Costa Rica best use of 9 full days with young kids!
 

Hi all

We are flying into Liberia in mid April and we have 9 full days in Costa Rica with an 8 year old and a 3 year old. We would like to make sure we see lots of wildlife - that's the plan - and would be interested in some beach/swimming time (maybe some surfing for adults). Currently we have a resort booked but we want some adventure and to see some of the "real" Costa Rica - I am a biologist so I am positively giddy about the wildlife! What is the best use of our time considering we do not want to pack up and move around too much with the kids? We can rent a car.

Thoughts?

KD

Are you definitely flying into Liberia? Not sure if that's flexible or not. The best wildlife we've seen has been in Manuel Antonio which has a beautiful national park, nice beaches, tons of easy access to wildlife like monkeys and sloths, Damas mangrove tours, and tons of hotel and restaurant choices. For more off the grid, we like the Osa Peninsula - fantastic wildlife and hiking. We flew into SJO for both though. Sansa and Nature Air are good in country airlines. Check out Tulemar Bungalows and Bosque del Cabo for an idea of what the areas are like.

The Arenal area is great for adventure activities and has the volcano, waterfall, Hanging Bridges, Cano Negro tour and Penas Blancas river float, as well as the natural hot springs and Proyecto Asis animal rescue center - no beach though. The Lost Iguana is a nice place to stay away from town - beautiful grounds, hiking, and right next to the Hanging Bridges. Arenal Observatory Lodge is also away from town and would give you a chance at seeing wildlife.

If you want to stay in the Guanacaste area, Ylang Ylang is popular.

The most popular combo for first timers is Manuel Antonio and Arenal/La Fortuna. With 9 days, I'd stay in two different spots and maybe a first or last night near the airport depending on your flight times, but most people going to these areas fly into SJO.

I don't want to take Manual Antonio off the list but as we are flying into and out of Liberia I feel it is probably better to focus our time in the North, saving MA for another trip??

I figured Arenal/Monteverde and then a few days on the Nicoya Peninsula.

Or... Maybe we should just drive down, spend our time near Arenal/Monteverde and the rest of the time in Manual Antonio and just drive back to liberia at the end???

Keeping in mind a 3 year old - the 8 year old is not an issue.

THanks
KD

Keep the trip to 2 locations. Skip MA. Too much driving and time in a car.

I think maybe just stick to Guanacaste beaches rather than MA since you can't change flying into Liberia. Monteverde is kind of a pain to get to and the roads aren't in great shape. I'd lean towards just Arenal and the beach, but really up to you and what works best for your family. If you ever fly into and out of SJO, the kids would love a night at the Peace Lodge - waterfall hikes, an aviary, butterfly house, ranarium, etc.

Thanks! I sort of had to work with availability etc so I will assume I will enjoy Costa Rica and head back again later. I would really really love to see a toucan, monkeys and tree frogs... If I can see those things, it will be perfect for me. <3

We've only seen the tree frogs in lush, wet places - they seem to be in heavily jungled areas with lots of dampness. We went to Selva Verde recently, and there were so many we had to work to avoid stepping on them. The red-eyed frogs are really amazing. We've seen toucans at the Lost Iguana and at the Hanging Bridges, not prevalent, but you can spot them if you're lucky.

Volcanogirl and MichelleY, if u were me, wanted to maximize wildlife and have a couple of days at the beach at the end, with young kids, flying into and out of Liberia, what would you do? Would love to hear your itinerary suggestions! 9 days! Go! :)

It's tough for me because if I wanted to maximize wildlife I wouldn't fly into Liberia - are you definitely ruling Manuel Antonio out? The Guanacaste area is known for being drier and not as jungly as some other areas and maybe not having quite as much wildlife.

You can find wildlife in the Arenal and Monteverde areas if you're in the right place at the time. In Arenal, the Cano Negro tour is your best shot; it's a jungly boat ride where we've seen monkeys, sloths, caimans, and lots of cool water birds. It's an all day tour though, so not sure how your 3-year old would feel about it. Penas Blancas is a nice river float and closer to the area; we've seen monkeys, a sloth, and a croc when we've done it. At the Hanging Bridges, we've gone alone and seen ants, and with a guide we saw howler monkeys and a toucan. I also love the waterfall hike, but haven't seen wildlife there. Proyecto Asis that I mentioned is a rescue center where you can hold the animals and help feed them. Kids would love it.

In Monteverde, a guided hike in the reserve to try to see quetzals, and we've also seen howlers there. On the night hike at Hidden Valley, we saw a porcupine, tarantula, a fox, and some other cool nocturnal critters. It's fun to hike around in the dark with a flashlight, but again I'm not sure what your little one would think. Like I mentioned the roads aren't the greatest, so are you ruling this area out?

In Manuel Antonio, and the Osa, the animals come to you. It's pretty much guaranteed. We could look out our window and see monkeys swinging around, see sloths, etc. It's just everywhere, so I think it's up to you and how much driving you want to do. I wouldn't do the Osa with kids that young, but MA is just perfect for young families because it's lush, has tons of wildlife, and has great beaches with lots of hotel and restaurant choices.

Ylang Ylang does get nice reviews, but we haven't been there yet; it's more in the area you're looking at. You might be able to see some monkeys there.

If you decide where you want to go and how much driving or travel you want to do that would help narrow it down.

Look into Samara. Gets good reviews.

We have an employee rate at the Westin Playa Conchal... By no means authentic CR! But certainly relaxing! This is our backup but it can be canceled. I guess we need to decide do we basically change our trip and head to San Jose/Manuel Antonio and Arenal. OR do we suck it up and do Arenal and the westin! :)

I've been looking at short flights from Liberia to San Jose which seem fairly reasonable.

The other thing is we are in Costa Rica April 14-24 and I know that's the big Easter time... how does this impact my decision.

Sorry to keep bothering you guys!!

I'd do the beach portion after Easter and do your inland portion first. Costa Ricans really like to go to the beach and travel during Easter week. The Playa Conchal is AI, right? I've heard some pretty good reviews of it, but agree with you that it would be more relaxing than a big wildlife trip, although you might see some. It's just up to you and what you're looking for.

Stick with your plan to finish up at Playa Conchal. With your little ones, it will be nice to relax and you will find plenty to do. Going down to MA or doing a flight to San Jose would not be good use of your time. Distances are deceiving and everything takes longer than expected.

Last question (promise! - I hope!): what would be the split of time spent at Arenal (or outside of Arenal) versus Monteverde? Looking at Lost Iguana.

Thanks again!

No need to limit the questions. I've gotten so much help on these boards! I would do three or four nights in La Fortuna and two in Monteverde and the rest at the beach of your choice. If you are really interested in MA, go for it, but if you just want to relax, stick to PC. The Lost Iguana has some rooms with a jacuzzi tub on the balcony; we really like those. Second floor rooms are nice for enjoying the beautiful views. If you just wanted to save Monteverde for another time, you could do an even split between the Arenal area and the beach.

How far is Monteverde from La Fortuna? I am wondering if I can get away with a daytrip to Monteverde from La Fortuna. Again, it comes down to picking up and leaving with a toddler. Sorry, more questions. :)

No, I wouldn't do a day trip. It took us over three hours each way and that was using the Jeep Boat Jeep to cut across the lake. The road is rough and bumpy and long. Think back country hilly gravel roads in the States. You wouldn't want to turn around and come back again the same day, especially with a toddler. The best things we did were an early morning hike; they said it was the best time to see wildlife and the night hike. A day trip really just doesn't work very well.

Any suggestions for nice accommodations in Monteverde? Thanks!

Monteverde is more rustic than some of the other areas. We stayed in one of the newer junior suites at Fonda Vela and liked it. They arranged all of our tours, and our room was big with a small frig, a bathtub, and a little seating area with a view of the gardens. We saw toucans on the property. They were building a pool when we were there. We booked it because it's one of the hotels closest to the Reserve.