eilee

I'll be in MA for 3 days in mid Feb. One day we have a hike planned, the next day we have an ATV tour planned, and we need advice for the 3rd day.

I was interested in rafting, but not sure if thats's doable mid Feb. I worry about the horseback riding and Mangrove tour being a bit slow for a kid who lieks excitement...

Any thoughts. Is there a nice town to wander around in?

volcanogirl

Not sure if this would interest him, but we did a sailing/snorkeling tour. Sailing was adventurous as we got some good swells; the snorkeling was average at best. Manuel Antonio really just consists of the hotels and restaurants clustered on the hill near the park. Quepos is the larger city, but most people just stay in MA. We had friends that did ziplines in MA - maybe that would interest him?

raquel_z

Hi Eilee,

he might just enjoy some time at the public beach either boogie boarding or taking a surfing lesson.

I really would not call Quepos a "larger city".. The main part of the town is about 3 blocks square... Not much of interest there except a few supermarkets, restaurants bars, tour companies, souvenir shops etc... Its not particularly nice town.

he might still enjoy the horseback riding. It usually depends on the group how fast they go. And sometimes they even break up into groups.

raquel

volcanogirl

Agree - I wouldn't call Quepos a tourist draw either - LOL. Is the hike that you're doing inside the national park? If not, you could get a guided hike through the park and then spend the day at the beach there - it's very pretty.

hipvirgochick

What about Canopy Safari/ziplining?

CathyF

We will also be in MA in mid-February with a crew of teenagers so I have been doing similar research.

Where else are you going in Costa Rica? The MA area has zip lines, which might be fun to do before or after the beach. Do you have a beach day planned? Quepos is a huge hub for sport fishing and mid-February is a great time to go. There are full day and half day fishing tours.

eilee

Both the hike in the park and the ATV tours are half days, so I figure we'd have the afternoons to hang at the beach.

Does anyone know about river rafting the Naranjo this time of year?

The mom with teens - where will you be staying in MA and what dates?
After MA, we're off to Osa for a few days...

Jim_Boo

What about surf classes? There are several surf schools in the Manuel Antonio area.

CathyF

We are traveling with a group of families and have rented 2 houses, next door to each other, next to Hotel Bylbos.

We'll be in MA 2/19-2/23. We are spending a few nights at the Peace Lodge, then Arenal area, then MA, then home. Didn't have time for Osa this trip but it on my list if we go back. Make sure you write a trip report, I would love to hear a teenagers view!

I am also curious about the rafting in February. I've heard conflicting reports and have been reluctant to book.

We may drive down to the Dominical area for a day to check out the surfing. It will be about a 90 minute drive so not sure we will go. There is an interesting beach between MA and Dominical called Playa Ventana that has caves during low tide. Google it for some great pictures. I think my kids would really like exploring there.

dfr4848

Definitely agree with zipling/canapy trips. Our teens loved it and it certainly isn't boring.

eilee

We did ziplining in Alaska last summer. Would this be very different from that experience? The other thing is that ziplining is something I'm not into at all. It'd be nice for the 2 of us to do something together.

nina

When will you all be in MA with your teenagers?

We'll be there Feb 22-26th with our 15 and 18 year old sons.

The only scheduled activity we have planned thus far is an ATV tour.

nina

Also, we'll be at Tulemar. We're rafting the Pacuare and doing ziplines in Arenal before we get to MA, and going horseback riding (our own private group, so hopefully we can lope), after MA when we're at Vista del Valle.

dfr4848

eilee - sorry but I can't compare to Alaska, except these trips are through rain forests so I think it would be quite different - certainly the wildlife would be.

Sorry, I didn't pick up on the fact that there will be just the 2 of you. We also did a catamaran trip. It's a half day, includes lunch (which they fix on board - really good chicken kabobs with salad and pasta). Also included a stop for snorkeling. Teens also loved it. There is also a separate half day sailing trip (regular sailboat) which is also really nice.

Also MA itself, just outside the park, is rather touristy but nice and some nice places to eat. Otherwise you could always go into Quepas - about 20 min away.

eilee

We'll be in MA from 2/15-2/19 -so we'll miss you.

Does anyone know anything about the Waverunner jet ski trips with Jungle Coast? That sounds lieka possible fun adventure, but ahve never heard anyone talk about it.