sparks

My husband & I are in our 50's & planning a trip to CR the first week in October for a week. I think this trip has been the most labor intensive as far as research is concerned! We are arriving late on a Saturday & are going to try to stay at Valle de Vista for three days using a driver to take day trips. We are not adventurous enough for canapy tours or white water rafting, but wouldn't mind a gentle raft trip if anyone has a suggestion. We are really into birding & animals.
The second half of the trip is up for grabs! My husband wants to go fishing off the Pacific coast & we are not sure where. That will dictate the area we go next. I thought we might take a bus to the Liberia airport & rent a car there. This way we won't have to drive over the mountains ourselves. Then we would stay on the Guanacaste area. We are at the point that we enjoy nice hotels so the hotel might dictate the city we stay in. Any suggestions? Should we be going in the opposite direction & heading down to MA? Thanks

shillmac

Sparks,
I'm so glad to hear you and your husband are planning to spend a few days in the central valley. There is so much to see in that area. You might enjoy rafting the Rio Sarapiqui. It is a calmer bit of water. Please consider that, if your flight departs SJO before mid-afternoon, you'll want to return to stay near the airport your last night. Based on what you have said, it seems you might best spend your time by driving to Manuel Antonio (or taking a bus). There is excellent fishing out of Quepos, and this is a beautiful area. Lots to do. There is also some rafting here, and I don't believe it is major white water.

You will be traveling through the mountains and there are some fairly high passes between SJO and Manuel Antonio, but the view is breathtaking! However, the roads are entirely do-able! You could certainly do it yourselves if you would prefer.

Manuel Antonio is one place you could probably get by staying your last night before returning to the airport--provided your flight doesn't leave until afternoon, 2:00 or later. It is about a 3 hour drive from Manuel Antonio back to the airport. From the northern Pacific, the distance is more like 5 hours.

Should you choose to go the Liberia route, you could certainly enjoy several northern Pacific beaches as well. There is good fishing out of Playa del Coco, Flamingo, etc. Tamarindo is a fun place to visit as well.

You will find very nice hotels in both Manuel Antonio and the northern Pacific towns including Tamarindo. Booking hotels this time of year won't be a problem, so you have a couple of weeks to work on that. OR, you could probably just walk in and stay about anyplace you'd like!

glover

You two sound like us. Vista del Valle is a great place and I'm sure you'd enjoy making some day trips from it as a base.

But since we two 50 something bird/animal lovers had such a great time in May -- and since you only have a week, I'm going to offer up a different suggestion.

Fly into San Jose, rent a 4x4 and drive to Savegre Lodge in the mts. near San Gerardo de Dota (near San Isidro). This is a great bird spot with wonderful guides. You're almost guaranteed quetzal sitings. Stay there 2 or 3 nights and then drive down to the Pacific beach of Dominical (just south of Manuel Antonio). Your husband should be able to find some good fishing trips there or nearby. There are two reserves in Dominical (Hacienda Baru and another I'm blanking on) where you can hike and see more birds and animals (sloths, monkeys, etc.) If you don't need "resort-type" digs, stay at Pacific Edge. A fabulous setting overlooking the ocean. Check out the websites http://www.savegre.co.cr/
and http://www.exploringcostarica.com/pacificedge/

We LOVED both of these places! Look at the drive on a map. It's mountainous, but the road is in good shape, though only 2 lanes of course. It's a beautiful drive to both spots. Just do the drive in the am, because rain/fog can sometimes be a problem in the later afternoon. Or, if you really don't want to drive, you can probably get drivers without too much difficulty.

Jessie_

You can take a very nice float trip on the Rio Sarapiqui also. Lots of howler monkeys, bats, caimens, iguanas, great birds. That whole area is teeming with wildlife and vegetation. A couple of good places to stay that come to mind are the Selva Verde Rainforest Lodge, Center for Neotropical studies (Tirimbina), La Quinta de Sarapiqui. La Selva research center is a great place. You do have to make a reservation and go with a guide. On the Caribbean slope so you might get lucky with the weather there at that time of year.

One other option would be to go to Tortuguero. All the sight seeing is done by boat and there is tons of stuff to see. Dry time for that area is also a bonus.

shillmac

Absolutely a thumbs up to Glover's suggestion of Savegre! Savegre, Dominical, Manuel Antonio, then back to SJO. None of the drives longer than 3 or 3.5 hours. This would give you a little different experience than "the norm", but you would certainly see some great parts of the country!

Ally

Tamarindo will be dryer than Tamarindo, but I don't think I'll ever just try to do a 'walk up' there again. We were there 8/20 and it was hard to find a place to stay. Capitan Suizo, Sueno Del Mar, Cala Luna, Tamarindo Daria and Jardin Del Eden were all 100% booked!

sparks

I am worried about rain in October. Maybe it would be best staying in the Guanacaste area? Someone I e-mailed also said the fishing might be better there. So confused!

shillmac

You will have better luck with the rain (probably) in Guanacaste. It is the driest part of the country. Don't be confused. . .fishing is good and there is plenty to do and enjoy there. It's just that so many areas of Costa Rica are beautiful to see, you can hardly make a mistake. For sure, you'll want to go back and try some other areas sometime!

Jessie's advice regarding the Caribbean side is good as well. It does experience less rain in Sept. and October. And, as was mentioned, you can fish there in the north. But most of the sportfishing takes place on the Pacific, and your original choices of Arenal and Guanacaste are good ideas.

sparks

If I am staying at Valle de Vista for two days could I go to Rio Sarapiqui for a raft trip on a day trip from there? Also who is the outfit that arranges these trips? Thanks

Jessie_

You can arrange the rafting from your hotel and, yes, you can go from Vista del Valle.

tica_traveler

Once you land at the Liberia airport, you are not too far from Bijagua and the incredible La carolina Lodge. There are all kinds of animals and day trips available form there with the most attentive staff and BEST FOOD! Check out the website lacarolinalodge.com. We spent five days there in june and decided it was the most delightful part of our thirty day trip.

Best to you,
Julie