buonconvento

We are considering a trip to Costa Rica in early spring. It would be my husband and I along with our elementary school aged child, who's a TRUE nature lover. We are looking forward to seeing varied wildlife (although, other than swimming on the beach, we don't want to spend much time on the water since some of us are prone to seasickness).
What are the sites we want to be sure to see? We love hiking (as long as the are is safe). Also, we aren't big fans of small planes/helicopters, so we would favor bus/van. Or, is it safe to rent a car and drive yourself around the country.....even if it is, would we risk being horribly lost? I'm wondering if we are better off taking a tour than trying to visit the area ourselves.....if so, please share names of any companies you've had good experience with. Thanks for any advice!

sylvia3

Go ahead and rent a car, it's not a difficult prospect at all. For wildlife, check out the Osa Peninsula (Corcavado National Park) in the south (for example, these are new: http://www.osamountainresort.com/). Or split between Arenal volcano area (lots of lodging options, lots of things like ziplines, hanging bridges walking, waterfall hiking, tours to other parks and caves) and Monteverde National Park (4 hours from ARenal, lots of lodging options, ziplines, hanging bridges through cloud forest, etc.)
Manual Antonio could also be an option for 1/2 a trip; lovely beach in the park (or go with Villa Mot Mot, everyone likes it) and wildlife, in a touristy town with lots of lodging and dining.

volcanogirl

I agree with all of sylvia's suggestions. The Osa has the most amazing wildlife. Show this video to your child. The best way to get there is via small plane though; not a lot of people make the drive because it takes so long and the roads aren't the greatest.

http://bosquedelcabo.com/home/index.html

Arenal and Manuel Antonio makes a very nice combo for a first trip. Arenal has the Hanging Bridges, volcano, and waterfall - all great hiking. The Cano Negro tour is a cool boat ride to see wildlife if you're up for an all-day adventure. The Penas Blancas river float is nice too. You can also visit beautiful natural hot springs like Tabacon or Eco Termales. Manuel Antonio is really easy, although the wildlife there is a little tame because the animals are so used to people. Very pretty beach inside the national park like sylvia mentioned. You can also do a mangrove tour, sail, horseback ride, etc. Check out the Lost Iguana in the Arenal area and Tulemar Bungalows or Si Como No in Manuel Antonio.

Tortuguero is also amazing, but you get there via canal and spend a lot of time on the water so maybe not your thing.

volcanogirl

We usually hire private drivers to take us from city to city and use taxis within town. We like it because we can sit back and relax and don't have to worry about driving in the dark, rain, fog, etc. Also things are not well marked, but if you're adventurous you might enjoy it. Most people who drive it recommend getting a GPS. You can usually book a driver through your hotel when you reserve it, and they'll stop for bathroom breaks, snacks, etc. If you do drive, do not ever leave anything unattended in your car since car break-ins are not uncommon.

Arenalbotanical

Rio Celeste.
Rincon de la vieja.
Santa Rosa.
Sugar beach.
All within a reasonable distance of the Liberia ( LIR) airport.
Google up La Carolina lodge for some coolness.
BTW. I NEVER promote my place on these sights. I promote places that I vacation at.

Arenalbotanical

Rent a little 4wd. NEVER leave anything in the car.

Angela_Russell

You'll have a blast. We went last Spring (2011). Arenal is really beautiful and full of "adventure activities" like ziplining, hiking, tubing, etc. that would be great for the family. It's an easy drive by way of rental car...no, you won't get lost.

Another adventure to the BEACH, wildlife, chocolate farm, etc. is the Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo (Limon area). It is SUPER cheap and easy to get to by local bus. I think it was $8/person for the 4-5 hour bus ride over. Once you're there, stay in Finca Chica in your own private house for cheap! http://fincachica.com/eng/index.php

Nosara (a beach town on the Pacific Coast) was a beauuutiful, quiet town full of American expats, surfing lessons, yoga classes, local boutiques and the most gorgeous sunset you'll ever see. It smelled of molasses, as that's what they used to keep the dust down on roads and the howler monkeys in the morning...ahhh. We did take a small 8 seater jet though which was fairly inexpensive and not horribly scary.

Also, (shameless blog plug) I just today wrote a little bit on how to travel and experience food for CHEAP in Central/South America if anyone's interested! http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.co...mala-stay.html

buonconvento

Thanks for the helpful responses. The Osa Peninsula, as some have recommended, looks amazing.
I don't know that it's a realistic option though......don't want to take small planes......and many seem to advise against renting a car and driving. Are the roads really that bad (in April)? We aren't fearful drivers but then again don't want to end up lost or driving through torrents of water. Based on comments I've read, it's hard to judge whether we'd enjoy driving or would regret it. Curious to hear from those who've driven around the country.

volcanogirl

Personally I would not want to drive to the Osa Peninsula. We flew to the Puerto Jimenez "airport" and got picked up to go to our hotel. On the short drive there, we encountered a tree across the road, a huge herd of cows in the road, and small streams we had to drive through. If you wanted to drive somewhere like Arenal or Manuel Antonio, that's a lot more doable although on our recent trip it was pouring rain so hard that we couldn't see and was extremely foggy. I would say it depends on where you decide to go and what kind of weather you encounter. Plenty of people drive to those areas and enjoy the freedom of having their own car. The flight from the San Jose area to the Osa is pretty painless, and we felt very safe on the small planes. The trip was only about an hour so over pretty quickly if you change your mind about the planes.

xelas

Although Osa Peninsula and Corcovado NP are indeed excellent places for hiking and wildlife observation, there are some other locations that are almost as good but easier to reach and less expensive. One is Sarapiqui area (Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui). Tirimbina NP, La Selva OST, Rio Sarapiqui, they all will offer a plentiful of wildlife with a plus of less tourists around. For a cool and family oriented place check Posada Andrea Cristina. Here your kid could even interact with some animals up close as the owner is running a small wildlife refugee named Tierra Hermosa (for details google both places). Once on the Caribbean side Tortuguero is obvious stop. Very different from other places you may or might visit (think (very) small Amazonas). For beach and relax proceed further south toward Puerto Viejo de Talamanca near Panama border. Not only that beaches there are excellent also wildlife is abundant with two NP (Cahuita and Gandoca-Manzanillo). Best part of this itinerary is that is doable easy without renting a car, using shuttle transfers and local buses. If renting a car, going to these places is quite straightforward. The airport for such an itinerary should be SJO.

volcanogirl

If you did end up going to Arenal, your child would probably love Proyecto Asis - it's an animal rescue center where rangers take injured animals to be rehabilitated and if possible released. You can see monkeys, sloths, etc. up close and even get to feed them. We did it as part of Desafio's Culture and Conservation tour, but you can also go there as a volunteer if you want to.

qwovadis

If adventurous personally rent a car servicecarrentals.com
arenalt.net tabacon.com manuelantoniopark.com costaverde.com

tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide best guide.

Osa bosquedelcabo.com lookoutinn.com great if time budget good

lovecostarica.com Pat great tour prices

spirit.com jetblue.com aa.com cheap flights

Have fun,

jdp867

While its a bit pricey, Peace Lodge is an excellent place to stay with kids for a couple of nights and it is only 45 minutes from the SJO airport. They have a snake house (they let us hold the snakes), frog house, butterfly garden, and hummingbird garden, so your child can see the animals up close. Plus, the hiking trails are relatively paved and easy to traverse. Our kids loved it.

intrepid_traveller

http://frontiercostarica.com/Frontie...estReserve.htm

How about here? Bear in mind it's very difficult to get to, but heart-achingly beautiful!