ciaodeb

Hi! We will be in Costa Rica end of April/beg.May. Traveling with two kids, girl age 12 and boy age 9. Like doing interesting activities and want to include a canapy ride, see monkeys and waterfalls and snorkel. We will be in following areas with amount of days in parenthesis:

Alajuela (1), Tortugero (2), La Fortuna (2), Tarcoles (2) and Quepos (2).

Any help would be appreciated. -Debbie

shillmac

You might want to purchase a guide book such as Lonely Planet for information in addition to what you receive here on the board.

Tortuguero--haven't been there, but know that guides take you on boat tours of the canals and riverways.

Arenal (La Fortuna)--good for hiking, canopy adventure, waterfalls, hot springs, hanging bridges

Tarcoles--haven't stayed here, have only stopped en route to Manuel Antonio (near Quepos) to view the crocs from the bridge over the Rio Tarcoles. Nearby is the fairly new Turu-Ba-Ri park which your family would enjoy.

Quepos (assuming you mean Manuel Antonio)--take a guided hike through the park and go horseback riding (Finca Valmy) There will be way more activities than you will have time for--just enjoy the ones you choose--it's all fun! Buen Viaje!

shillmac

Forgot to mention, as far as snorkeling--it's not that great in Costa Rica. There are other things more worthy of your time. Save the snorkeling for the Caribbean where it is really worth your while!

dfarmer

To add to your list -

You probably read this post - anyway this sounds like it would be good for you.

"Awesome Dolphin Tour Recommended- Ml. Antonio, CR"

In Alajuela - Zoo Ave might be interesting for your family.

Tortuguero - you will be offered guided tours morning and afternoon, other than that most lodges have a nice pool.

CarolM

Three good ways to see lots of monkeys:
1. In Manuel Antonio, sign up for one of the mangrove boat tours... there's a place where the boats pull over and you'll get to see capuchin monkeys up close.

2. Also in Manuel Antonio, at the hotel Costa Verde (mostly at sunset), a bunch of little spider monkeys hang around. Please don't feed them, though.

3. In La Fortuna, go to one of the tour companies there and sign up for the river float tour on the Penas Blancas river. You're sure to see big howler monkeys in the trees overhead.

Jessie_

You will certainly see lots of wildlife in Tortuguero from the boats. Lots of sloths-both the 2 toed and the 3 toed. Swimming in the ocean not really recommended in that area because of the rough surf and the possibility of sharks.

Tarcoles- more wildlife, this time on foot. Carara is a good place for wildlife and birds. Smelled my first peccaries there. Not a pleasant event. A whole different experience than Tortuguero. Scarlet macaws are seen in that area frequently. Saw lots of howler monkeys. There is a boat tour to see the crocs but your kids may have had enough of boats after Tortuguero. You can see them quite well just looking off the bridge.

Quepos...most of your time will be spent over in the Manuel Antonio area. We stayed by Quepos our first trip to that area. Not a long trek to MA from there. Check out RioSPAraiso. They have lots of options for things to do.

La Fortuna, lava hiking, waterfall, hanging bridges and several options for canopy tours both the tram and zip and of course several options for those wonderful hot springs. Windsurfing on the lake.

dhswor

Where in Alejuela are you staying? We stayed at LaQuinta and loved it! We also did the canopy tour at Hacienda Pozo Azul - it was great and has a safety line ( you are attached to 2 lines)- seemed like a good idea to us! Also, in MA, we didn't have time to do the mangrove tours, but did stop by to see about it - at Isla Damas - there were guides there and their prices were much better than the tours. I don't know how the guides/boats compare - maybe someone does. We loved our stay at Costa Verde. Very kid-friendly and the monkey visits made my kids' trip! Have fun planning!