Costa Rica -Manuel Antonio & Arenal Itinerary Review
 

Hello. We are traveling to Manuel Antonio and Arenal/La Fortuna for spring break in a week. We are two adults and a 9 year old girl. I have most of the itinerary set, any suggestions or modifications? Am I trying to do too much? I think I've come up with a good plan and I am excited about the places we are staying- Tulemar and Tabacon.

Day 1 - Arrive SJO, drive to Tulemar. Stay at Dulce Vida Villa. Free evening. Dinner at Tulemar property
Day 2- Morning - Manuel Antonio National Park guided tour, Afternoon -Surf lesson. Dinner-local?
Day 3 - Morning Tulemar pool/beach. Afternoon - Zipline tour (Canopy Safari). Dinner at Avion
Day 4- White water rafting (Amigos Del Rio). Dinner location?
Day 5- Drive to Tabacon. Stop at La Fortuna Waterfall and Horse back riding(time permitting).
Day 6- Morning - Mistico Hanging Bridges Tour ( Jacamar Tour company)
Day 71 Spa day and enjoy Tabacon Hot springs
Day 8 Depart

I am concerned on day 5 when we drive from MA to Arenal which is 5 hours away that I may not be able to do the Waterfall and Horseback riding.
Other things we wanted to do but can't seem to squeeze in: Nightwalk, Penas Blancas River Safari, Chocolate tour, birdwatching.

Since this is our first visit, if I should swap out one of my activities for something we should not miss, please let me know.
Also, appreciate any dinner recommendations.

Thank you!

JT

We've enjoyed eating at Cafe Agua Azul, Cafe Milagro, Ronny's Place, and Barba Roja if you're looking for some casual spots. I heard Barba Roja may be closing so that one may not be open. One night we stayed in and ordered pizza from Victoria's.

Manuel Antonio Expeditions is a good company for a guided tour of the national park if you don't have one yet.

On day 5, you need to get to the waterfall by 4:00 p.m. to do it that day. I think it would be hard to fit horseback riding in on this day. It gets dark pretty early in Costa Rica between 5:30 and 6:00ish. I'd just relax and enjoy the hot springs at your hotel after the waterfall. You could do horseback riding on day 7 instead.

I really like the Penas Blancas safari float; Desafio is a good company to go with if you find you're able to fit it in. Personally I wouldn't devote a day to a spa day since that's something you can do anywhere.

Two other activities we've enjoyed if you want to take a look at them. The Villa Vanilla tour in Manuel Antonio; you get to walk through their pretty gardens and see where things like cinnamon and vanilla and cacao come from. At the end of the tour, they gave us little desserts and drinks made with the things they grow on the property. In the Arenal area, we enjoyed the Bogarin Trail owned by a local family. It's an easy flat walk; good chance to see sloths, poison dart frogs, red-eyed tree frogs, and some nice birds if you do their guided tour. The guided tour is best because they're much better at spotting wildlife. Hope you guys have a great trip.

Thank you for the recommendations volcanogirl. All of your posts have been so helpful!

My pleasure l.b. Happy to help!