Just returned from two weeks in CR and it really was one of the best trips of my life. We started out at Arenal for three nights, then went to Tamarindo for a week and ended up at Montverde. Did a ton of activites, had some great food and really just enjoyed ourselves. If anyone has any questions about these areas or CR in general, let me know. I'm happy to help if I can!

Did you do any fishing out of Tamarindo...going next week but staying put in a resort and making day trips...just needed some relaxation too...any great suggestion you might have..we will be staying in the area of Tamarindo. thank you

Sorry, no fishing, but I did go scuba diving in the area and had a great time with that. We spent most of the time in Tamarindo at the beach beacuse it was just so beautiful and the water is actually very warm. While you are there you should eat at the Lazy Wave restaruant...it was great!

and don't miss Shark Bite Deli for lunches! across from Lazy Wave. I am disappointed the Lazy Wave was closed most nights we were there & never got to try it. it gets great reviews.

To magsagogo,
Where did you stay in Arenal? What activities did you do there? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Arenal? Thanks. We will be going in August.

I stayed at the Tabacon Resort, which is the most expensive place in the area. The plus side to it though is that it has great views of the Volcano (when it wasn't raining!) and all around it's a very nice hotel. The best part about it for me was that it's right down the road to the Hot Springs, which I loved. We spent every day doing activites and it was very nice to come home and be right near the springs to just relax.
The first day there we did a "Combniation Tour" which included a hanging bridges hike through the rainforest, a hike to the waterfall in Fortuna and a hike to the 1992 lava flows of the volcano. The second day there we did Whitewater rafting.
All in all, everything was fun. Full days- I really enjoyed seeing the volcano up close, so that would probably be my #1 reccomendation. Depending on where else you are going, make sure that you do things that you can only do at Arenal, such as the waterfall hike, etc. You can do hanging bridges, zipline and horsebacking riding pretty much everywhere.
We booked our activites through the hotel, although if you go into Fortuna there are tons of places to book also.
In terms of eating, we were too busy to explore restaurants in the area (also we didn't rent a car so it was tough to just go out for a meal). We ended up eating every lunch on the tours we were doing and every dinner at the hotel (which, by the way, had good food and a great free buffet breakfast).
Let me know if this helps!

To magsagogo,
How streneuous was the hike to the lava flows and the waterfall? I have osteoporosis so I am hesitant to do any steep hikes. I don't want to risk falling. I think we will do the hanging bridges in Arenal. Heard they are nicer than the ones near Quepos. We are also going to La Paz so we can also see waterfalls there if the hike is too strenuous to the Fortuna waterfalls.

Kwoo-
The hike to the Fortuna waterfall was pretty short, but it was very steep. If you are concerned at all I would reccommend skipping that one. The hanging bridges were really nice at Arenal and that was pretty much just a walk, with no real "hiking" involved. Finally, the hike to the laval flows: the vast majority is just a walk on flat land. However, when you get to the flows themselves, it gets a bit tricky and you walk on the rocks for a bit. Again, if you are worried about your footing or the chance of falling, I wouldn't do it. When you go to book your trip, just let the person know of your concerns- everyone is really helpful and will do their best to get you what you want.

Where did you stay in Tamarindo and Monteverde and how was it?
Thanks

Kwoo - if you will have a car, you can drive yourself to the start of the hike to Fortuna fall & pay only $6 per person to go in. The other poster is right - it is very steep - but they have steps built into most of the pathway however, they are steep & can be slippery. Going down is not too bad, but going back up is fairly stenuous - but you can go as slow as you want & let others pass. Also, just to note, the Fortuna fall seemed to be much cleaner water than the falls at La Paz. Finally, if you have a car or take a taxi into Fortuna, we ate at Las Brasitas (Mexican) which was very good. We also at at El Novillo but we weren't all that impressed however it gets other really good reviews on here - it is between Tabacon & Arenal Paraiso - but you will still need a car or taxi.

Hello, thanks everyone for your helpful tips. Do the stairs to both waterfalls have railings? Last fall we walked down about 380 steps (I think) into the salt mines at Weilicka in Poland. My knees were shaking by the time I got to the bottom but I did it. Of course, they weren't slippery. And we took an elevator back up. Yes, we will have a car.
Sclubb, thanks for the tip about Las Brasitas, too.

There were railings at both Fortuna & La Paz. I am not certain if Fortuna had railings the entire way, but I think they did. It is a fairly narrow walkway, so I recall people leaning against the railing to let others pass by. I will say sitting at the base of Fortuna is one of my favorite memories - so I hope you get a chance to see it. Just take lots of breaks - there is one bench along the way to rest.

