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Looking hard at an elderhostel trip to CR in mid November. Arenal, Cano Negro, Manuel Antonio, San Gerardo de Dota. Is this a good time to go to these places, or would Feb/Mar/Apr be a better bet? We want wildlife, birds, flowers. Please, any advice would be most welcome!
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Mid-November could be a little more iffy with weather, but is probably not a bad choice. We've gone to Arenal and MA during the first week of December and had a wonderful time (with a few rain showers but nothing that stopped us from doing all the things we wanted to do). You'll get the added bonus of some cheaper hotel prices in November vs. Feb/Mar/Apr.
Wildlife, birds and flowers are available year round, with the exception of certain migratory species that may or may not be there depending on when you travel. November may be better for some of those migratory birds...
If you want more of a guarantee of good weather, go with a Feb., Mar., or Apr. trip. I'd look at the calendar and see when Holy Week falls and avoid that because of crowds.
November is a transition month between rainy and dry seasons, but there can still be a fair amount of rain then. It's iffy, just like cmerrell says. Most tours go rain or shine. I've done some wildlife-watching excursions in the pouring rain and had a great time. The advantage to going in November is that everything will be lush and green in a way that it isn't by February or March.
I'm going in November this year, first time that I haven't gone in Feb. or March. I'm expecting rain since it is towards the end of the rainy season, so will be prepared and hope for the best. We are planning for morning activities since rain often comes in the afternoon. San Gerardo de Dota is quite high (7000'), so be prepared for chilly weather. It was definitely sweater and jacket time in February.
But even in dry season, you can expect rain at any time. We woke up at Arenal Paraiso and would never have known that a volcano was right in our face, could barely see the next cabin through torrential downpours. Last year in March we went to the cloud forest at Monteverde, never saw a cloud in four days - pure blue sky, no rain, very dry, so you just never know what you will get.