maripepper

Hello. I will be traveling to CR for the first time in August for 10 days and I need some suggestions about how to go about my trip and make the best of it. So we will definitely be staying and exploring the South Pacific as my friend's family has cabins in Uvita. That's our main destination so far. But I do wanna go to Arenal Volcano. I'm just not sure if we should go to arenal the day we land and stay there for the weekend and then drive back to Uvita. Is the drive too long? I plan on just exploring Dominical, Jaco, Quepos, and Manuel Antonio the remaining days as I am just looking for a relaxing trip and also avoiding the crowds. Is the drive to arenal worth it? Or does another volcano near San Jose offer senic views and hot springs like arenal. Thanks!

RAC

It would be a poor use of time to go to Arenal. There are two easily visited volcanos close to San Jose metro area--on the western side (where the airport is) is Poas and on the other side of the city of San Jose is Irazu, which will typically have better visibility. Either would work, depending on your route to/from Uvita and whether you'd have time to visit them the day of your return flight.

volcanogirl

We love the Arenal area, and there's tons to do there. We usually stay about four nights when we go, and we still haven't done it all. Great adventure activities, ziplining, tubing, rafting, the Cano Negro tour and Penas Blancas river float, Tabacon or Eco Termales natural hot springs, a beautiful waterfall where you can hike, and the Hanging Bridges. It makes a nice pairing with a beach destination. We did that for our first trip, and it was great. We did an Arenal/Manuel Antonio split, about 4.5 or so between the two. You can also stop at the Rio Tarcoles to see huge crocs down below.

morettixlx

Arenal area IS beautiful however, not a good idea based on your itinerary. I wouldn't recommend it for this trip, save it for your next one! If you wish to see a volcano try Poas, it's a beautiful 1 day trip. No hot springs though.
Should you decide to include Poas Volcano, check into "Cataratas de la Paz" ..super pretty!! enjoy your trip!!

maripepper

Thanks! I think I might just stay in that area since time might be too tight. Also I've been reading some bad reviews about Uvita and how it's not safe (petty crime). Should I be concerned? And does anyone have suggestions about tours worth the money? I was looking at the Jungle ATV tour, Osa Ziplining, and maybe whale watching/snorkeling. Thanks. All suggestions much appreciated!

volcanogirl

Unfortunately petty crime can happen anywhere; Uvita doesn't have a bad reputation for crime. Don't wear expensive jewelry or flash iPhones, etc.

mlgb

Petty crime can happen ANYWHERE in Costa Rica, including Uvita. As can serious crime.

Don't leave anything valuable unattended. Especially on a beach. Don't leave your car parked anywhere with anything inside, unless you've paid someone to keep an eye on it. If you can walk to the beach, that's even better.

I was glad I didn't know about all of the home invasions and expat attacks in the Dominical/Uvita area until after I got back.

osufan

We have done the Arenal/Uvita trip several times. Both locations are lovely, but it takes a good half day from airport to Arenal, and full day to make the drive from Arenal to Uvita. Depends on how much time your have. Regarding crime in Uvita, it is no better or worse than anywhere else in Costa Rica. Don't leave things on the beach unattended. That applies anywhere...our things in Manual Antonio were taken by white faced monkeys! Be aware, be safe, and enjoy!!

mlgb

Good point about the monkeys, they will go through any unattended bag looking for food, aggressive little buggers!

Pat_Hewitt

Yes, the monkeys are awful thieves.

One of the funniest things I have ever seen was a coordinated monkey robbery at the beach in Manuel Antonio many years ago.

These was a young and kind of obnoxious frat looking guy sitting alone on a blanket. For some reason, he had laid out a bunch of fruit on his blanket. This of course attracted the attention of the local white faced monkey population. They would approach the blanket, and this guy would front them off by flexing his muscles and growling at them (I mentioned he was obnoxious).

This happened a couple of times, and a small crowd had gathered to take pictures of the monkeys. After a little break, two monkeys dropped out of a tree and started going for the fruit. Mr. Frat went into his flexing routine. Suddenly a small monkey dropped out of the trees behind him. This little guy charged in at full speed and grabbed a big bunch of bananas on the way by. The heist was over before this guy could process what had happened. All three monkeys went into the trees, to enjoy their ill gotten goods in full view of their victim.

It was hilarious, and everyone in the beach broke into laughter. Someone yelled "you got mugged by a monkey" and there were some seemingly good natured taunts in Spanish I didn't get, but it made the crowd laugh even more. The guy was certainly outsmarted and chastised by some "dumb animals".

The planning and teamwork by the three thieves was so obvious. It was pretty awesome to watch.

Warm Regards,

Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional