Venturasurfwidow

Due to the current civil unrest and lack of basic supplies in Nicaragua (even in the resort areas now, apparently), we have had to cancel our trip to our place in Nica. Any recommendations for 3 days between Monteverde and Playa Avellanas? We love it all - wildlife, history, scenery, adventures, eco. Two "older" adults and three young adults. Thank you, Fodorites!

volcanogirl

If you like adventure activities, the Arenal area is very nice. You can also see some wildlife there. There's a huge volcano (not currently active) that towers over the landscape, and they have gorgeous natural hot springs like Tabacon. You can zipline, white water raft, hike the waterfall and swim there, hike the Mistico Hanging Bridges, do the Bogarin Trail to see sloths, poison dart frogs, and red-eyed tree frogs, do the Cano Negro tour to see wildlife, do the Penas Blancas safari float, take a cooking class. Desafio is a good tour company if you need one. We like Rio Tropicals for rafting and Sky Trek for ziplining. The Arenal Observatory Lodge has good trails and wildlife on site, or you can stay somewhere that has hot springs. There are some nice upscale lodges as well like Nayara. For more rustic, the Lost Iguana. For super fancy the Springs Resort and Spa. Silencio del Campo is a more budget friendly option. It's one of our favorite areas.

Venturasurfwidow

Thank you volcanogirl! My bad for not mentioning that we will have already been in the Arenal area before heading to Monteverde. That said, it is one of my fav places, so maybe we will circle back to there and try the Bogarin Trail and Cano Negro based on your suggestions. A cooking class would be fun for our adult kids as well! Our first time in CR, the volcano was actually erupting - creating one of our family's most magical vacation moments. Standing in a field full of fireflies at night, seeing the bright orange lava flow and feeling the ground shake as the boulders bounced down the mountain. Aaaahhhhh CR - counting the minutes till we're there.

Thanks again, volcanogirl.

volcanogirl

Yes, Bogarin and Cano Negro are two goodies. We've been going since 2006 and got to see the volcano back in the day too. I remember you could have your hotel call you in the middle of the night if the volcano was flowing so you could get up and watch it. Great! We just tried the cooking class on our last trip - Costa Rica Cooking with Chef Scott. We made ceviche, patacones with black bean puree, tropical drinks, grilled pork with mango salsa, cashew encrust sea bass, coconut flan - we were stuffed, but it was so much fun. Sorry about all the unrest in Nicaragua; I didn't realize it was that bad.

We've been all over CR - also like Tortuguero, the Osa, the Sarapiqui area, Manuel Antonio, Poas area, not sure if any of them are convenient for where you're going, but if I can help let me know.

Venturasurfwidow

Sounds like we started our love of CR around the same time. We really enjoyed the eastern coast of CR as well - Tortuguero and the amazing turtles. We've never been to Manuel Antonio - that may be a good "filler" for our days that won't be spent in Nica. Something new for all of us!

Thanks again - have been reading your posts on here for quite a while - very nice to "meet" you!

volcanogirl

Nice to meet you too! We loved Tortuguero as well. Manuel Antonio is great for beach time, also tons of monkeys around. Tulemar Bungalows is our favorite - they have their own beach and lots of wildlife on the property. Good restaurants in walking distance, beautiful views.

Venturasurfwidow

Hubby had some words of wisdom - let's just settle in for a full week at Playa Avellanas instead of adding more driving time and packing/unpacking. After a really tough year for our city (Ventura) and our family, I think his suggestion is great. We will stay at our villa at Playa Avellanas and make day trips (maybe even an overnight if we feel like it). Thanks for your help, volcanogirl. I'm sure we'll chat again soon!

volcanogirl

Sounds good - a chance to relax and enjoy it.