nine_lives

It's our 2nd trip to Costa Rica - On our last trip we visited Puerto Viejo (loved it), Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo (hated it), and Nosara.

We are gonig for 18 days at the very beginning of December.

This is our tentative itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Alajuela at 9:30pm (stay at Orquedias Inn)

Day 2 have rental 4x4 delivered to Orquedias in the morning and then drive over the Cerro de Muerte to Dominical for one night (stay at Domilocos)

Day 3 Drive from Dominical to Puerjo Jimenez (stay at The Palms)

Day 4-6 Puerto jimenez

Day 7 drive to Dominical (stay ????)
Day 8 Dominical

Day 9 drive to Jaco spend one night (stay ???)

Day 10 Drive to Montezuma
Day 11 Montezuma
Day 12-13 Mal Pais

Day 14 Drive coastal route to Samara or Nosara
Day 15-16 Nosara

Day 17 drive back to Alajuela and stay at orquideas

Day 18 catch 1pm flight home

Does this itinerary sound feasible or are we trying to pack in too much for the time we have? I don't really mind the driving but is trying to do the costal route from Mal Pais to Nosara possible in a day with a Terios? Also, we wouldn't mind seeing Arenal but from what I've heard the volcano can be clouded over and the direction of lava changes I'm not so sure if it would be worth trying to see the volcano. If we were to visit Arenal how should we modify our itinerary?


Any suggestions on where to say are welcome as well. Our budget is ~$65 and would prefer somewhere with a pool

shillmac

Besides the volcano, Arenal is a fantastic area to visit--lots of other attractions--hot springs, Cano Negro tour, Hanging Bridges, ziplines, La Fortuna falls, Pure Trek Canyoning; Arenal is one of the best areas in the country--MANY would tell you the same. Suggestions at end of post for adding Arenal. . .

That said, you do have a nice itinerary. Lots of driving, but if you don't mind (we never have), it can be fun. I think I'd stay in one location Montezuma/Malpais area and just drive over to Montezuma for a daytrip. Less hassle. . .

Be prepared for a difficult journey to Dominical if you take the Cerro de la Muerte route. You'll need to get through San Jose; probably you'll be leaving early in the a.m., and fighting rush hour traffic. If you already know how to navigate through town, no big deal, but if you haven't done it before--whoa! Just a heads up. . .could eat up some extra time figuring it out.

Also, be prepared for the new traffic rules regarding license plates ending in certain numbers. Those numbers are prohibited from being in town on certain days of the week. There is a post regarding that if you want to check it out.

I'd skip Jaco entirely. Just me. Especially with it being a one night stop.

Coastal route Malpais to Samara should be fine in December, dry season, with a 4X4. And a fun adventure.

If you want to fit Arenal in, this is how I would do it.

2nd day a.m.: fly to Puerto Jimenez, rent a car there (if necessary) to get around. Fly back to San Jose on day 5 (3 nights?), eliminate Dominical. Get an early flight out.

Then rent a car, head over to Malpais for a few nights (3?), drive up to Nosara for 2 nights, then finish up at Arenal.

I assume you're a surfer and trying to hit as many surfing beaches as possible. You'll have to decide if you want to give up Dominical and Jaco in order to gain Arenal. You'll still have good surfing at Malpais and Nosara. . .

Basically dropping 2 nights at Dominical and one night Jaco gives you 3 nights at Arenal. It would round out your trip nicely. But don't do it if seeing the volcano is a big deal. I'm guessing you probably would in 3 days, but it's possible you might not. Very cool when you do!

qwovadis

desafiocostarica.com

Tons of great things to do.

Arenalobservatorylodge.com

nice for price great volcano views

For me less Jaco more Arenal.

Maybe ride horsies to

monteverdeinfo.com if you can.

Have Fun,

nine_lives

Hi Shillmac,

thanks for the advice - we looked into flying to Puerto Jimenez and then renting a car from there to return in SJO but it was going to be way more expensive than renting in Alajuela - besides I'm pretty sure that our luggage might be over the weight limit for the local airlines.

I drove through San Jose on our last trip and we did get lost, but not too badly. I actually now have some great directions on taking a route through San Jose that bypasses the downtown area. We will actually be driving through SJ on a Saturday and I think there are no restrictions on the weekend.

Ok, I'll skip Jaco - any else in the area that we might want to spend a night or should we just try to drive from Dominical to Montezuma in one day (taking the car ferry)?

