not they will freeze your account. You may also be able to withdraw money in Tortuguero in a grocery store where they will charge you 10% of what you are withdrawing. If you own a Cirrus or Maestro card, the only possible way is to go into Guapiles, where they still might reject the card.
Two options are available to you for delivering the rent money to the Cano Palma Biological Station:
- Carry the money on you and give it to the Station Manager as soon as you arrive. This generally makes a lot of people uncomfortable as you are carrying a lot of money on you. If you do choose this option, separate the money into different bags or areas for safety reasons.
- If the Station Manager allows, you can do a bank transfer to the Stations bank account. To do this you will need the stations bank information, which will be provided to you by the station manager. With this information you can go to your local bank and ask a teller to wire the money. There might be a large inflation rate charged by your bank (up to 30$). The Banco National in Costa Rica will also charge a 12$ rate and you must take this into account for the manager to receive the exact sum of the rent money. You also must ensure that the money transfer is completed before your arrival at the station, and it can take up to a week for money to be transferred; therefore be prepared. You might also want to include your Scientific Passport cost in the transfer, which is approximately 30$ USD. There is no organized address system in Costa Rica, and the bank might tell you that they cannot complete the transfer without a branch address. You must push the fact that they can complete the transfer with the information provided, and that the money goes to an account at the main branch.
- It is really important that you email the station and let them know the exact date and amount of the transfer. The statement they receive WILL NOT include any information that can be linked back to the transfer, so it’s difficult for them to work out who payments have come from unless they have your confirmation.
Personal Items List
5
5
o Flashlight (High Performance) (Headlamp)
o Watch
o Binoculars
o Sunglasses
o Rubber Boots (The station has some extra pairs)
o Daily shoes
o Crocs (You won’t regret it)
o Knife
o Compass
o Bandanas
o Mosquito Repellent (NO AEROSOLS)
o Sunscreen
o Toothbrush and Toothpaste
o Shampoo and Soap (Phosphate FREE)
o Toiletries (deodorant, face wash, etc…)
o Towel
o Socks (A lot)
o Tank tops
o T-shirts
o Light sweaters (mostly dark coloured)
o Pants
o Shorts
o Hat
o Water Bottle
o Mosquito Net
o Medication
o Rain Jacket
o Bathing Suit
o Webcam and Earphones (Skype)
5
5
Getting to the Cano Palma Biological Station
Cheapest Method:
Depending at the hour you arrive in San Jose; transportation to Tortuguero might be unavailable. Therefore you might have to book a hotel in San Jose for the night. There are a lot of attractions and hostels in San Jose which you can inform yourself about. The next morning make your way to the El Caribe Station in San Jose. Buy a ticket from San Jose to Cariari inside the station. The bus leaves at 9:00 am or when it is full, therefore get there early if you can. Your bags can be put in compartments under the bus (Approx. 1300 colones). The bus ride will last generally 2hours; where at the third stop you will get off and remove your luggage from under the bus.
Once in Cariari, you will need to take another bus (“Coopetraca” bus) leading you to La Pavona (Boat Station). The bus might already be waiting at the station; if not there might be a short wait. Ask a bus driver or people around, they will most likely be glad to help. The La Pavona bus costs around 1200 colones which will be paid once on board.
After a few stops to drop off locals you will arrive at the La Pavona Ranch. At the bar/restaurant the tickets are sold. Ask for a ticket to San Francisco which is about 1600 colones. Follow the troop to the river’s edge where the boats will be waiting. Once you are on board make sure to tell your driver that you are going to San Francisco, as they will stop there for you. Previously confirm a pickup with the station manager at least 2 days before arriving. The station manager or a staff member will be waiting for you at San Francisco. In case you have forgotten to confirm pick-up, enter the grocery store near the waterfront, and ask the man inside if you may use the phone. Call the station (2709-8052) and someone will pick you up shortly.
Turtle Beach Lodge:
An easier but more costly way to get to the station is by the Turtle Beach Lodge shuttle. By reserving in advance they will pick you up and bring you to La Pavona Port, where a private boat will be waiting for you. This boat can drop you off directly at the station. This method costs around 60$ USD (30,000 colones). To contact Turtle Beach Lodge for reservations you may go on their website www.turtlebeachlodge.com or directly call them at (2248-0707) or 8383-1652. Always carry your receipt proving your reservation as drivers will ask you for them. Also make sure you get all the tickets needed for your bus & boat transfers.
Life at the Field Station
Lodging
Upon arrival you will be shown to the dorms and your assigned room. A staff member will proceed with a small tour of the area. Beside the dorms are flushable toilets with a sink and mirror. The kitchen, dining area and office are located in another building which is a short distance from the dorms. Behind the dorms in a separate building are the showers and laundry area. The library is found right behind the showers. In front of the dorms is a building called the Rancho. The Rancho serves as a dormitory for interns who stay over a long period of time, or for turtle interns. It is also the building where the rubber boots are stored.
Phone and Internet
Very few computers are available for personal use; therefore sometimes bringing your personal laptop can be useful for work and other projects. There is wireless internet available only in the library, and office. Personal internet use (Skype, Facebook, email etc.), is restricted to evenings and days off. A phone is also available to you for local calls only; if not international phone call cards are available in Tortuguero. A popular method is by utilizing Skype, but remember to bring your own webcam and earphones, as there are none at the Field Station.
Food
As previously mentioned, food is available to you in the kitchen. Groups will be assigned for supper duties and chores. A gas stove is available to the residents. When the station holds 10 people and over, a cook is brought in from San Francisco for lunch and dinner. The water comes from a dug out well on base. The water has a high iron content, but presently a new well is being dug out which extends underneath the volcanic layer. Therefore, water will have a much better taste. Composting and recycling is done at the field station in order to reduce garbage.
Showers and Washing Machine
There are 3 showers available on base. All showers are cold water showers and have doors. After each shower, people are asked to sweep out the shower as to remove any sand from clogging the drain. A washing machine is at the disposal, and laundry should be done before midday. There is no dryer at the station, but there are both exposed and roofed lines in order for your clothes to dry.
Chores
In your designated groups for cooking you will also be expected to do chores every day. Chores vary from washing boats, showers, toilets, to sweeping paths and buildings. Once a week there is also a base maintenance day where you will be expected to help around the base by choosing one of the items among a list on the board which can range from painting buildings to turning the compost. These chores help improve life at the field station and keep everything functioning as it should be.
On Going Projects at Cano Palma
Along with your own personal research project, be it the ACER plot or anything else, you will be participating in a number of the on going research projects here on base. There are two mammal transects that need to be walked twice a week with the help of a local guide. A shore bird survey is conducted twice a week along the beach. Mist netting and bird banding are also performed twice a week from 6 am to 12 pm. There is also the Caiman survey, which is conducted every Saturday night and snake morphology. The station manager will schedule you accordingly. You will participate in each survey at least once while you are here.
5