Cerro Chirripó - 4 days 3 night hike

• Dates that you wish to hike Chirripó and number of hikers.
• Complete name and identification number of each member of the group (send scanned I.D. to caminatasalchirripo@hotmail.com).
• An advance payment of 45% of your package’s price.

• Meals in Crestones Base (dinners, lunches, breakfasts and one hot drink per day)
• Hotel the night before going up
• Entries, admissions and housing in the National Park
• The housing in Crestones Base includes: one sheet, one pillow, one blanket or sleeping bag per person. If you require additional sleeping bags or covers, you can rent them at Crestones Base.

Here are the following costs (prices may vary during season):

• Sheets: 1.675 colones
• Sleeping bag: 3.500 colones
• Towel: 2.965 colones
• Blanket: 3.860 colones
• Pillow: 1.050 colones

• Transportation to your place of residence in San Gerardo de Rivas
• Transportation of luggage to the camp at Crestones by horse (optional).
• No personal articles

There are different ways of arriving at San Gerardo de Rivas:

YOUR CAR: You can take the Pan-American highway towards the South Zone of Costa Rica, the distance is approximately 140 km and will take you about three hours. Once you find the cantón Pérez Zeledón, specifically San Isidro del General, continue on the road. You will pass two bridges, one that goes over Rio Jilguero, and one that goes over Rio General. 200 meters after you have crossed the second bridge, you will take a left hand turn at the Maxi Pali Supermarket onto Sinaí road (Universidad Nacional)- Rivas. Once in Rivas, you will arrive at a Y-shaped intersection where you will take a right hand turn to arrive in San Gerardo de Rivas. You will pass through the communities of Guadalupe, Chiirol, and Canaán before you finally arrive in San Gerardo.

COSTANERA SUR: If you are coming from San Jose and choose to use the bus system, you will need to take a bus from San Jose to Quepos and then another bus from Quepos to San Isidro.

BUSES TO SAN ISIDRO DEL GENERAL: You may use either of the following two companies: MUSOC or TRACOPA. Both companies have buses that arrive in the center of San Isidro del General, and both options will take approximately three hours. To see bus

schedules for both companies, visit the following links:

• MUSOC: www.musoccr.com
• TRACOPA: www.tracopacr.com/

If you have traveled by bus, once you are in the center of San Isidro del General, you will need to go to the central market, and find the San Gerardo de Rivas bus terminal located in front of the Supermercado Coopeagri R.L. Normally, the buses will say “Canaán – Chimirol.”

This is the bus schedule:

Bus schedule leaving San Isidro, arriving in San Gerardo.

• 5:45 am, 8:30 am, 11:30 am: (inside of the market) in front of the Panadería Tío Marcos.
• 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 8:00 pm (inside of the market) in front of the Panadería Tío Marcos.

Bus schedule leaving San Gerardo, arriving in San Isidro.

• 5:15 am, 7:00 am, 10:00 am: the bus leaves from the stop next to the soccer plaza.
• 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 6:45 pm: the bus leaves from the stop next to the soccer plaza.

Sunday and Holiday Schedule:

Leaving San Isidro, arriving in San Gerardo.

• 9:30 am, 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm: (inside of the market) in front of the Panadería Tío Marcos.

Leaving San Gerardo, arriving in San Isidro.

• 7:00 am, 11:30 am, 4:00 pm: the bus leaves from the stop next to the soccer plaza.

San Gerardo: www.hernandezsolis.com/horarios-de-buses/

If you need to contact the Porteadores y Arrieros (luggage transportation) service, we wish to inform you of the following:

• It costs 2,100 colones per kilogram to transport equipment to camp in Crestones Base (prices may vary). You may pay for this service with a credit or debit card in the corresponding office.
• Fragile luggage should be specified so that the arrieros may use special care when transporting the equipment to the base. You may specify such luggage through the use of adhesive tapes. You should also be sure to inform the company of any fragile luggage at the time of your baggage checks.
• Put all items inside of your luggage in plastic bags to keep items from becoming wet or damaged in case of rainfall.
• Office hours of Arrieros are from 11:00 am-6:30 pm. All bags and luggage must be checked in during these hours.

Here are some recommendations to maximize your experience hiking Chirripo

❖  The total distance of the trail that tourists will hike from San Gerardo de Rivas (1314 meters above sea level) to the refuge at Crestones Base (3400 meters above sea level) is 14.5 km. The hike will take approximately six to eight hours ascending and five to six hours descending.

❖  You must check into the office of MINAE in San Gerardo de Rivas the day before the start of your hike any time before 4:00 pm to register with the national park (otherwise you have to wait until after 8am the next day).. Then enjoy your stay in a hotel in the beautiful mountain town of San Gerardo de Rivas.

❖  Start preparing for your hike whether it be walking or taking part in any other physical activity. Being in good physical shape for the hike will be a huge help for your climb!

❖  While staying in the National Park you should be present at scheduled mealtimes. The following are the scheduled mealtimes of Crestones Base:

• Breakfast: 5:30 am-8:30 am
• Lunch: 12:30 pm-3:00 pm
• Afternoon Coffee: 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
• Dinner: 6:00 pm-7:00 pm

❖  On the first day when hiking from San Gerardo to Crestones Base, don’t wear thick or heavy jackets, due to the fact that your body will begin to heat itself quickly once the hike begins, and such jackets will most likely become a nuisance.

❖  Bring sufficient water for the hike. There are only two points throughout the hike in which you will have access to drinkable water: at 7.5 kilometers (Llano Blanco), and at 13 kilometers (Cuesta de los Arrepentidos).