We are planning our first trip to Costa Rica in December. Is it worth the long and tedious drive to Arenal or is the Paos Volcano area just as worthwhile?
We are also planning a trip to Manuel Antonio. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks.

SJO-Arenal isn't long and tedious. It will take you about 2.5-3 hours and is beautiful and interesting. Yes, Arenal is very worth it. There are a lot of things to do there. The Cano Negro Tour is excellent, the ziplines are fun, there's hiking the volcano (not to mention seeing the lava flow!), and La Fortuna town is always interesting. The La Fortuna Cataratas (waterfalls) are a fun hike, and everyone seems to enjoy the Hanging Bridges.

Poas is pretty also, as is nearby La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Definitely, if you are planning just a daytrip, stay with the Poas plan. Arenal is best for 2 nights or longer. Arenal and Manuel Antonio together make for a very nice overview of Costa Rica--active volcano, jungle, beaches! You didn't mention how much time you have to spend. If you have as much as 7-8 days, the Arenal/MA split would work well for you. Good luck!

I second Shillmac's recommendation regarding Arenal. We visited the area on both of our trips 2005 and 2006 and would readily go again.
Jill. How do you have so much time to answer all of these threads? Don't you have papers to grade?? How is school going?

Not at home--it's long been a policy of mine! I'm fortunate enough to have 1.5 hour in the middle of the day--planning/lunch. I'm pretty hooked up during that time and seldom have time for a single bite of lunch! That seems to get the job done. Fodor's is what I do in place of watching TV--infintely more interesting to me!

My next great challenge regarding school is a bilingual certification. Hope to have it in my pocket by this time next year. In Texas, that's a big plus, of course.

By the way, I finally caught the rest of your bird photos. Still amazes me--they are perfection. ave the two of you been sharing your experiences with your classes yet? I prepared a short video presentation of my favorite animal/volcano/other things of nature photos at the beginning of school. I try hard to inspire the kids I teach (all low socio-economically) that there is life beyond what they have and that it is attainable with a good education!

Thanks, everyone!! The Arenal/MA split it is.

I'm not familiar with the Arenal-MA drive, but as stated above, the drive from SJO to Arenal is beautiful and Arenal shouldn't be missed. Be aware, however, some of those roads are "meandering" in case any of you have carsick issues. Have a great time.

The above is true; a lot of people get car sick on the way to Arenal. Packing crystalized ginger or ginger snaps can help, asking the driver to slow down helps a lot, and don't look back to talk to the person behind you. Reading makes some people car sick, but who wants to read when there's all that beautiful scenery?!

Sandy

volcan poas is certainly impressive but you'll have more to do in la fortuna/ arenal:

http://costa-rica.typepad.com/la_for...ome/index.html

manuel antonio is a good choice for the 'beach' part of your hols:

http://costa.rica.typepad.com/manuel...ome/index.html