We(active couple mid 30s) are looking at taking an 8-9 day trip to Costa Rica at the end of May and I have 2 different itineraries I'm debating. Arenal is definitely on the list, possibly staying at Nayara. One plan I'm looking at is rafting into the Pacuare lodge for 2 nights, 3 nights at Arenal and 1-2 nights in the Central Valley at Finca Rosa Blanca. The other is splitting my time between Arenal and somewhere on the Osa Peninsula(Bosque del Cabo or Luna Lodge). Aside from distance are there any pros/cons to either trip? I am also open to any other unique lodging suggestions. As always any advice is appreciated.

For a pro, I think the Osa offers some of the best wildlife watching in the world. It's amazingly beautiful and unspoiled, and places like that are hard to come by. If you love hiking and wildlife watching, I'd go for this option. On the other hand, I have always wanted to stay at the Pacuare Lodge and raft the Pacuare. We did a rafting trip out of Arenal and want to do more. If you want something adventurous, that would be a great option. Hard to go wrong really. Xandari is another good option if you want a central valley hotel.

What's the general time it takes to travel to the Osa from Arenal if you're flying?

I don't believe you can fly directly from Arenal to the Osa. I think you have to fly from Arenal back to SJO and then from SJO to the Osa from there. Check flights on Nature Air and Sansa. It's about an hour from SJO down to the Osa. Very pretty flight.

We loved rafting (1-day trip) but we haven't seen the wildlife at Osa. I'd probably do Osa, since you have a decent number of days to stay there and make the flight worthwhile. It depends what you're doing for the other days in Central Valley and weigh the pros/cons. It's always easy to do the Central valley and rafting on a future trip (because you can depart from San Jose) while travelling to the Osa takes more time/effort. I'd probably look at the flights for the days you're travelling to see if it would be worth it (what time you arrive etc).

How about a compromise:

Do the Osa, spend a night near San Jose, with a single day Pacuare rafting tour with the operator dropping you off in Arenal that night.

Or, save the Osa for last.

RAC, in theory that sounds good but that would be an exhausting trip! I know its possible to fly to the Osa the day you arrive in CR, but is it a good idea? The flight I'm looking at arrives at 1130am.

You'd have to count on your flight arriving from the states on time. We try not to book connecting flights on the same day for that reason, but it could work for you if you want to risk it.

I don't think it would be that exhausting if you plan your activities right. BdC and the Nayara should provide plenty of relaxation and restful comfort. If you were hiking through Corcovado, yeah that would be rough.

What time would your int'l flight land?

After reading through the BdC GTG thread and seeing the puma pictures I must admit Osa is starting to win out, I love big cats! The flight I'm looking at would arrive at 1130 am. The main reason I am interested in Finca Rosa Blance is that my husband is a coffee snob/fanatic and I thought it would be interesting to stay on a coffee plantation.