I'll have to think about wanting to go to Arenal. We more into relaxing on beaches than doing zip lines and organized tours. Also, we would be pretty bummed if we had to hang out there for 3 days to get a glimpse of the volcano.

shillmac

Great--you'll be taking the circunvalacion (or however you spell it)--bypass--around the city; and you know how to do it. You should be in good shape.

Glad you're skipping Jaco. It's just that those one nighters take up so much of your time without gaining you much.

I understand about Arenal, and certainly if you are more into the beach vacation, stay closer to your original plan.

Since you're staying at Dominical on the way down to PJ, I'd suggest driving on up to Manuel Antonio for the afternoon and night. The park is really nice, the beaches inside the park are nice, and you can see plenty of wildlife in the park.

From there, you can get to Puntarenas in about 1.5 hour, maybe a tiny bit longer. You can check the ferry schedule at www.nicoyapeninsula.com

Have the hotel double check it for you, though, as it changes occasionally.

Maybe you could spend an extra night at Malpais or Nosara. . .

Still sounds like a good plan! You'll still have a couple of one nighters, but their purpose is primarily to break up the driving in some nice beach locations. . .

Have fun!

shillmac

By the way, you can certainly drive from Dominical to Puntarenas (by way of the ferry). Just get an early start as the 49km or so between Dominical and Manuel Antonio will take you at least 1.5 hour. It is treacherous. You need to be at the ferry dock about an hour ahead of scheduled departure.

nine_lives

What about reservations for that time of year (first 2.5 weeks of December)? I'd prefer to be able to be somewhat fllexable on our trip. I was thinking about making reservations for Puerto Jimenez and then going with the flow form there. What do you think?

Thanks again!

Tingo

Hi

If you want to spend the night before or after the ferry we know of a good B&B in Puntarenas near the ferry dock. Nice, clean, quiet residential neighborhood. Let me know if you want more info.

shillmac

For that time of year, Iīd be more comfortable with reservations, UNLESS I didnīt have particular places I wanted to stay. If you donīt have special places you are interested in, then perhaps it would be okay. December-April are busy months. You certainly donīt need to give up 2 nights in Puntarenas due to ferry travel!

Suzie2

We stayed at a nice little place along the coastal route. It is south of Dominical and Uvita. Finca Bavaria is the name. Sweet german couple, there is a pool. Huge rainforest surrounds the place and there are beautiful views of the ocean. Just a few minutes back towards Domincal will bring you to Uvita where you can walk around on the whale tail sandbar (more rock than sand on the flukes so wear something with a good sole) during low tide. A little further south is Ojochal with wonderful food.

To go on to Puerto Jimenez is very easy. Just head south on the coastal road to where it meets up with the interamerican (we saw a jaguarundi run across the road just outside of Palmar Norte) and head south to Chacarita where you turn off. There is a big gas station at the turn. Road can be variable so take your time. It is about 74 kms from the turn to Puerto Jimenez. This can take up to 2 hrs depending on road conditions. There is a decent little stop at the Rincon bridge. Great place to see birds and sloths.

I have been to Arenal several times and have always seen the volcano even if only for a little while. It is really strange to know where the volcano is and not see a thing. It is so huge you can't imagine that it could be so totally hidden. You can drive around to see the lava if you aren't on the current side. Lots of people do this. It doesn't change frequently. Even if it is clouded over during your stay there are several fun things to see and do.

Jaco isn't my favorite place but logistically it makes sense to stop there. If you get an early start and can time yourself with the ferry you could be in Montezuma that night but it would be a long day. I would stay in Montezuma and day trip from there and then head back over and go to Arenal if you really want to see it. The way you have it set up you will be making a lot of stops without really seeing much. Some people don't mind that style of traveling, we prefer to get to know a place at least a little before moving on.

Jim_Boo

Hi nine_lives!

"I don't really mind the driving but is trying to do the costal route from Mal Pais to Nosara possible in a day with a Terios?"

Have a look at the driving times from www.yourtravelmap.com .

You really plan to see a lot of Costa Rica, your itinerary looks fine. In December it does not rain on the Pacific coast, so the roads should be ok.

In Samara I really recommend you to stay at the Hotel Flying Crocodile ( www.flying-crocodile.com ), we had a great time there.

A beautiful place and friendly owners.