1st trip to Costa Rica....

Old Sep 8th, 2009, 12:24 AM
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1st trip to Costa Rica....

We've got eight nights in Costa Rica, we're flying into San Jose and we plan on renting a 4WD for our entire stay. I've done quite a bit of traveling in Europe, but I've never tried to plan a trip like this before, so I'm completely out of my element here and I could use some advice.

We've only really got 7 nights there since we arrive so late. Here are some of the places we are interested in...
Arenal, Cano Negro, Fortuna Waterfall, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Monte Verde, Poas, La Selva, and Manuel Antonio. All of these places sound amazing and I'm having a horrible time trying to be realistic about what we can fit into our limited time in Costa Rica. We're both really excited about the wildlife and we're up for some adventure too. Any advice? Any other places you'd recommend?

And how about renting a car..good or bad idea? I keep reading the most likely the car will get broken into if we leave anything in it.

Any recommendations for hotels in the above areas? I've read some of the other posts recommending Peace Lodge and a number of other resorts, but we're really looking for something more basic, in the $50-$100 a night range.

Any information and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
kimber15 is offline  
Old Sep 8th, 2009, 01:39 AM
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You'll love it!

My recommendation would be to plan 2 locations: Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Some people would choose Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The 3 of them in one week is too much of a crunch.

Arenal/Manuel Antonio is the only combination I know that gives you 2 national parks, an very active volcano, and access to a large and varied number of near-location activities. Cano Negro, my opinion, is a don't miss while at Arenal. From there, of course, you can enjoy the hot springs and Fortuna waterfall.

Spend the first night near the airport and get an early start the next a.m. It is a 2.5 hour drive to Arenal. You could, reasonably, make a stop at Poas or La Paz en route. Maybe both if you wouldn't mind all day of touring/traveling. You should be at Poas by 8:00 a.m., so leave your near-airport hotel (I recommend Hotel Villa Bonita or Orquideas Inn as either are a quick shot out of town toward Poas). Leave town by 7:00. Poas will take a couple of hours. La Paz is a short distance from Poas, and you could tour it in 2 hours. From there, the drive to Arenal is about 2-3 hours (haven't done that particular leg). You should be at Arenal by 4:00 or 5:00. I wouldn't plan on La Paz without confirmation that it is completely repaired since last January's earthquake. I know it is open now, but not at 100%. If not, I'd wait for another time.

I'd plan 4 nights Arenal, 3 Manuel Antonio (especially if you give up that first day to see Poas and La Paz). The car. . .yes, if you leave things inside and leave the car in an unsecured parking area, things might well be taken. You just don't do that. It really isn't a big deal. . .there isn't any reason to do it. That is ONE of the problems with sightseeing on the way to a location. There is some security at Poas and La Paz both, but I wouldn't consider it totally effective. Things would PROBABLY be okay. Especially if you rented a regular vehicle with a trunk, which you could certainly do for the roads you'll be driving. We love the freedom of our own vehicle, and we like renting from TriColor.

Good luck--the planning is always half the fun!
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Old Sep 8th, 2009, 05:03 AM
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I'd go with Arenal and Manuel Antonio as well. You don't really have time to see Arenal, MA, and Monteverde in such a short time frame. I believe that the road from La Paz/Peace Lodge to Arenal is still closed from the earthquake so double check on that. Sunset Tours is a great group to use to go to Cano Negro; we've done their tour three times and always see a lot of wildlife - monkeys, caimans, sloths, bats, and amazing birds. For hot springs, we love Eco Termales and their great chicken dinner. Tabacon is popular too. Do not miss hiking to the bottom of the waterfall - so pretty, and there's a little set of steps off to the left that lead to a tiny beach and a place where you can swim in crystal clear blue water - really neat. MA has a beautiful beach inside the park and tons of wildlife, although it's a little tamer than what I would like. If you can, time your visit to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens for when you can hand feed the hummingbirds - that's truly amazing.
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Old Sep 8th, 2009, 11:15 AM
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All of the places you mentioned offer some great options, so it would probably come down to where you place your priorities and what specific kind of activities you have in mind. So, it's hard to recommend one over another without knowing a little more of what you prioritize--for instance, would you be more interested in volcanoes and hot springs, beaches and good restaurants and monkeys, or seeing a working biological research station and the work up close?

We've seen everything on your list except for the La Fortuna waterfall (we figured seeing La Paz was enough).

