vamsi99

Hi,
I have a 6 and 3 yr old and we plan to take a vacation to costa rica in oct. our first choice is escorted travel but most of them have age limit of 5 or above. Are there any tour operators you would recommend within CR or from USA who might be able to organize a 10d trip?

volcanogirl

Do you have your heart set on October? Personally, I'd avoid most of CR during that month - it's when the heaviest rains of the season hit.

vamsi99

i could change it to december
thanks
vamsi

shillmac

Depends on when in December--Christmas week will, by now, be almost impossible. Early in December a good time.

My daughter and I had a lovely time for 5 days in October of 2004. Central Valley and Caribbean side. . .didn't experience all that much rain. There are areas that do get less rain, but then, it can come a downpour in the dry season occasionally, so nothing is guaranteed!

Check out this rainfall map:

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/...rMap.html#rain

Hi Volcano Girl! Have you ever seen this map? I should remember to post it every now and then--it gives a good idea of what one might reasonably expect! Agree with you also--Osa very hard to beat (other post).

volcanogirl

Hi, shillmac - welcome back! Yep, I've seen the map before; I think it's a great resource. All the areas that interest us indicate rain during October. I asked Phillip at BdC about October, and he said, "Why would anyone in their right mind go to CR in October?!" Can't you just hear him saying that?

shillmac

Yeah, you're right--Bosque del Cabo is, according to Phillip, almost under water at times in October. Doesn't appeal to me! And yes, I can just HEAR Phillip saying that with his accent. He tends to be a bit on the negative side at times, though! I have a story regarding that if I ever get in the "report" mode!

The Caribbean side experiences its driest weather in September and October--and it happens to be an area we enjoy. I really missed a visit there this summer--tried and tried to work one in, but other priorities just seemed to keep pushing it out!

volcanogirl

You should have seen Phillip's face when I told him the things Earl told us at the Animal Sanctuary - he plunked down a salt shaker and said, "And you can take some of that along with what he told you!" I think he's so funny - in a blunt kind of way - LOL.

We have not made it to the Caribbean side yet - will have to put that on our to do list. Tortuguero is intriguing.

hipvirgochick

I'd love to hear more Phillip stories!

shillmac -- I refer to that map as well...I think it's one of the better resources...?

hills27

Vamsi, may I ask why you want escorted travel? Costa Rica is such a great destination to take kids because it's the kind of place you don't need a tour guide for. You can use one or two hotels as a base and go off site for various activities, but if the kids are being cranky or need a nap, it's easy to go back to the hotel to relax or go to the pool.

volcanogirl

I agree - it's really easy to organize everything yourself. We planned everything just using this board. Arenal/Manuel Antonio is a very popular trip for first timers. I think December would be a great time to go provided the places you're interested in aren't already booked.

Do you know what you're interested in doing, or which areas interest you?

costaricaeasyride

Costa Rica can be nice at the end of november...early december...some hotels and tour operators will honor the "green season prices" up to 15 december...the last week of december is very important week for us costaricans...we all go to the beaches ...mountains...etc...last week of december is PEAK SEASON!!

Hard to find anything decent...almost everything by now is booked...but of course you can always try!!

Luis Road Advisor