Costa Rica or Dominica?
 

Hi,
We took or 2 tween girls to CR 2 years ago and loved everything.
Friends of ours love Dominica and have been encouraging us to go. We are torn between that and a trip back to CR. Would love people's opinions. Hiking, wildlife, snorkeling, culture etc all matter. Thank you!

No kids so can't speak to that. Spent two weeks traveling around CR - loved it. Have been to Dominica several times but only for a day each time while on sailing vacations. I think the snorkeling would have been good if the sun was out. The black sand beaches were different but not very inviting to us - well then again, it was raining. Some people traveling with us hiked and said the views were nice but the trail was very muddy - did I mention it was raining? We were always there at the end of November/beginning of December - other times of the year may be quite different. I'm sure Dominica has it's charm and may have tons of stuff to interest your kids however given the choice I'd choose CR. Enjoy your trip - wherever you end up!

Been to Costa Rica 4x....our children love it. Dominica(Nature Island) is high on our list of places to visit. But it does not have the wildlife, that's one of the big factors that make Costa Rica so exciting....Have you ever thought of Panama? Been 2x with our kids & loved it.

We've been to both and enjoyed both, for different reasons.

Dominica
Pros: Great hiking (we did the Boiling Lake hike - it's extreme but rewarding). Great waterfalls and jungle pools (Emerald pool, Victoria Falls). Sailing - we went out for a whale watch). Snorkeling - Champagne Bay, saw some good fish. We stayed at Jungle Bay, and enjoyed that more upscale resort. It was pretty easy to get around.
Cons: Rosseau was a bit of a bust. Beaches aren't great.

Costa Rica (we went to the Caribbean coast - Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Tortuguero):
Pros: Wildlife - saw a ton. Adventure activities - ziplining, rafting, hiking, etc. OK beaches on the Caribbean side. Enjoyed the Caribbean Rasta vibe.
Cons: Snorkeling not so great. San Jose also not so great. Resorts were a little less developed, at least where we were.

Bottom line: you'll have a good time at either.

My trip report on Costa Rica is here. http://caroundtheworld.com/jungle-fe...ribbean-coast/

I don't have one written for Dominica...it was our first trip...and we had so much fun, I decided my husband was a keeper! :)

Chris

Thanks so much. We went to CR 2 years ago and loved it. This year the airfare to Dominica was outrageous so we are going back to CR for a week in the Osa peninsula!