In 2008, we saw La Paz, Arenal, and Monteverde

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...-2008-pt-1.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...eport-pt-2.cfm

In 2009, we saw La Selva, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio:

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...-pura-vida.cfm
I would agree that two base locations is ideal.

Here's my take on the pluses and minuses of each possible location, based on your listing:

1) Arenal area--includes the La Fortuna Waterfall, Cano Negro. The big attraction is the volcano, but there is no guarantee you'll see it while there--clouds can cover it for days at a time. It's really cool when it is exposed, however. Cano Negro is also very cool, and you'll see tons of birds and caimans, with an occasional basilisk lizard and troop of monkeys. Is it a must see? If you're a birder, probably. It's by far the best wildlife opportunity while staying in Arenal, unless you're staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, which has iffy food but offers the best volcano viewing in the area plus crazy amounts of wildlife (not talking about just coatis and monkeys--we saw a kinkajou and a jaguarundi from our porch there. Other people have seen everything from ocelots to anteaters. Plus, of course, lots of colorful birds). There are also rafting, caving, zipline, and hanging bridge hiking tours to be done in the area, as well as hot springs (a decent variety by price and atmosphere).

2) Monterverde--this area is known for ecotours, its rugged isolation, the cloud forest, and above all else the resplendent quetzal. The food options are better than in Arenal, with the lodging a little more affordable. Tours are also much cheaper than in Arenal. The wildlife is mostly birds, unless you go out at night. They have a few different ziplines and hanging bridges tours that get high marks, and there are a number of different cloud forest reserves you can explore.

3) La Selva/Sarapiqui area. This area is the closest the the airport, but feels the most remote. Almost every lodging option is fairly remote and isolated and set in the forest, and this is the best place for seeing wildlife 24/7 (we saw a tayra on our lodge grounds) and for the variety of ecotours available (everything from birding workshops to tours of an organic chocolate plantation inside a rainforest reserve). If you love colorful birds like toucans and parrots, this is probably the best of the destinations. The potential downsides include the amount of rain (it almost certainly will rain whenever you go) and very limited dining options. Also, the rainforest here is the real, untamed, primeval deal--we're talking poisonous snakes and bullet ants real--which can be really awesome or really scary, depending on your outlook. La Selva, La Tirimbina, and Heliconia Island make for fun activities, and if you have a car you can drive to the Rainforest Aerial Tram and even to the staging area for rafting the Pacuare river, which in terms of adrenaline and natural beauty pretty much rules.

Manuel Antonio: Manuel Antonio in the afternoon offers the best three-hours of wildlife viewing you'll have--you could see dozens of sloths and if your guide is any good you're guaranteed to see capuchin and squirrel monkeys. There is also a gorgeous beach inside the park, and the trails are wide and easy to navigate--it's more of a tropical dry forest than overgrown rain forest. There is also the Damas mangrove tour, which isn't quite up to the level of Cano Negro. In the Tarcoles area (about 90 minutes from Manuel Antonio on the road to San Jose and Arenal), there are crocodile/birdwatching river safaris (the crocs are HUGE), Carara National Park (where you can see everything from crocodiles to Scarlet Macaws) and if you only have 30 minutes, the famous Tarcoles crocodile bridge, from which you can see dozens of crocs basking in the sun. Manuel Antonio also has the best restaurants of all these locations, plus the widest variety of lodging (everything from super cheap places to 5-star luxury. The downsides include the fact that there are always a lot of people there, and the relatively thin bench--the national park is really extraordinary, but there's really nothing else close to it in the area. There are great ziplines in the area--we enjoyed Titi Canopy.
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Old Sep 9th, 2009, 09:34 PM
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Thanks for all the great info!!!

As far as hotels go, I've been looking at La Posada in MA and Arenal Observatory Lodge. I'm not too concerned about where I stay in Alajuela, we won't be there long. Has anyone stayed at the La Posada or heard anything about it? Other than the food at the Observatory, would you recommend it?

Would it be worth losing a day at MA or Arenal in order to get to La Selva or Tirimbina Rainforest Center?

I've read that vaccinations for Hepatitis A & B along with Typhoid are recommended...is this really necessary? And what about Malaria?

Thanks again for all the info!
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Old Sep 10th, 2009, 05:12 AM
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I enthusiastically recommend both La Posada and the Arenal Observatory Lodge.

With seven nights, it's best to limit yourself to two stops--especially since La Selva is not between Arenal and Manuel Antonio. So, I'd pick your top two destinations and leave the rest for another trip.
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