Carol1974

My friend and I are planning a two week trip to Costa Rica in November, and any advice would be gratefully received.
Firstly - is this an ok time to travel? I am reluctant to go much later as have exams to prepare for in Jan.

We were planning to do a budget tour with Geckos which will take us to San jose; Monteverde; La Fortuna/Arenal; Cahuita National Park and Puerto Viejo. However, this tour does not go to anywhere on the Pacific coast. We were thinking of trying to do a short trip to Manuel Antonio before the tour began (maybe 3 days). Does anyone know if there are any tours to MA from San Jose for about three days? Or is it fairly straightforward to do it ourselves? I have read some of the messages about driving, and am not sure if this is an option (as here in the UK we already drive on the other side to most of the world) as I may be too worried.
How easy are the buses to MA?

Or should we not bother with the caribbean side of CR and find a tour which concentrates more towards the West. Its just that the idea of being able to get to both coasts is appealling.

Any thoughts/information would be most appreciated?

Thanks,

Carol

greenfieldhunter

If you are the hardy adventurous type try www.greentortoise.com.
They offer several tours but do not bother unless you work well with others and are flexible.
November is a good time to visit the caribbean side and I am told there are few crowds this time of year

mabel

For your first trip to CR, I would say skip the Caribbean side. I've only been to Puerto Viejo though, so not sure how Cahuita NP is. PV is a beach-bum-surfer-dude town. Lots of expats with dreads---Bob Marley blasting everywhere. It's fun, but the Pacific side (particularly Osa Peninsula/Corcovado NP) was beautiful, rainforest, animals, great hikes, cheap and nice places to stay, tons of activites, etc. Haven't been to Manuel Antonio, but I know it's like a 2.5- or 3-hr drive from SJ. Bus is super-cheap (like US$7) to MA and takes 3 hours or so. Not hard to do it yourself. Once you get to anywhere along the Pacific, you can take day-trips with tour operators arranged through your hotel or on any main street in towns. Beaches on Caribbean side can be calmer and better for swimming though. Pacific beaches tend to have rough water.

LM3682

Hi Carol- We're going to MA in March, from San Jose. I found it fairly easy to book things myself, instead of paying a tour company to do it. I know there are bus systems, but we chose to take the puddle jumper planes (Sansa or Nature Air). I know you're concerned with budget, but the flights run something like $70 one way, which isn't too $$$. And considering it takes 25 minutes instead of three hours to get from San Jose to MA, it might be worth it to fly at least one way.

MA hotels were slightly more expensive in general than other areas on the Pacific coast, because of how well known it is. Other Pacific areas to maybe consider are Montezuma or Tambor, or the Hermosa area. I found cheaper hotels in these areas. Have fun!!

airwayvz

I just visited CR this past Novemeber, mid-month, and it was a fine time to visit. If you choose to go to the Manuel Antonio area before your tour, you really won't need a car. You can probably get a private transfer for around $100, or if you land in San Jose REALLY early in the morning take a puddle jumper flight. I think the flights to Quepos leave around 9 am or so though so if you can't catch one you'd have to stay a night in San Jose, which is why I'd recommend a private transfer.