Arenal - 2.5 days; advice needed
 

Hi Costa Rica experts!

Our trip is approaching and I hope to get some feedback before we leave. As most first timers we will go to Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and Arenal, in this order.

My questions have to do with planning for our 2 night stay in Arenal (El Silencio del Campo), before the last night near the airport. We are not too “adventuresome” (read will not go on Skytrak). We will be in Arenal after seeing jungle habitat in different places in MA and Monteverde, ready to enjoy the hot springs.

We will travel from Monteverde with the first jeep-boat-jeep, leaving Monteverde around 8am and supposedly arriving to El Silencio around 11:30am.

I looked at what we might want to do, timing and related costs (which went up a lot for 2009).

I am considering the following:

- Day 1 in Arenal: after lunch at El Silencio take the 2:30 SkyTram tour; it costs $55+8/person; we would be there a max of 2 hours. By 5 pm we could be at Eco Termales (the only place where I plan to make a firm reservation real soon) for dinner and relaxation (5-9pm) for $49/person.
- Day 2 in Arenal: go to La Fortuna, have lunch; Natural History Walk Tour at 1pm at Hanging Bridges (2.5 hours) for $34+12/person; be at 6pm at Tabacon for dinner, $70/person.
- Day 3 – morning at the hotel in the pool, leaving after lunch for Alajuela.

In some ways I would like to see as much as as possible but at the same time the above seems to be rushed and quite costly. For the 2 days we would be spending $456 for the 2 tours, the 2 hot springs, taxis, and 2 dinners.

I am wondering if after the rain forests in MA and Monteverde it’s worth paying $55 for the SkyTram … While I read a lot of superlatives about Tabacon, I am questioning the $70/person for the 4 hours + dinner.

While I know that interests and tastes are different, any comments suggestions based on your experiences would be much appreciated.

I would do the Hanging Bridges on the first day and take the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours on the second day. Then do the hot springs in the evenings.

Tabacon is really pushing it with those prices. We love Eco Termales - their chicken dinner was really good and the atmosphere was so relaxing.

I haven't heard much about the SkyTram tour - is that the one that carries you up to the SkyTrek zipline, but you don't want to do the zipline portion? If so, I think I'd give that a pass.

I'd give the SkyTram a pass as vg said, unless you were going to do the SkyTRek portion. It juts goes up, slowly, then comes back down, and while we saw a couple of monkeys, there isn't a huge amount to see. I liked the tour to the base of the volcano, it wasn't long and very easy walking.

Let me throw this out there as well since I noticed it....both your days you're starting after lunch! CR starts and wakes early :) Many tours start at the crack of dawn to take advantage of the cooler temps and better wildlife viewing. Something to keep in mind!

It seems like you're wasting your first morning by spending it in La Fortuna, which is just another tourist-oriented resort town--nothing special there. I'd do a hike in the Arenal Volcano National Park instead, or maybe do the hanging bridges on the first day and Cano Negro the second.

Suzanna, I know you didn't mention it, but Cano Negro was our favorite thing, so that's why I tossed it out there. It's a boat tour through a wildlife refuge - we saw howler and capuchin monkeys, sloths, and a lot of amazing birds - for us, it's a don't miss.

I agree that a.m.s are great in CR; we are usually up by 5:30 just because the sun comes up and the birds and monkeys start sounding the alarm.

I agree about La Fortuna; it doesn't have a lot of charm, mostly just a grocery store, a church, tourist shops, etc. With your limited time, I wouldn't waste much time exploring it.

I totally agree with volcanogirl. hanging bridges day 1 and cano negro day 2 with thermals/hot springs at night. If you want to see a great view of the volcano, I loved going to the observatory. The have a great observation deck and they have same trails to hike. It was really nice being there at night to see the lava splash out at night. enjoy costa rica...one of my favorite places in the world.

Hi everyone !

I just came home, ran to the computer to see if anyone had the time to reply. I appreciate your comments and suggestions, I will take them into account and modify plans. BTW, we do plan to get up early, but on Day 1 we are traveling from Montevere w. arrival to the hotel around 11:30-12. We will not waste time in La Fortuna and I will look up Cano Negro instead of the SkyTram. Thanks a lot to each of you.