I'm pretty sure that Fortuna did have railings all the way, but again, I must stress that it really was very steep. It started to rain on our way back up and it felt like we were walking up the waterfall itself- almost fell once or twice myself.
I stayed at the Hotel Diria in Tamarindo. We were originally booked to be at Hotel Pasatiempo, but when we saw how far it was to the beach, we changed reservations.
In Montverde we stayed at the Ecolodge San Luis: a very specific kind of place. Rustic, certainly, but the property backs up right to the rainforest. I personally loved staying there and all it had to offer, but make sure you know what you are getting into.

I'm glad to see that someone is finally speaking abt the hanging bridges. Whenever I think of CR, I think of all those photos of folks doing ziplines, canopy tours, etc. I'm very acrophobic, so I know I won't do the zip lines-- but I'd love to be able to at least do hanging bridges. Kwoo-- when you said you'd heard that the ones near Quepos were not as nice as the ones in Arenal, were you speaking about the Rainmaker Hanging Bridges? We're going to be both in Arenal and Manuel Antonio, and I would like to try to do the bridges in one of those places, so I'm eager to hear from folks who may be able to compare them for me. I posted this question before, and I remember that one responder did say that the ones at Rainmaker were very high and sway-y, and that it could be a problem for an acrophobic. That's why I'd particularly be interested in learning that maybe the ones at Arenal are less "scary"? Rainmaker did sound like it might be very pretty tho-- but I'm not sure it'd be worth going just to do the river-walk part (skip the bridges).. Thanks for the help!

Poss, several months ago I read on this board that the Hanging Bridges at Arenal are nicer than Rainmaker. I don't remember exactly what the poster said. You should do a search & hopefully you will find the post. I do remember someone saying that you should do the Hanging Bridges in the morning - that is when more wildlife are out.
Hope this helps.

Poss:

We just got back on Tuesday and actually did the hanging bridge tour in Arenal on Monday. We all really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the highlights of the trip. It was $20 per person and another $10 per person to get a guide. We didn't get a guide, but later wished we had. There are so many plants and trees that looked very interesting, but we didn't know what they were. The entire trip took about 2 hours and I think you cross about 10 bridges (not all of them hanging). Some of them are fairly high and they do sway quite a bit, especially when there are several people on the bridge. I always felt very safe and there are plenty of railings to make sure no one falls off. We saw some beautiful waterfalls & rivers & also spotted 3 howler monkeys!

I would definitely recommend this trip, but just keep in mind that you will have to cross a couple of bridges that are fairly high and long.

My fiance and I are staying 2 nights at Tabacon at the end of September. Can you recommend what we really should do? I really want to horseback ride in the area of the volcano and the hike refered to in the first entry sounds interesting. Also, what kind of clothes/shoes did you wear for the waterfall hike?

Gabeck-- Thanks for responding. Another question, if you don't mind: Is the hike set up in a way that if when I get to a particular bridge and find it "un-doable," I'd be able to backtrack and still "find" my husband and guide? Or once one starts the thing is there no way to go but forward?

Poss, so glad to see you are continuing with your plans to visit Costa Rica! I still think you are worrying too much! I, too, have a fear of heights, and I guess these "fear" things are all relative in terms of severity, but we've never done anything in Costa Rica that has been uncomfortable for me. Even the canopy--of which I was terrified and spoke to about a dozen people and guides about beforehand. But I loved it! All of these canopy activites may BE high, but they don't SEEM high due to the surrounding jungle. This "illusion", if you will, is a great help to those of us who don't like to look down and see distance! I've never experienced all of those fear factor feelings of dizziness, anxiety, butterflies, etc. in Costa Rica. I think you are going to have a great time!

there are two "must-do" hikes in the Arenal area that I would strongly recommend to everyone: Fortuna waterfall and Hanging Bridges. Both trailheads are very easy to find and drive to with plenty of signs:

The Fortuna waterfall is located about three miles northeast of Fortuna off the paved road that runs to the town of La Tigra. Plenty of signs show where to turn off the road. Then you take a short but sometimes bumpy side road a couple of miles to the trailhead parking. All cars can drive this rain or shine. There is a fee to hike eown to the waterfall of about $8/pp last time I went. Buy tickets at small shed before walking over to the trailhead. The trail itself is short but steep, has excellent steps and handrails, but can be a stairmaster challenge getting back. The hike is really worth it but only takes about 20 minutes to get to the falls. Very spectacular waterfall. Great swimming hole too if the day is hot. Allow at least two hours for the whole trip -more if you want to have a picnic down by the falls.

The Hanging Bridges are found near the east end of the Arenal Lake dam, about twenty miles southeast of Fortuna. Again, good signs, good road, easy access. Turn off the dam at the east end and follow the bumpy road for two miles, it will dead end at the Hanging Bridges. The Hanging Bridges are an incredible feat of engineering as this trail and the 100 meter bridges were all carried in and erected by hand. The admittance fee is rather steep at $20/pp but the trail is quite spectacular as it loops back into some very steep jungle covered ravines. Walking on the trail is very easy and mostly level. I did it in flip flops once.